Mapped: 8 Best Places to Dive in Philippines

Diving in Philippines

At the very heart of the Coral Triangle, the Philippines is one of the top destinations for diving in South East Asia. It's incredibly diverse, with wrecks, an incredible macro life, and some big pelagic action too!

Embark on a liveaboard to Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, one of the most remote and pristine reefs on earth!
Explore the incredibly well-preserved WWII wrecks of Coron Bay, and discover spectacular landscapes
Dive with millions of sardines in Moalboal
Dive at dawn to observe Malapascua's famous thresher sharks in Monad Shoal
Spend hours spotting amazing critters at Dauin and Anilao
Discover Puerto Galera and Verde Island Passage's incredible biodiversity
Embark on a liveaboard for Apo Reef Natural Park, the little "Tubbataha"

The 8 Best Places to Dive in the Philippines

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, Palawan

Tubbataha is the best diving spot in the Philippines. It is remote and pristine, and it hosts one of the most biodiverse marine ecosystems on earth.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the middle of the Sulu Sea. Three of the reefs – Jessie Beazley, North Reef, and South Reef form the marine park.

In this incredible habitat, be prepared to see 600 species of fish, 360 species of corals, 13 species of dolphins and whales, 11 species of sharks (among which are whitetip sharks, reef sharks, hammerhead sharks, tiger sharks..), and countless macro life (ornate ghost pipefish, seahorses, frogfish, and nudibranch). Divers also frequently see some whale sharks, manta rays, big schools of tunas, barracudas, and some hawksbill and green sea turtles.

Only nine liveaboards have a permit to go to Tubbataha. As it is quite remote, the season is short, between the end of February and June. Available spots sell out quickly, so be prepared to book two or more seasons in advance. Check out our 6 nights liveaboard trip to Tubbataha Reefs (6 nights starting from ...)

You can also check out this great value liveaboard to Tubbataha (6 nights starting from ...)

The Best Dive Sites of Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park

Amos Rock: is the most famous dive site in Tubbataha, located on the North Atoll. You'll start the dive on a slope before reaching a beautiful gorgonian-covered wall, hosting a variety of soft corals. The currents are usually strong on this site. You'll see plenty of fish schools, and some reef sharks patrolling the reef.
Washing Machine: also located in the North Atoll, it is known for its unpredictable currents and its incredible visibility. It is home to grey reef sharks and plenty of colorful fish.
Malayan Wall: the best spot in Tubbataha to spot schooling hammerhead sharks. The Malayan is a small shipwreck you'll see at the beginning of the dive. Most of the dive is spent in the blue, to see big pelagic species. At the end of the dive, you'll spend some time on the wall to observe moray ells into the cracks, beautiful sea fans, and plenty of schools of fish too.

Diving Season

The only time of the year to dive in Tubbataha is from the end of February to June.

Dive Conditions

The water temperature ranges 27° to 30°C (81° to 86°F)
Expect some medium to strong currents
Visibility ranges 10 to 35 m (30 to 115 ft)
Deep dives mostly

How To Get There

There are direct flights from Manila (MNL) to Puerto Princesa (PPS) with Cebu Pacific, Air Asia, or Philippines Airlines.
You can only access Tubbataha Reefs with a liveaboard, so check out our 6 nights liveaboard trip to Tubbataha Reefs (6 nights starting from ...)
It is a 12 hours sail from Puerto Princesa in Palawan

Coron Bay, Palawan

On 24 September 1944, a US Navy strike force of fighters and bombers attacked a Japanese supply fleet hiding in Coron Bay. The airforce only had 15 minutes to complete their mission without running out of fuel. The attack was short but successful.

Coron is a highlight of scuba diving in the Philippines, with a dramatic landscape, and plenty of almost intact wrecks a short boat ride away. The depth of the wrecks is accessible to most divers and is full of life. Coron gained the reputation of having the best wreck-diving in South East Asia. Okinawa Maru, Tangat Gunboat, Kogyo Maru, and the Taipei Maru are the most popular wrecks of the bay.

Near Coron, another unique area worth visiting is Barracuda Lake. A short climb among incredible landscapes will lead you to the lake.

The Best Dive Sites of Coron Bay

Okinawa Maru: is a 160m (525ft) tanker, the largest one in the bay. Accessible to all levels as it starts at 10 meters (32 ft) depth. As in the other wrecks of the area, you might spot several scorpionfish, octopuses, stingrays, and some beautiful macro life.
Barracuda Lake: the view you'll get going there is half of the fun. The lake is a crater filled with clear blue waters, where you'll experience thermoclines.

Diving Season

The best season to dive in Coron Bay is during the dry season, between October to June

Dive Conditions

The water temperature ranges 28° to 30°C (82° to 86°F)
Mostly protected dive sites
Visibility ranges 5 to 20 m (16 to 66 ft)
Shallow and deep dives. A good place to do your Advanced Open Water (level 2) if not done yet

How To Get There

There are direct flights from Manila (MNL) to Busuanga (USU) with Cebu Pacific
Some liveaboards go to Coron. Contact SeaCrush to receive some suggestions.

