Diving Philippines

Philippines Activities

The Philippines attracts many visitors due to the large range of activities on offer. The country boasts attractions to entice all types of travellers.

For the most adventurous and active travellers there's scuba diving with hammerheads and thresher sharks, whale shark interactions, snorkelling, kayaking, white water rafting, kite boarding, windsurfing, surfing, fishing, trekking over mountains and volcanoes, mountain biking, golfing and exploring subterranean river systems.

Nature lovers will enjoy the bird watching and eco touring opportunities.

City goers and shopaholics will love bustling, modern Manila with it's many different districts, shopping mega malls and markets, restaurants, entertainment areas and nightlife.

And for those of you just seeking out a tropical paradise in which to relax, the Philippines has an abundance of beachside towns and resorts in which to do so, some busier than others.

When to Travel to Philippines

The Philippines has a tropical climate with average daytime temperatures of 25°C to 32°C.

There are generally 3 seasons:

- The hot, dry summer from March to May
- The rainy season from June to November caused by the south east
- The cool, dry winter from December to February.

Typhoons mostly occur from July to October hitting the north and middle of the archipelago the hardest.

There are 4 different climate zones in the Philippines so the seasons will vary amongst the regions. The above is just a general overview. Rain can be expected at any time in the Philippines.

If you are planning on travelling during Christmas, Chinese New Year or Easter, plan your trip well in advance as this is when both foreign and local travellers will be moving around the country.

Scuba Diving in Philippines

For a diver, the Philippines has just about everything one could ask for. Thought by many to be the apex of the coral triangle, diving in the Philippines offers a wide variety of marine environments to choose from. Dive on steep walls and offshore pinnacles, critter hunt and night dive on coastal reefs, wreck dive on a sunken Japanese fleet, be surrounded by pelagics or take the opportunity to get up close to the World's largest fish - the whale shark. Whatever your experience level - from novice to technical and rebreather divers - the Philippines has a suitable environment for you.

The Philippines is also the ultimate destination to consider a liveaboard dive vacation as the country has so many different dive regions spread out through the archipelago. Liveaboard diving is a great way to experience the amazing natural and historical dive sites the region has to offer and will take you to the best dive sites on offer at the optimum time of the year. Not only will you enjoy enjoy spectacular diving, you will have a chance to visit some remote reefs and meet their people. Liveaboards allow divers and snorkellers to experience the full range of what the Philippines has to offer.

Some of the more popular dive areas are:

Puerto Galera

Beautiful Puerto Galera on the north of Mindoro Island has over 30 dive sites in close proximity to the resorts. Strong currents in the Verde Island Passage make for exhilarating drift dives and attracts a diversity of marine life. The deep passage offers options for technical diving.

Coron, Apo Reef and Anilao

During the WWII Battle of Coron Bay in 1944, 24 ships of the Japanese supply fleet were sunk including the armed Arkitsushima and the oil tanker Olympia Maru. Up to 12 wrecks within recreational diving depths are scattered in the area, all set in a backdrop of the astoundingly beautiful Calamian Islands in northern Palawan.

Apo Reef is the world's second largest continuous reef system and the largest reef system in the Philippines. Located 33 kilometres off the coast of Occidental Mindoro, Apo Reef is considered to be one of the Philippines best dive sites, The reef teems with marine life. Rocky walls with huge seafans and barrel sponges attract schooling snappers and white tip reef sharks. Manta rays and eagle rays also visit the reefs for cleaning. 

On the north side of Busuanga Island, at Dimakya Island, not only can you reach Apo Reef but you may also be lucky enough to dive with dugongs.

A few hours south of Manila is the muck diving area of Anilao where you can find many different species of nudibranchs and odd looking critters.

Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park

The UNESCO World Heritage Listed Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is the crown jewel of diving in the Philippines. Due to it's remote location, 150 kilometres (10 - 14 hour boat ride) south east of Puerto Princesa city on Palawan island, Tubbataha is only dived by liveaboard from mid-March to mid-June when there are clear skies, calm seas and 30 - 45 metre visibility.

Tubbataha boasts a pristine coral reef with a spectacular 100 metre vertical wall and a great diversity of marine life. It is one of the last guaranteed shark dives in Asia with the highest population of white tip reef sharks, an important nesting and resting ground for the endangered green and hawksbill turtles and a breeding ground for endangered seabird species. Schools of barracuda, tuna and jacks abound. The shallow reef tops teem with colourful reef fish. Currents can be strong and unpredictable.

Central Visayas

The nutrient rich waters of the Central Visayas supports a variety of eco-systems and a wide diversity of marine life. Sites range from steep coral covered walls to gentle sloping reefs and muck diving hotspots. Dive areas include:

Cabilao Island where steep reef walls are covered with sea fans, corals and sponges. Pygmy seahorses and frogfish are common sightings.

Balicasag has a variety of sites around this tiny island where you can see turtles and schools of jacks, barracuda and snapper.

The dark sand slopes of Dauin are the place to find a myriad of tiny odd shaped bottom dwellers from robust ghost pipefish to pipehorses, waspfish and skeleton shrimps.

Apo Island is testament to the success of the marine sanctuaries in the Philippines. Pristine corals abound with numerous fish species including redtooth trigger fish, pyramid butterfly fish and blue lined fusileers. Friendly turtles approach divers and at least 8 species of anemone fish can be found here.

Near Moalboal is tiny Pescador Island where schools of sardine bait balls pass through and the occasional thresher shark and whale sharks can be seen. Smaller creatures including a wide range of nudibranchs, shrimps and crabs can also be found on the reefs. 

Malapascua Island has one of the few dive sites in the world where you have a good chance to see Thresher Sharks.

Southern Leyte and Sogod Bay

Sogod Bay is famous for sightings of whale sharks. These enormous filter feeders arrive here each year to feast on the swarms of plankton that bloom in the warm shallow waters. Only snorkelling is allowed, however whale sharks may also be seen during the dives.

The coral reefs around the bays of southern Leyte & Limasawa Island provide havens for numerous fish species and a whole host of weird and wonderful creatures. Dive sites vary between steep reefs with soft corals, sponges & black corals to the critter dive hot spot of the Padre Burgos Pier, where seahorses, frogfish, pipefish and mandarin fish can all be seen. The Marine Sanctuary at Napantaw offers stunning soft corals and a great opportunity for over and underwater photography in the hard coral garden. The walls in Padre Burgos shelter numerous reef fish species, including grouper and sweetlips. Pygmy seahorses are commonly spotted in the seafans. Occasionally eagle rays visit the reefs and research is on going to find the manta ray cleaning station that has been reported by local fishermen.

Philippines Liveaboards

	S/Y Philippine Siren	Budget: $$$ Length: 40 metres Max # of guests: 16 No. Cabins: 8	Approx dives per day: up to 4 Nitrox: Complimentary Tech Dive: No / Rebreather friendly
	Discovery Palawan	Budget: $$ Length: 49 metres Max # of guests: 40 No. Cabins: 20	Approx dives per day: 3-4 dives Nitrox: Yes (extra cost) Tech Dive: No
	M/Y Vasco	Budget: $$ Length: 34 metres Max # of guests: 16 No. Cabins: 8	Approx dives per day: up to 4 Nitrox: Yes (extra cost) Tech Dive: On request
	Atlantis Azores	Budget: $$$ Length: 32 metres Max # of guests: 16 No. Cabins: 8	Approx dives per day: up to 5 dives Nitrox: Yes (extra cost) Tech Dive: On Request