For the diver whose imagination is captured by the Philippines' sheer underwater diversity, a single base of operations can feel limiting. The true magic of this archipelago unfolds when you can travel from one renowned site to the next, with the rhythms of the sea setting your schedule. This is the distinct experience offered by the Atlantis Adventurer liveaboard, a vessel designed as a central part of your Philippine diving story.
This 32-meter aluminium monohull is both a capable expedition liveaboard vessel and a comfortable, scuba diver's home. With a dedicated crew attending to just 16 guests, the atmosphere on the Atlantis Adventurer is one of focused camaraderie. Between dives, the upper deck saloon provides a welcoming space to relax, with resources for image editing and free internet connectivity when within range. Guests are accommodated in 8 air-conditioned, twin/double en-suite cabins that serve as quiet retreats, ensuring you are rested and ready for the next dive.
The operational heart of the Atlantis Adventurer liveaboard is its expansive dive deck, engineered for efficiency and care of your scuba gear. Each diver has a personal storage area, while dedicated camera tables with charging stations and separate rinse tanks underscore a commitment to underwater photographers. The routine is both smooth and exhilarating: up to 5 dives are possible on most days, utilizing nitrox and 2 fast dinghies for quick, flexible access to the sites, leaving from a broad platform that makes entering and exiting the water straightforward.
What truly defines a cruise aboard the Atlantis Adventurer is its access to the Philippines’ premier liveaboard diving regions across different seasons. From March to June, it positions you perfectly for the remote, pelagic-rich walls of the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park. In the early months of the year, diving tours weave through the macro paradise of Anilao, the vast coral landscapes of Apo Reef, and the historic shipwrecks of Coron Bay. For the remainder of the year, the vessel operates from the Visayas, offering routes that showcase the vibrant reefs and consistent encounters of the central Philippines.
This strategic seasonal movement is supported by the longstanding credibility of the Atlantis operator, whose permanent resort in Dumaguete serves as a seasoned liveaboard home port. Their decades of on-the-ground experience translate into informed guidance and operational reliability. Whether your priority is encountering thresher sharks at Kimud Shoal, drifting along colorful walls, or seeking out rare critters, the team’s local knowledge helps shape each trip.
Choosing the Atlantis Adventurer liveaboard is a decision for divers who wish to move beyond a single Philippine diving destination, to connect the dots between world-class sites from the ideal vantage point: on the water, surrounded by fellow enthusiasts, with every detail managed so you can focus on the diving. It represents a comprehensive approach to exploration, where the cruse between sites is an integral part of the adventure.
The 7 Deluxe cabins are on the lower deck. The liveaboard's Owners cabin is on the upper deck offering superb sea views from the window above the study table. This spacious cabin includes extensive storage space. All cabins are en-suite and have double beds and a single bunk bed.
All the cabins have:
- Air-conditioning
- Windows on the upper deck
- Private bathroom with toilet, hot water shower, towels, bathrobe and hand basin
- Hairdryer
- Wardrobe and mirror
- Reading lights
- Bedding
- 110V electricity supply with flat 2-pin sockets (Battery charging station for 220V is also available)
- Life jackets
- Fire extinguishers
- Space for luggage
No. of bathrooms / showers - 8 / 8 - hot water
Apo Reef & Coron (8 Days / 7 Nights - 24 Dives)
Trip highlights: shark action, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, very popular, wall diving, wreck diving
Dive sites and activities: Apo Reef, Tara Islands, Coron wrecks: Okikawa Maru, Olympia Maru, Japanese Freighter, East Tangat Gunboat, Nanshin Maru, Akitsusima, Irako, Kyokuzan, Dimipac Island. Optional land visit to Coron's hot springs.
Day 1
Board the Atlantis Adventurer liveaboard and meet the crew who will brief you on the schedule and safety procedures. Once settled into your cabin, take time to unpack and prepare your dive equipment. Dinner is served on board, offering a warm introduction to the week ahead. Diving begins the following morning.
Core Days
Enjoy some of the Philippines’ best scuba diving as the Atlantis Adventurer explores a variety of world-class sites. At Apo Reef, the country’s largest contiguous coral reef system, divers experience a stunning mix of vibrant coral gardens, steep drop-offs, and pelagic encounters. The main reef stretches over 34 square kilometers and surrounds a shallow lagoon, offering a range of dives suited to all experience levels.
