MY Resolute

The M/Y Resolute is a long running value-for-money liveaboard with a highly-experienced crew. It navigates the Philippines to take advantage of the seasons and provide a wide range of scuba diving adventures, including trips to the world famous Tubbataha atolls, Cebu/Visayas, Apo Reef, and Batangas/Puerto Galera.

Resolute has quite a colorful history, previously been used as a Soviet spy trawler during the Cold War years. The yacht was built in Vladivostok in 1974, and converted in to a diving liveaboard in 1988. It is 35 meters long and, with its heavy steel hull, it is a trusty and stable vessel in waves. Its weight and keel make for a very stable vessel and a smooth expedition. It has a Cummins engine with a cruising speed of 7.5 knots, 3 generators, and a sailing range of 3,000 miles.

There are 8 guest cabins on the lower deck for 16 guests. All cabins have private bathrooms and are fitted with personal climate control. 2 experienced chefs prepare mostly Filipino cuisine with some Korean and international flair. They can also prepare vegetarian delights upon request. 5-course buffet meals are served al fresco in the dining area in the bow of the main deck. The main deck also houses the indoor saloon, where there is a TV area with a selection of movies and reading materials. The upper deck is the sun deck and main social area. Here you will find shaded sunbeds, as well as bean bags for relaxation.

The Resolute has 2 x 75 HP motorised tenders which it uses for its scuba operations; all dives are guided, There is plenty of storage space for guest equipment in the spacious kit up area, and there are 2 showers and WCs. The yacht offers nitrox, as well as being tech-friendly.

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Dive experience: A minimum of 40 logged dives and open water certification are required.

Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, drinking water, fruit juices, hot drinks, local airport transfers to and from the boat (no transfers for Anilao), dives (as detailed in the trips above), 3-4 experienced English-speaking divemasters, tanks (DIN and yoke), weights and weightbelts, all taxes.

Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment rental (incl. dive computer: US$ 54 per day), port and park fees (per person per trip to be paid in advance: Tubbataha US$ 100, Apo Reef US$ 110, Cebu US$ 70), dive insurance. Current fuel surcharge to be paid in advance: Tubbataha US$ 100 per trip, Apo Reef US$ 100 per trip, Cebu US$ 150 per trip. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash only - PHP/USD).

Optional extras: Alcoholic drinks, soft drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers US$ 150 per trip, 15 litre tank rental US$ 35 per day. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash only - PHP/USD). Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.

How to get there: The Resolute liveaboard uses various ports throughout the diving calendar:
Tubbataha - departs from Puerto Princesa on Palawan Island. You can buy return flights to/from Puerto Princesa Airport (code PPS) from both Cebu and Manila. If you are transiting in Manila, keep in mind that you will need to transfer from the international terminal to the domestic terminal by taxi. You should allow at least 2 hours for this transfer. Return boat - local airport/hotel transfers are provided. Boarding time is 2 pm for 4 pm departure; boat returns to port at 4-6 am for disembarkation at 7-9 am. The last dive of the tour will be at 11 am on the second last day of the trip.
Apo Reef / Coron - guests meet in Anilao (no transfers are provided), southern Luzon for departure. Land transfers from Manila take 2-3 hours. Boarding time is 1 pm for 3 pm departure; boat returns to port late night for disembarkation at 9 am. The last dive of the tour will be at 1 pm on the second last day of the trip.
Viasayas - departs from Crimson Resort, Mactan Island in Cebu City. You can buy return flights to/from Mactan Cebu International Airport (CEB). There are direct flights from Manila and some other Filipino cities, as well as from Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Dubai, Taiwan and China. Return boat - local airport transfers are provided. Boarding time is 2 pm for 5 pm departure; boat returns to port at 5 am for disembarkation at 10 am. The last dive of the tour will be at 2 pm on the second last day of the trip.
Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving. For more details, including airlines, see our Philippines travel information section.

Non-diver rate: None.

Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin or add 100% to the published price for their own cabin.

Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 7 guests and 1 additional person can join the cruise free of charge (total 8+ guests).

Whole boat charter rate (per night): Pay for 14 guests and 2 additional persons can join free of charge.

There are 8 guest cabins for 16 guests on the lower deck, all with private bathrooms. All cabins have bunk beds, 6 standard cabins (2 with a lower double bed and 4 with a lower single bed), and 2 smaller economy cabins with a lower single bed; the upper bed is always a single bed.

All the cabins have: No. of bathrooms / showers - 10 / 13 - hot water

Customer reviews:

"The boat was extremely worn, well below the standard for what I paid. For example, we had to wear shoes on the boat's exterior decks to avoid the soles of our feet from going black with dirt, and the interior smelt of sewerage. Our room wasn't the worst but you could still smell it everywhere inside. The rooms also smelt musty and I had to wash all my clothes and even my bags when I got off the boat. It was disgusting. In addition, they were advertised as being able to cater to vegetarians but it was clear I was just an inconvenience to the chef. Everyone else would have 3-5 meats to choose from, plus a soup, plus multiple different veggies and carbs, whereas I had a few ok meals and a few servings of tofu early on, with either some sauce or a salad but by the second half of the trip I sometimes only got plain veggies (no sauce or flavour). In addition, I'm sure some of the food wasn't even vegetarian (e.g. it was cooked in chicken stock), that is just another example of the boat not being able to cater to vegetarians. It wasn't worth what we paid." - Kelda Bindel, New Zealand, 10 September 2023 ...