Philippines: a world class scuba diving destination

1. SCUBA DIVING IN PHILIPPINES
• Introduction & Climate
• VISAYAS ISLANDS, WORLD CLASS DIVING
• LUZON, PHILIPPINES’ LARGEST ISLAND
• MINDANAO, INCREDIBLE CORALS & GIANT MANTA RAYS
• PALAWAN, BEST WRECK DIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES
• DIVE OPERATORS LISTED IN EGYPT
• About the Author
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2. SCUBA DIVING IN PHILIPPINES
Ideal dives in Bohol, Anilao, Palawan, Malapascua
The Philippines is an archipelago composed of over 7000 islands.
It is a scuba diving paradise with almost 40,000 square miles of coral reef, unique
flora and fauna and tropical weather.
The second most diverse marine area in the world after Indonesia.
Reefs are very healthy so you can expect a variety of big and small fish, muck scuba
diving is special in the Philippines, especially Dumaguete in Negros Island.
CLIMATE
Climate in the Philippines is characterized by three seasons:
- December to March, the northeast monsoon, when strong winds occur, then,
- April to June, the summer months, dry and warm days, and finally
- July to November, the southwest monsoon, rain, warmth and humidity are to be
expected then.
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3. VISAYAS ISLANDS, WORLD CLASS DIVING
Negros has world class diving in several marine sanctuaries such as Dauin Reef,
Masaplot and Apo Reef.
Dauin is very good for muck diving, expect cuttlefish. The Dumagete area has a great
variety of dive sites.
The Pier stands out as one of the best dive sites for muck diving in the Philippines;
expect to see neon nudibranchs, transparent shrimp and colorful crinoids, a lot of frog
fish too. Most of the dive sites here are accessible from the beach and offer incredible
walls and coral gardens.
Apo Island, for advance divers only due to strong currents, is one the best places
to dive in Visayas. Its drift dives, with very good visibility and huge schools of jacks,
makes for an exciting dive.
Cebu Island has over 70 dive sites and a beautiful vibrant city too. Diving here is for
all levels making it a very attractive destination. Aside from the city comfort, it has very
popular beautiful beaches, both pristine and commercial.
Malapascua Island is the place to watch thresher and whitetip sharks, manta
rays and devil rays, also hammerhead sharks pass by.
The Cave in Gato Island is an amazing dive site where you can surface and watch bats.
Inside the cave macro life is incredible and towards the exit, cat sharks can be spotted.
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4. Bohol offers some of the finest diving in
the Philippines. Cabilao, Balicasang and
Panglao islands must be included in your diving
itineraries for Bohol. Panglao Island is a small coralline
and limestone island in the southwestern tip of Bohol.
Kalipayan House Reef, on Alona Beach, is a popular site
with good visibility and snorkeling. Arco Point, in
the Bohol Beach Club has visibility up to 96 ft. (30 m.)
and it has a vertical funnel along the short wall, a very
fun dive.
Bluewater Reef is one the best dive sites. It is a sanctuary
in front of the Bluewater Resort, a great place to spot
alligator fish.
In Balicasag Island, you should dive the Black Forest, an
interesting black coral garden.
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5. LUZON, PHILIPPINES’ LARGEST ISLAND
Anilao and Subic Bay are the best diving areas in Luzon. Luzon is the largest
island of the Philippines and hosts the archipelago´s capital, Manila.
Beautiful beaches and old Spanish architecturemake Luzon a big tourist spot.
Subic Bay used to be a United States Naval Facility and now
has awesome wrecks and easy reef dives.
Most of the wrecks in Subic Bay sank during the Spanish-American war
(1898) and WWll, when a big number of Japanese vessels were sunk by US
aircrafts.
El Capitan was a freighter that weighed almost 3,000 tons and was 130 m.
long. It crashed below Ilanin Bay, it´s a shallow dive good for snorkeling too
and there´s animmense array of tropical fish.
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6. The Oryoku Maru, a former prisoner ship, sank in 1944 by US fighters is
another very interesting wreck. The USS New York was sunk on purpose in 1941
to avoid the risk of capture by the Japanese army. It is a shallow wreck that
became an artificial reef.