Descend along colorful walls covered with hard and soft corals, where whitetip and grey reef sharks patrol the blue, and schools of snapper, barracuda, and trevally move in shimmering formations. The outer walls often attract manta rays, eagle rays, and occasional sharks, while the reef flats host turtles, bumphead parrotfish, and giant sweetlips. In calm conditions, divers can also explore Apo Menor, with its caverns and swim-throughs, or the North Wall, known for strong currents and thrilling drift dives.
Surface intervals with the liveaboard reveal more of Apo Reef’s beauty. The turquoise lagoon and small sandy island are home to seabirds and mangroves, making it a perfect backdrop for relaxation or snorkeling between dives.
Further north, Coron is famous for its historic World War 2 shipwrecks. The Okikawa Maru, Olympia Maru, and Irako are covered in coral and teeming with marine life. The East Tangat Gunboat sits in shallow water, ideal for relaxed exploration and photography. The Akitsushima, a former seaplane tender, offers a deeper and more technical dive for experienced wreck divers.
Each site reveals a different side of the Philippines’ underwater beauty, from macro life and soft corals to pelagic species cruising through open water. Evenings can be spent unwinding on deck or, when available, visiting Coron’s natural hot springs.
Day 8
After breakfast, it’s time to disembark the Atlantis Adventurer and say farewell to the liveaboard crew. Reflect on a rewarding week of liveaboard diving, filled with unforgettable wrecks, reefs, and marine encounters.
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (8 Days / 7 Nights - 24 Dives)
Trip highlights: shark action, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Tubbataha: Seafan Alley, Washing Machine, Shark Airport, South Park, Gorgonian Channel, Amos Rock. Malayan Wreck, T Wreck, Black Rock, Lighthouse, South West Wall, Wall Street, Eigar Wall, Delsan Wreck, Jessie Beazley Reef
Day 1
Step aboard the Atlantis Adventurer liveaboard in Puerto Princesa, your base for exploring one of the world’s most extraordinary marine parks - Tubbataha. Once on board, you’ll meet the professional crew, receive a welcome briefing, and settle into your comfortable cabin. Take time to organize your dive equipment and unwind before enjoying your first dinner at sea. Diving begins the following morning.
Core Days
The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, represents the pinnacle of Philippine diving. These remote atolls are home to over 600 species of fish and 350 species of coral, offering pristine reefs, towering walls, and exceptional visibility. You’ll explore both North and South Atolls, each with its own signature sites.
At Seafan Alley, massive gorgonian fans stretch out along the walls, sheltering pygmy seahorses, crinoids, and longnose hawkfish. Washing Machine offers an exhilarating drift dive through swirling currents filled with surgeonfish, fusiliers, and trevally. Nearby, Shark Airport lives up to its name with whitetip reef sharks resting on sandy ledges alongside green and hawksbill turtles, and grey reef sharks buzzing the area.
The Gorgonian Channel features a vibrant coral slope covered with whip corals and barrel sponges, while South Park is known for schooling barracuda, bigeye trevally, and the occasional manta or eagle ray gliding overhead. At Amos Rock, expect a spectacular wall covered with red soft corals, sea whips, and anthias clouds, plus the chance to see Napoleon wrasse and tuna cruising in the blue.
Several wrecks and reef points add further variety. The Malayan Wreck and T Wreck attract large schools of batfish and sweetlips, while Delsan Wreck is a favorite for photographers with its mix of reef sharks, turtles, and dense coral gardens. Black Rock and Wall Street are vertical drop-offs rich in hard corals and sea fans, often patrolled by grey reef sharks. Lighthouse and South West Wall offer gentler drifts with abundant reef fish and stunning coral plateaus, while Eiger Wall impresses with dramatic overhangs and pelagic visitors.
No visit to Tubbataha with the Atlantis Adventurer liveaboard would be complete without diving Jessie Beazley Reef, an isolated coral pinnacle northwest of the main atolls. Its crystal-clear waters host schools of barracuda, surgeonfish, bumphead parrotfish, and giant trevally, providing a breathtaking finale to your expedition.
Final Day
After a final breakfast on board, bid farewell to the Atlantis Azores and disembark in Puerto Princesa, marking the end of an unforgettable week of liveaboard diving in the Philippines’ most iconic marine sanctuary.
Malapascua, Cebu & Bohol
Trip highlights: whale sharks, hammerhead sharks, shark action, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, beginner divers
Dive sites and activities: Cabilao, Malapascua: Monad Shoal, Kimud Shoal, Capitancillo, Gato Island; Bohol: Balicasag, Panglao; Cebu: Oslob, Sumilon. Bohol land excursion (tarsiers with Chocolate Hills or Loboc River).
