Dolphin Liveaboard Reviews

Amazing diving trip

Very well-maintained boat. Very friendly crew. Different delicious food each time. Unlimited water/soft drink/fruit. Amazing diving sites. With Shark every time. Beautiful hard coral. Karaoke night before ending the trip. Birthday cake for the team Awesome trip

Recommended for

Nice Crew. Nice Diving sites. Nice food.

11 Jun, 2025

Exceptional overall experience

Tubbataha itself is worthy for divers. MV Dolphin has amazing food and crew hospitality. Big thanks to Kevin and his staff.

Recommended for

Owner/Staff. Room. Food.

03 Jun, 2025

The most wonderful dive experience we could ever had

The best decision I ever made. We were welcomed by the crew and the owner who joined the trip with us and from there it just got better. Our VIP room was spacious and super confortable. The food serviced was just like the one you would get from a restaurant, fresh and delicious. Our diver master, Bong, was knowledgeable and knew exactly where to take us. Ohr first dive, we saw a beautiful whale shark just in front of us. The whole trip was just amazing. The walls are colorful and full of live. A big thank you to Kevin who dove close to us all the time to make sure we were all safe. After each dive, I would just lay down in the 3rd deck until the next dive, and the crew would bring me drinks and even a pillow. They were all so attentive and kind. Thank you all for making our experience the best we could have it.

Recommended for

Staff. VIP room. Deck.

02 Jun, 2025

Worth Every Peny

We had an awesome time on The Dolphin Liveaboard. The diving was nothing short of exceptional, I must say we were very lucky, as apparently the group before us did not manage to see as much. But that is nature, nothing to do with the liveaboard. The staff where all very nice and accommodating, the dive guides all did their utmost to make their group enjoy their dives. The food was also very good, nothing to complain about really, will definitely book again on the Dolphin if I visit Tubbataha again

Recommended for

The Staff. The Comfy Bedroom. The Food.

10 Apr, 2025

Dolphine review

We truly enjoyed the trip

Recommended for

The crew was very friendly and professional. The rooms were very comfortable and spacious. Very nice diving with great guides.

06 Apr, 2025

Diving on Tubbataha – M/Y Dolphin

I had a great trip on M/Y Dolphin to remote Tubbataha reef. The crew and the new owner Kevin made us feel extremely welcome. I enjoyed the warm and welcoming atmosphere. Diving was great, I felt very privileged to be exploring this remote and special part of the world.

Recommended for

Amazing crew and dive guides. A very special destination. Friendly atmosphere.

06 Apr, 2025

Desappointing value for money.

No highlight

Recommended for

Crew was friendly

02 Apr, 2020

Low value but nice diving

Beautiful weather and very fortunate sightings of whale shark, and hammerhead school.

Recommended for

Guides, pelagics, Tubbataha Reef

01 Apr, 2020

Nice Dive Site

We find so many good things to see, nice dive sites and easy dive

Recommended for

The manager and dive guide Johnathan are very helpful and friendly sharing experience for self improvement

13 Feb, 2020

Great staff, always there to assist your needs

Already mentioned above, the highlight dive was on the last day. As soon as began our descent, a white tip, several great barracudas, and a school of Jack’s. Of course we descended asap to deeper water and enjoyed the show.

Recommended for

Diving, staff, cabin

07 Nov, 2019

Very good diving

Diving in Tubbataha is amazing: healthy reefs, huge schools of fish, sometimes whale sharks and mantas. Dolphin is a affordable liveaboard to dive this area. The cabins are comfortable. However the food could be better. The crew is friendly and the dive guide professional.

Recommended for

Great diving, comfortable cabins and friendly crew

23 Sep, 2019

Exceptional Diving and Liveaboard Experience

Naturally all of the great diving, numerous whale sharks, several mantas, lots of sharks, schools of barracuda and jacks. The crew was very good and the fellow divers were fun to know. The end of the trip barbeque on the rear deck was a hoot, live singing and just plain fun, lots of diver participation. Jan did a great job of organization.

Recommended for

The diving was well organized, the food and beverages were very good, and the crew, excellent

03 Jun, 2019

Fantastic

We had a great time with the staff of the boat. The diving was great, we got lucky and experienced whale sharks on a few dives, the food was very good, the price was fair, the dive director was very professional, the dive guides were fantastic…it was just dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, eat, dive, sleep… I made a short home video that sums it all up: https://vimeo.com/339210754

Recommended for

Courtesy. Attentiveness. Safety.

31 May, 2019

Great Diving

Total Management Good dive Wonderful Crews

Recommended for

Dive site , Crew , Drink

28 May, 2019

Great diving and excellent service.

Beautiful and full-of-life reefs.

Recommended for

Very friendly and helpful crew. Efficient operation. Comfort cabin.

27 May, 2019

Not an optimal boat layout but great crew and fantastic diving.

Obviously the diving was #1 but also the warm staff made the boat welcoming. The dive deck is small and crowded at times and there is a lack of lounging areas on the boat. They make a concerted effect to aim for sites based on where the other liveaboards are, thus avoiding overloaded dive sites and taking advantage of their own smaller groups.

