Diving in Philippines

Diving in Puerto Galera offers a great variety of dive styles and you will see a huge range of marine species as it has some of the highest biodiversity in all South East Asia. The facilities are great, and that makes diving more convenient. The currents in the area are often brisk and unpredictable which would be challenging for novice divers. Shallow or very slight current sites are always available for beginners and are ideal for training.

The caliber of the dive sites makes the experience worthwhile. There is a mixture of coral-clad reef slopes and sandy bays that reveal masses of curious critters. Puerto Galera is rich in corals, the fine hard and even the soft ones. Macro life is incredibly abundant yet the bays are bordered by deep-water reefs that are often visited by larger creatures. Nudibranchs of different kinds give life to the waters of Puerto Galera. Whitetip sharks, barracudas, tunas, and even eagle rays can be seen on selected dive sites. There are also an astounding number of wrecks that would interest most divers and serves as dwelling places for thriving fish life like batfish, angelfish, surgeonfish, butterfly fish and wrasses.

It is possible to dive all year round but the best time is from April to September. Great visibility and good sea conditions can be enjoyed during this season.

Anilao is considered as the birthplace of Philippine scuba diving and up until now it remains the a popular dive destination for divers especially to those who are around the corners of Metro Manila, the capital region of the Philippines. The modern accommodations and facilities present in Anilao makes your stay and diving experience more comfortable and convenient.

Satisfy your thirst for unforgettable and adventurous dive and explore the vast underwater realm Anilao has to reveal. Proclaimed as the Nudibranchs Capital of the World, here you will find bountiful kinds of vibrant nudibranchs, giving brilliant colors to the waters of Anilao. A huge variety of critters like cuttlefish, shrimps, crabs can be wandered through underwater. Frogfish, pipefish and seahorses are fairly familiar in this place. Hairy frogfish, blue-ringed octopus, as well as mimic octopus, and rhinopias are not rare to spot. Mantis shrimps and several species of gobies and bobbit worms await to be explored by keen muck divers. Pelagic fishes such as barracudas, jacks and trevallies, as well as reef sharks can be located in some dive sites around Anilao. Superb hard and soft corals are of great abundance.

It is possible to dive in Anilao all year round. Even so, there are better periods than others. October to early June is the main diving season. The best months are November-December and April-May, and might as well be the peak season. Currents are gentle in most sites, ideal for training and excellent for beginners yet can be strong in some sites, perfect for experienced divers.

Located in the Tañon Strait, the vast majority of dive sites in Moalboal are wall dives along the coastlines. Divers enter at different point to explore different sections of the wall, and each section has its own uniqueness and striking flavor that would intrigue divers to explore the sheer walls of Moalboal.

Moalboal has a decent marine life and it is a well known place where you can witness an incredibly large volume of a school of sardines moving like fabric beneath the waters. Other than that, Moalboal is popular as well for it is a place where you can encounter and swim with whale sharks perfectly gliding and splashing the water with its shiny black tail.

Mandarin fishes are elusive in most sites but once spotted, they could as well be the top attraction considering their vibrant colors and fascinating visibility. Ornate ghost pipefish, seahorses, including pygmy seahorses, crabs like orangutan crabs, soft coral crabs can be found easily. Frogfishes in most sites are simply enormous and abundant. Turtles are regularly seen resting on the walls of Moalboal. Huge scorpion fishes can be seen on some dive sites.

Diving in Moalboal is good all year round but the peak diving months would be November and December, although the diving season is from November to May. The visibility of the waters is not much affected by the season. The waters are calmest from April to June.

Coron has been described as one of the best dive spots in the world especially for wreck diving. The shipwrecks are properly preserved and are found in different depths. Most wrecks are on shallow waters, excellent for recreational diving, and are accessible to the majority of divers of any caliber.

Most of the wrecks are enormous and offer unbounded possibilities of penetration, and even very deep penetration for the curious and experienced divers. The wrecks are home to vibrant hard and soft corals along with a great diversity of marine life. Some wrecks with shallower depths serve to lure a large volume of school and reef fish. Macro critters such as ghost pipefish and seahorses can be encountered on some sites as well. Scorpion fishes, crocodile fishes, and different kinds of colorful nudibranchs fill up most sites with vibrancy. Triggerfishes and clownfishes can also be found. Groupers and barracudas can be spotted from time to time.

Bad weather during wet season, which is from June to October can affect diving experiences and sometimes prevent any diving from happening. The best weather is usually from December to March and the visibility of the waters in that period is at its best.