Extended trips may also visit Kalanggaman and Anda.
Day 1
Welcome aboard the Atlantis Adventurer liveaboard, your home for the week as you explore the best diving of the Visayas. Upon arrival, you’ll meet the friendly crew, receive a safety and orientation briefing, and settle into your cabin. Take some time to unpack your gear and get comfortable before enjoying your first dinner on board. Diving begins the next morning.
Core Days
The Atlantis Adventurer Visayas liveaboard route offers an impressive mix of reef, wall, and pelagic diving, showcasing the Philippines’ incredible biodiversity.
Cabilao Island is often the first stop, known for its colorful reefs, pygmy seahorses, and steep walls covered in hard and soft corals. Gentle currents bring in schools of fusiliers and jacks, while macro enthusiasts will find frogfish, nudibranchs, and ornate ghost pipefish among the corals. Cabilao’s calm conditions make it ideal for relaxed diving and underwater photography.
Next, the journey heads north to Malapascua, world-famous for thresher shark sightings, where these graceful sharks rise from the deep for early-morning cleaning sessions. Malapascua also offers the chance to spot manta rays and devil rays. Around Gato Island, scuba divers can swim through tunnel systems lined with soft corals, surrounded by bamboo sharks, cuttlefish, and sea kraits. At Capitancillo Islet, vibrant reefs and schooling fish add another highlight, blending macro and wide-angle opportunities in one dive area.
Further south, Bohol delivers classic wall diving at Balicasag and Panglao. Here, schools of barracuda and jacks, green turtles, and passing eagle rays are common sights. The walls drop dramatically into the blue, covered with sponges and gorgonians. Between dives, guests can enjoy an optional land excursion to visit Bohol’s iconic tarsiers and the Chocolate Hills, or take a peaceful river cruise on the Loboc River, offering a glimpse of local life and scenery.
The final diving days on the Atlantis Adventurer take you to Cebu’s southern highlights. At Oslob, snorkel with gentle whale sharks in clear, shallow waters, a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Nearby Sumilon Island features pristine coral gardens, abundant reef fish, and the occasional blacktip reef shark, making it a relaxing and picturesque finale to your week of liveaboard diving.
Final Day
After a last breakfast on board, it’s time to bid farewell to the Atlantis Adventurer and its dedicated crew. Take with you memories of pristine reefs, rare marine encounters, and a week of exceptional liveaboard diving in the Visayas.
[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].
The food onboard the Atlantis Adventurer is freshly prepared and served in the comfort of the air-conditioned saloon on the main deck of the liveaboard, or weather permitting, at the open air seating area. Family-style service includes fresh seafood, Filipino favourite dishes, as well as a selection of pastas, salads and homemade soups. Meal times are planned around the diving schedule and offer a wide variety of daily-changing options.
Early breakfast (6 am):
- A light continental breakfast served before the first dive
- Includes cereal or muesli, fresh fruit, and pastries
Full breakfast (8 am):
- Hot dishes that change daily such as pancakes or waffles
- Bacon, sausage, potatoes, rice, and eggs prepared in different styles
- Coffee, tea, and juice served alongside
Lunch (11:30 am):
- 3-course meal starting with soup and salad
- Main course offers 3–4 choices including chicken, beef, pork, seafood, and vegetarian dishes
- Sides may include potatoes, rice, vegetables, and breads
Snacks (2:45 pm):
- Served between dives, changing daily
- Cookies, toast, and fruit are also available throughout the day
Dinner (6:30 pm):
- 3-course dinner with soup and salad
- Choice of mains with chicken, beef, pork, seafood, or vegetarian options
- Accompanied by sides such as potatoes, rice, vegetables, and bread
- Daily-changing desserts like cakes, brownies, tarts, or fresh fruit
Beverages:
- Complimentary tea, coffee, hot chocolate, soft drinks, and calamansi juice
- Shakes and fresh fruit juices
- Local beer, red and white wine
- Gin, rum, vodka, and mixers
- Guests may also bring their own drinks onboard
Special highlight:
- One evening features a festive BBQ night on the boat with grilled meats, seafood, sides, and salads
- Vegetarian options always available
Additional notes:
- All snacks and drinks are included in the trip at no extra charge
- Meals are not buffet-style, and dishes can be customized (e.g., removing ingredients a guest doesn’t want)
- Special dietary needs such as vegan, gluten-free, or allergies can be accommodated with prior notice
"
What can I say about Atlantis Azores? Great boat, awesome food, super friendly staff and great cruise director." -
Yann Renoux, France, 24 April 2017 ...
