M.Y. Gypsy
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Book through Tour Leader Club
24.3 m · 8 guests · 4 cabins
M.Y. Gypsy is a small motor yacht working the Philippines: 24.3 metres, just four cabins and a maximum of eight guests. She was built in 2012 and completely refitted in 2021 by Dutch boatbuilder Frank van der Linde, with interiors by Simone Schuil. The yacht is operated by Sea Explorers Philippines and departs from Dauin in southern Negros.
Eight guests on board is a different format from the big liveaboards. The crew almost matches the group in number, the yacht reaches the dive sites ahead of the crowd, and the route can be adjusted to the weather and to what the group wants. For the same reason she is often taken as a whole charter — by families, groups of friends, dive clubs and teams of underwater photographers.
There are four cabins, all on the lower deck, each with air conditioning and a private bathroom. The master cabin has a queen bed, the three Deluxe cabins have two single beds each. Shared spaces cover more than 250 square metres across three levels: a flybridge with a sundeck, bean bags, a lounge and a minibar; an upper deck with the saloon, galley, bar, indoor and outdoor dining areas and a bow sundeck; and the lower deck with the cabins, crew quarters and the dive platform.
The yacht carries Seakeeper gyro stabilisers, which damp the roll on crossings between islands and at anchor. The dive deck is shaded, with individual gear stations, rinse tanks and a separate underwater camera station. Nitrox, rebreathers and sidemount are supported, DIN adaptors are on board and diving is run from the tender. The crew speaks English and German.
There are three route families. The main one runs the Visayas: muck diving in Dauin, the sardine run at Moalboal, thresher sharks at dawn off Malapascua, the coral walls of Bohol and Siquijor. The winter version goes through Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor. From late March to mid-June the yacht heads for Tubbataha — a remote marine park in the Sulu Sea under UNESCO protection, reachable only by boat and only in that short season.
Mandatory extras paid locally: a fuel surcharge of $60–100 per trip and marine park fees of $100–200 — on the Tubbataha routes the fee sits at the top of that range, as the park permit is the most expensive in the Philippines.
No mark-up
You pay the rate the operator publishes. The only thing added on top is the actual payment processing cost — no fee of ours.
We run the booking
Correspondence with the operator, holding your places, the contract, confirmation and all paperwork sit on our side. Nothing for you to arrange yourself.
Pay by card
We send you a Stripe invoice — pay by card, in your own currency, from anywhere in the world. The transfer to the operator is handled on our side.
Support in your language
We help you pick the cabin and dates, answer questions on the route and gear, and stay reachable until you are home — in English, in your time zone.
We quote the exact amount when confirming the booking: it covers the operator's rate plus the actual payment processing cost. No hidden charges.
Yacht Specifications
Length
24.3 m
Beam
6.11 m
Year Built
2012
Capacity
8 guests
Cabins
4
Speed
8–10 knots (max 18)
Engine
2 × Volvo Penta 500 hp
Refit
2021
Bathrooms
4 private in cabins and 2 shared
Tender
1
Water capacity
3500 litres
Fuel capacity
6000 litres
Freshwater maker
Two units, 250 litres per hour each
On Board
Diving on board
The dive package is included, and so are extra dives. Night dives and nitrox are paid separately ($5 per nitrox dive). A private guide is available for a surcharge. The crew speaks English and German. The Tubbataha route calls for Advanced Open Water and experience diving in current: negative entries, drifts along the walls and open-water ascents.
Food and drinks
Full board: a light early breakfast before the first dive, a full breakfast, lunch, afternoon snacks and dinner. Drinking water, tea and coffee are included. Tell the crew about allergies and religious restrictions when booking — there is nowhere to restock along the route.
Navigation and safety
Cabins
· 1 cabin
Master
Beds: 1 queen bed
The largest cabin on board. A queen bed spans the full width of the cabin, with cabinets and worktops along the sides, reading lamps at the headboard and individually controlled air conditioning. The private bathroom has a shower cabin with warm water and a washbasin. Light comes in through the lower-deck portholes.
· 3 cabins
Deluxe
Beds: 2 single beds
Three cabins on the lower deck, each with two single beds, individually controlled air conditioning and a private bathroom with a shower. Storage lockers sit above the beds and there are reading lamps at the headboards. They suit two travel companions as well as solo divers.