Anilao, just about 2 hours away from Manila, has incredible dive sites with very
good and calm conditions most of the year.
The underwater diversity just 10 m. from the beach is unparalleled, but don´t
expect big fish; macro diving is what you´ll be doing here.
- Sombrero Island is probably the most popular dive site with a lot
of gorgonians and black coral. Anilao has good wall diving and drift
diving too.
- Malajibomanoc Island is anoutstanding dive site that has a surprising spring
20 m. deep. It is a marine sanctuary and hosts a lot of the bigger jacks
and snappers. Verde Island’s drift dive is a must see wall.
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7. MINDANAO, INCREDIBLE CORALS &
GIANT MANTA RAYS
Mindanao is the easternmost island of the Philippines. Northern Mindanao has
probably the best dive areas in this region.
There are five diving areas and over 30 different dive sites.
• Camiguin offers the most variety in terms of dive sites and, between
December and March, you can find the giant manta rays. The coral variety is
incredible.
• Coral Garden, is a dive site for all level divers and the place to find the
colorful mandarin fish, these days, an endanger specie due to its beauty.
• Bulias Shoal, east of Camiguin, is your best option to try and spot big
fish, barracudas and jacks among them. The reefs in Duka Bay and the walls
and caves in Davao are definitely dive areas to visit.
• The Dream Islands are a wonderful place far away from mainstream
tourism, definitely a place to see when you´re not diving; hiking to the top
of Mount Apo it´s a great trek.
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8. • Bulias Shoal, east of Camiguin, is your best option to try and spot big
fish, barracudas and jacks among them. The reefs in Duka Bay and the walls
and caves in Davao are definitely dive areas to visit.
• The Dream Islands are a wonderful place far away from mainstream
tourism, definitely a place to see when you´re not diving; hiking to the top
of Mount Apo it´s a great trek.
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9. PALAWAN, BEST WRECK DIVING IN THE
PHILIPPINES
Palawan is a beautiful island province with incredible dive sites. You can
find wreck diving in Busuanga and Sangat Island.Also, a visit to the
Tubbatha Reef Marine Park is highly recommended.
Busuanga, Coron and the Sangat Strait are the areas with the most dive sites.
The Taiei Maru wreck in Coron, a local diver´s favorite, is a mostly intact oil
tanker over 576 ft. (180 m.) long, and because it´s shallow, 32-48 ft. (10-15 m.),
it gives plenty of time to explore. It´s a good nitrox dive where batfish can be
found. The deck is covered with hard and soft corals; there’s plenty of lionfish
and scorpionfish.
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10. Coron Island in Palawan, offers incredible sceneries both underwater and
above water. It has the best wreck diving in the Philippines. On September
1944, the US Navy launched a massive air strike on a Japanese supply fleet that
was anchored in Coron Bay. It is said 24 vessels were sunk that day, 12 of
the wrecks have been discovered, 8 of them are close together. The corals in
the area are exceptional too. This destination is best explored on a live aboard.
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11. DIVE OPERATORS LISTED IN PHILIPPINES
Apo Reef Club / Aqua Ventura Diving / Asia Divers El Galleon / Corto
Divers / Davao Scuba Dive Center / Genesis Divers / Island Divers
Palawan/ Iloilo Dive Center / Leyte Dive / Monarch Sands Dive
Resort / Neptune Dive Center / Neptune Diving Adventure / Savedra Dive
Center / Scotty’s Action Sports Network / Scotty’s Action Sport
Bocaray / Scuba Tech / South Est Asia Dive Adventure / Sub Mariner
Diving Center / Tropara Dive Resort / Tropical IDC / Turtle Bay Resort /
Read more:
http://www.ediving.com/dives-divers-scuba-diving-in-asia-and-
indonesia/diving-in-philippines/
To find & Book an hotel recommended by our Dive Operators:
http://www.ediving.com/hotels-for-scuba-divers/
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12. About the Author
Thomas SACCONE is a former
financial manager who discovered
scuba diving in Costa Rica in 2007.
Since then, he is only satisfied
when underwater.
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