Philippines « Scuba Diving Reviews

Best Diving in Philippines

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The Philippines, with over 36 000 km of coastline and over 7000 islands, is an unmistakable gem of the diving world. Forming part of the celebrated Coral Triangle – an area that contains the widest variety of marine species in the world – diving the Philippines offers many spectacular dive sites teeming with rich marine life.

Explore below more details about scuba diving in Philippines.

Underwater Pictures of Philippines

Dive Types Overviews

Critter Diving
Wreck Diving

Dive Map of Philippines

Philippines Dive Map

Diving in Tubbataha

The exceptional Tubbataha reef is a World Heritage Site that spoils divers for choice with over 300 coral types and more than 370 fish species, a fact that earns the title of most biodiverse destination in the Philippines.

Marine life is nothing short of impressive here with regular sightings of lion fish, clown fish, manta rays and box fish as well as turtles, sharks, dolphins and barracuda.

Diving in Puerto Galera

It is the perfect destination to begin your diving holiday in the Philippines due to its close proximity to many dive sites just a few minutes from the beach and an abundance of dive tour operators willing to assist with arranging your dives.

For underwater photography enthusiasts, the dive site known as Hole in the Wall is ideal for picture taking. A number of colourful marine species call this area home including puffer fish, parrot fish, frog fish and snappers.

Verde Island

For the more experienced divers, there are a number of exhilarating drift and wall diving experiences to be had thanks to strong currents in the Verde Island channel. The dive site known as Canyons is a very exciting experience allowing divers to drop down into a number of 30 meter-deep canyons teeming with marine life of all shapes and sizes. As you descend, notice the beauty of these canyons which are covered in pink soft coral and gorgonian fans.

Diving in Mactan (Cebu) and Bohol

Diving at Cebu is as simple as booking a day trip from Mactan Island which offers superb diving for advanced divers as there can be strong currents.

Bohol

If you’re looking for macro diving, Bohol should be at the top of your list. A large reef stretches the 14 kilmometer distance between Anda and Guindelman and offers sightings of humpback parrot fish, pipefish, nudibranchs, seahorses and sea turtles.

Pamilican and Balicasag Islands

The dive sites around Pamilican Island and Balicasag Island will provide you with endless underwater photography opportunities and offer an abundance of marine life variations that you simply need to experience.

One of the most popular dive sites off Balicasag Island is called Diver’s Heaven, and for good reason. The vertical wall at Diver’s Heaven is covered in coral and starts at a shallow 6 metres, but soon drops own to 40 metres. This site offers experienced divers the chance to spot lion fish, barracudas, angel fish and Napolean wrasse.

Mermaid and Whaleshark Video – Philippines

Diving in Boracay

This small island has a lot to offer in terms of diving, with a variety of options such as wreck dives, thrilling wall dives and beautiful reef dives all within a 10 minute boat trip over the magnificent turquoise waters.

Suitable from beginners levels, Crocodile Island in Boracay is a superb sloping reef that is home to a wide variety of reef fish such as box fish, sweetlips and scorpion fish.

For experienced divers, there are two wall sites known as Yapak 1 and Yapak 2. Both offer exhilarating experiences at a starting depth of 30 meters that quickly changes to a 70 meter drop. Trigger fish, reef sharks and tuna are known to be seen at these dive sites.

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Best Season to Dive in Philippines

For a diving holiday, your best bet is to visit the Philippines between the months of November and June. The remainder of the year can be wet with possibility of typhoons, however this doesn’t have too much of an impact on diving enthusiasts.

Temperature and visibility

Water temperatures are warmest in the summer, reaching bath-like status at a balmy 30°C, whereas during the year the temperature can drop to about 24°C.

Dive Centre or Liveaboard?

Dive centres are plentiful in the many popular touristic areas of the Philippines, making it easy to organize a dive. Note that the safety standards of some dive centres may differ from what you are used to, so it’s always best to select carefully.