Schedule & Pricing
Visayas: Dauin — Moalboal — Malapascua — Bohol
The yacht's main route and the most frequent one in the schedule: a 7- or 9-night loop around the Visayas, boarding and disembarking in Dauin. It starts on the black volcanic sand of Dauin — classic muck diving, hunting for frogfish, mimic octopus, nudibranchs and ghost pipefish. Then Moalboal and its sardine run: a shoal of a million fish sits right off Panagsama beach, with Pescador Island's wall next door. An overnight crossing to northern Cebu brings the dawn dive on Monad Shoal off Malapascua, the only place in the world where thresher sharks show up at the cleaning station almost every morning. On the way back come the walls and coral gardens of Bohol and Balicasag, with turtles and schooling jacks. The 9-night departures add days on the farther sites and slack for the weather.
August 2026
1 departureSeptember 2026
2 departuresOctober 2026
3 departuresFebruary 2027
1 departureJune 2027
1 departureJuly 2027
1 departureAugust 2027
3 departuresSeptember 2027
2 departuresOctober 2027
2 departuresNovember 2027
1 departureMarch 2028
1 departureJune 2028
2 departuresAugust 2028
2 departuresSeptember 2028
2 departuresOctober 2028
3 departuresNovember 2028
2 departuresDauin — Cebu — Bohol — Siquijor
The winter route, run in sheltered water between the islands: Dauin, southern Cebu, Bohol and Siquijor, 7 nights out of Dauin. Fewer crossings and more time underwater — the macro sites of Dauin and Apo Island, the coral walls of Balicasag, the reefs of Siquijor with turtles and soft corals. A good option for a mixed group, since diving and snorkelling are easier to combine here. At the end of December the yacht runs a short 5-night New Year trip.
December 2026
1 departureJanuary 2027
1 departureFebruary 2027
2 departuresNovember 2027
2 departuresDecember 2027
3 departuresJanuary 2028
2 departuresFebruary 2028
3 departuresNovember 2028
1 departureDecember 2028
3 departuresTubbataha expedition
A seasonal route into Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park — from late March to mid-June, when the Sulu Sea is calm. The park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site a day's steaming away, with no land and no other vessels nearby. Diving covers three atolls: the North Atoll with Washing Machine, Shark Airport, Amos Rock and Wall Street, the South Atoll with Ko-ok and Delsan Wreck, and the free-standing Jessie Beazley Reef. Sheer walls drop into the blue, grey and whitetip reef sharks rest on the plateaus, eagle rays and mantas pass by, and schools of jacks and barracuda hold in the current. Currents are strong, entries negative and ascents in open water — Advanced Open Water and confidence in drift diving are needed. The park issues a limited number of permits and the dates go early.
May 2027
1 departureJune 2027
2 departuresApril 2028
3 departuresMay 2028
1 departureJune 2028
2 departuresGrand Visayas loop: Dauin — Moalboal — South Cebu — Bohol — Siquijor — Siaton
The longest route in the schedule — 9 nights in January, when the yacht circles the Visayas in full. Southern Cebu, Siquijor and Siaton on the south of Negros are added to the standard programme. The point is variety: one trip gathers the muck diving of Dauin, the sardine run of Moalboal, the thresher sharks of Malapascua, the walls of Bohol and the barely visited reefs of the south. There is one departure a year, and accommodation may be in a shared cabin.
January 2027
1 departureJanuary 2028
1 departurePrices and availability can change. Get in touch and we'll confirm current dates and pricing.
Included in Price
Not Included
Required extras
Optional extras
Extras are shown per person and are paid on board.
from 1851 EUR / 7 nights
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Booking managers
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Master
The largest cabin on board. A queen bed spans the full width of the cabin, with cabinets and worktops along the sides, reading lamps at the headboard and individually controlled air conditioning. The private bathroom has a shower cabin with warm water and a washbasin. Light comes in through the lower-deck portholes.
- Deck
- lower deck
- Beds
- 1 queen bed
- Windows
- Portholes
- cabins of this type
- 1
Deluxe
Three cabins on the lower deck, each with two single beds, individually controlled air conditioning and a private bathroom with a shower. Storage lockers sit above the beds and there are reading lamps at the headboards. They suit two travel companions as well as solo divers.
- Deck
- lower deck
- Beds
- 2 single beds
- Windows
- Portholes
- cabins of this type
- 3
M.Y. Gypsy
from 1851 EUR