Recommended for

Dive guides/deck hands, healthy reef, uncrowded dives.

27 May, 2019

Great value for money, awesome crew

I’ve spent one awesome week of diving at Tubbataha onboard the Dolphin. Outstanding, very helpful and extremely friendly crew members. Fantastic organization and problem solving by cruise director Jan. The food was good and plenty, the boat in good condition and well suited for diving operations, the diving fantastic.

Recommended for

organization, crew friendliness, diving quality

06 May, 2019

Remarkable diving, even better crew

We dove Apo Reef and Coron. The diving was spectacular, much better than I expected. The visibility was the best I’ve seen in a long time and Apo Reef, and the marine life was stunning! The guides were very experienced and professional. The food was spectacular! So many different types of meals. Then we had a birthday on the boat on the last day, and they went above and beyond with a splendid cake and singing celebrations! The best liveaboard trip I’ve ever taken.

Recommended for

Food, Diving, Experienced Guides

28 Mar, 2019

Amazing dive adventure with friendly crew

Tubbataha is by far the best and healthiest reef I’ve ever seen! And even though we were at the end of the season, we got pretty lucky with the weather and still managed to see mantas and a whale shark among other mesmerizing creatures! Being a transition trip, the owner and family (huge family) traveled with us, giving and unexpected but very rewarding and fun turn into my liveaboard experience. Loved playing and swimming with the kids!! The crew is so friendly that I even ended up hanging out with some of them after the trip for some insider guide to Puerto Galera town. Being the only beginner diver in the boat, I experienced for the first time, a more independent way of diving, where the instructor isn’t necessarily putting his attention in one person in particular. Overall it was a great experience! The only thing I would improve is probably arranging the top deck so that there’s more space for guests to gather, since is so beautiful up there (sky watching might be the best way to finish your day)

Recommended for

The site, the crew and the weather

04 Jul, 2018

Excellent diving at Tubbatatha Reef!!

Only 3 dive guests on board – so was very relaxing!! Reef is fantastic – unbelievable marine life !! Weather poor fist two days but then picked up and was superb!! Crew very friendly and helpful!! Free booze – outstanding!! Currents are strong, so, you need to be a fit diver!! Overall – an excellent trip for the money – do it soon – you won’t be disappointed!!

Recommended for

Whale sharks, Mantas, sharks, marine life etc

14 Jun, 2018

Wonderful experience with MV Dolphin

Tubbataha reef is wonderful place that you might see so many white tip and grey reef sharks, manta ray, tiger shark and even whale shark in one place! Corals are well protected and oceanic creatures don’t be afraid of human being. It is a great place that I really want to visit again. Also, MV Dolphin is a nice ship that can serve you very well. All crews are well experienced and kind. It has relatively large room compared to its price, and beers are included in your boat fee. MV Dolphin is absolutely a good choice and value for money among 15 liveboard ships in Tubbataha reef.

Recommended for

Experienced crew, large room, free beer

07 Jun, 2018

Amazing whale sharks with very average boat

4 times a day to meet a whale shark it was amazing!!! Also schools of jackfishes, grey reef sharks – very close and beautiful…

Recommended for

Whale sharks, big fishes, phillipines crew

05 Jun, 2018

Good Value for money and friend crew

1. Good diving; 2. Satisfactory boat condition but not more than that, exhaust toilet in our cabin was not working properly during the trip, the boat is showing its age in overall; 3. Friendly crew helping us

Recommended for

Good Diving spots, friendly crew, friendship

12 May, 2018

Great adventure with wonderful mates

The last day when I saw a shark attacking a parrot fish to eat from inside of coral. I could encounter an important moment. I enjoyed converstation with other mates and crews very much. Thanks for all.

Recommended for

Sea animals,Local food speciality and Crews

10 May, 2018

The sites are magnificent after you need a bit of luck to see the rare fish that you come to look for

It’s a diving cruise so the most memorable moments are the dives.

Recommended for

the staff. the organization of the dives. being alone in my cabin.

06 Jun, 2025

An experience that brings stars to the eyes when the weather is on your 😁 side

A great adventure, with beautiful human and underwater encounters. Convivial moments. An unspoiled reef, beautiful corals and sharks at every turn. Wonderful

Recommended for

The team and its energy. The beauty of diving. The comfort of the bed in the cabin.

06 Apr, 2025

good conversations, met nice people and had a lot of fun both above and under water.

For me, the diving highlights were the sharks at the Apo Reef and an octopus that I watched for 5 minutes. At the wrecks, the Taiei Maru, Okikawa Maru and Akisushima.

Recommended for

South Point(Apo Reef), BBQ at Apo Reef, healthy underwater world, starry sky

03 Apr, 2019

An experience to be had, few places like this in the world

– moments of conviviality in the evening after 5 dives sometimes- magnificent drop-offs (rich in gorgognes and occupants) insane passage of big in the blue

Recommended for

– well-established organization – safety assured – kindness of crew and staff

04 Jul, 2018

Magical place to dive

The encounter with whale sharks and manta rays.The beauty and preservation of the corals as well as the underwater fauna.

Recommended for

The place, the friendliness of the crew and the organization

04 Jun, 2018

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