Tubbataha consists of 2 atolls rising in the middle of the Sulu Sea. It is a dream trip for most divers owing to the fact that Tubbataha is one of the most extraordinary dive sites in the world. The pristine conditions of this underwater jewel is because of the place’s remoteness. Being the largest and almost lone structure in the middle of a vast area of water guarantees a great influx of marine life.

The picturesque atolls of Tubbataha are some of the healthiest and host an incredible variety of critters. The underwater realm is full of life, even in the shallows. Huge areas of acropora corals and other hard corals with thousands of small colorful anthias and wrasses can be found.

Whale sharks occasionally swim by. Whitetip sharks and giant trevallies predate on other critters such as damselfish. Nurse sharks, shovelnose sharks, leopard sharks, and hammerhead sharks are common. Giant schools of barracudas, jacks, and other fishes can be encountered every so often. Oceanic manta rays can be spotted rarely as well as dogfish tunas.

The best time to dive in Tubbataha is from mid-March to early June only. It is when the sea is calm and the skies are clear and the visibility of the waters is at its best.

Bohol offers an interesting and a great variety of diving. It is a wonderful destination for a wide diversity of sea critters and superb wall dives. Currents are usually very gentle in most sites making it ideal for training and excellent for beginners. It can be very strong on other sites, perfect for experienced divers.

Pelagic fishes like barracudas, dogtooth tunas and giant trevallies can be spotted on some sites. It is also possible to encounter schools of hammerhead sharks, and the best period for this is from December to June. Bohol features wonderful corals and you can find forests of black corals where there are a lot of garden eels, frogfishes, lionfishes, scorpionfishes and beautiful nudibranchs. Elephant ear corals and green leather corals can also be found on some sites.

Green turtles are a lot to be seen. Schools of big-mouthed mackerels passes by frequently. Triggerfishes and groupers are everywhere. Sea snakes can be found in sandy areas. Plenty of sea stars, sea cucumbers and colorful crinoids are present almost everywhere. Moray eels can be spotted as well.

It is possible to dive in Bohol all year round. There are short heavy rains from time to time but these don’t prevent any diving. The visibility is usually reduced during rainy seasons from July to September.

Subic bay is easily accessed via land and air from various locations. It is very well known for its captivating wreck-diving. It is one of the best wreck-diving locations in the Philippines with wreck sites from both the American-Spanish war and WWII, suitable for beginners and experienced divers.

The marine life in Subic Bay shows a great deal of variety. Plenty of coral fish and shellfish are all over most sites. Blue spotted stingrays can also be encountered. Schools of jacks and tunas can be spotted, as well as sharks, occasionally. Octopus and turtles are also present on most sites. Some wreck sites dwell a luxuriant growth of soft corals, sponges, and crinoids. A great variety of nudibranchs enliven most sites. A coral reef that is home to some very large specimens of giant clam can also be found.

Clownfishes and angelfishes can be seen swimming in the shallows. Spotted sweetlips, as well as lobsters, swim overhead. Other types of fish like lionfish, stonefish, cuttlefish, groupers and remora, puffers and a wide variety of other critters can be enjoyed beneath the waters of Subic Bay. Yet, there is still so much to discover.

Diving in Subic Bay can be experienced all year round but the best time to dive is from February to May. The visibility varies with weather and tides but it is at its best during the dry season.

Donsol is known for its perfect diving spot and it is renowned as the Whale Shark Capital of the World where the highest congregation of whale sharks can be found during the period of November to June. It is one of the few places in the world where whale sharks can be easily seen swimming and diving, and can be found frequently close to shore. Donsol offers several dive sites, as well as several wrecks, but are only available for technical diving.

Most sightings of manta rays and whale sharks usually occur in Manta Bowl. Hammerhead sharks and thresher sharks drop by in this site occasionally. Some sites are a mix of coral, rock and sandy bottom formations. Schools of reef fish like surgeons, fusiliers, butterfly fish, and damsels play and feed in the currents.

Whitetip sharks can be seen swimming every so often. Groupers dwell among the boulders on the sandy bottom. Schools of sardines can be encountered, and see a highway of skipjack tuna and barracuda devour their prey. Nudibranchs and spanish dancers are abundant almost everywhere, on any dive site. Schools of sweetlips can also be found on some sites.

Camouflaged creatures of the sea like the frogfish can be spotted under keen observation. Some sites contain caves underneath where lionfishes, shrimps, and lobsters have made their home. Enjoy some wall dives on some sites where you can find encrusted corals, sponges and critters like moray eels, scorpionfish and stonefish hide along the walls.

It is possible to dive in Donsol all year round but the best time is during the whale season. Whale season runs from November to June but the peak season is from February to May. It is possible to spot manta rays all year round but the best period is from December to June. The visibility depends on the tide.