Moalboal, Cebu

Moalboal in Cebu is best known for its sardines bait balls you can see year-round. Up to 7 million sardines reside there. These massive bait balls are very close to the shore of Panagsama Beach, and both snorkelers and divers can enjoy the experience.

Pescador Island, accessible from Moalboal, has beautiful canyons and swim-throughs full of life.

Finally, a couple of hours from Moalboal is Oslob, known for its congregations of whale sharks... and its unregulated tourism. The marine conservation LAMAVE NGO explains "The town gained international publicity after the local government approved the feeding of whale sharks in the fishing Barangay of Tan-Awan in 2012. What began as a small tourist operation has since exploded into a rapidly growing and mostly unregulated industry."

The Best Dive Sites of Moalboal

Panagsama Beach: the place where you can see the massive sardine bait balls. If you're lucky, you could witness some thresher sharks too chasing them.
Pescador Island: not to be missed, this island offers a dramatic wall with colorful soft corals teeming with life. You can also see some beautiful caves and scenic swim-throughs. You might see some schools of pelagic fish, some reef sharks, and some beautiful macro too with frogfish and nudibranchs.

Diving Season

Moalboal's diving season is year-round. The best time is between the months from November to April, in the dry season.

Dive Conditions

The water temperature ranges 29° to 30°C (84° to 86°F)
Protected dive sites
Visibility ranges 20 to 30 m (66 to 98 ft)
Shallow dives

How To Get There

There are direct flights from Manila (MNL) to Cebu (CEB) with Cebu Pacific. Expect a 2 to 4 hours ride from the airport to reach Moalboal.
An alternative with much easier logistics is to is to embark on a 7 nights liveaboard trip to Central Visayas (6 nights starting from ...)
- Some of the areas you'll dive on are Moalboal, Pescador island, Balicasag, Sumilon, Apo island, Siquijor and more.

Malapascua, Cebu

Malapascua is a tiny island located at the northernmost tip of Cebu Island. You can walk around it in less than an hour. With clear waters and beautiful beaches, this is a great destination to add to your list of places to visit.

Monad Shoal is the most famous dive site in Malapascua. It is known to be the most consistent site in the world to see thresher sharks. It is a cleaning station where they usually come almost every day at dawn.

The Best Dive Sites of Malapascua

Monad Shoal: is a submerged seamount and a cleaning station for thresher sharks. Expect to be on the boat by 04:30 AM. The use of lights is forbidden, and pre-installed ropes indicate boundaries. You'll need your level 2 (Advanced Open Water or equivalent) to do this dive. You might also see some whitetips, some grey reef sharks, and even some manta rays.

Diving Season

Malapascua diving season is year-round. The best time is between November and June, in the dry season.

Dive Conditions

The water temperature ranges 24° to 30°C (75° to 86°F)
Strong current sometimes
Visibility ranges 10 to 25 m (30 to 80 ft)
Deep dives

How To Get There

There are direct flights from Manila (MNL) to Cebu (CEB) with Cebu Pacific.
Expect a 3 to 4 hours car or bus ride from the airport to Maya Port.
From Maya Port, take a 30-minute boat trip to Malapascua. Boats are leaving every 30 minutes.
A good option is to go on a liveaboard that goes to the central visayas and Malpascua, on some trips: great value liveaboard to Central Visayas (6 nights starting from ...)

Dauin and Apo Island, Negros Oriental

Located just 20 minutes down the coast from Dumaguete, the village of Dauin is an excellent base to do some muck diving and macro photography in the Philippines. You can see different types of frogfish, nudibranchs, dragonets, pipefish, blue-ring octopuses, mandarin fish, seahorses, cardinalfish, and more.

The area is also an excellent starting point to go diving on Apo Island, a small marine protected area with beautiful corals gardens, plenty of sea turtles, and some big schools of fish.

The Best Dive Sites of Dauin and Apo Island

San Miguel North in Dauin: is shallow, so you can spend plenty of time searching for amazing critters on its sandy slope and seagrass: frogfish, cuttlefish, squid, nudibranchs, ghost pipefish, spiny devilfish, and many more!
Coconut Point at Apo island: offers a thrilling drift dive over a coral slope where you can see some red tooth triggerfish, snappers, trevallies, bumphead parrotfish, marbled groupers, and jacks to name a few

Diving Season

Dauin diving season is year-round. The best time is from October to June, in the dry season.

Dive Conditions

The water temperature ranges 25° to 28°C (77° to 82°F)
Medium current on some sites
Visibility ranges 10 to 15 m (30 to 50 ft) in Dauin, and 20 to 30 m (66 to 98 ft) in Apo Island
Shallow dives mostly in Dauin, and deeper dives in Apo Island

How To Get There

There are direct flights from Manila (MNL) to Dumaguete (DGT) with Cebu Pacific and Philippines Airlines.
Dauin resorts are located half an hour taxi ride away from Dumaguete.
Apo Island can easily be reached on a day trip from Dauin.
If you'd rather be on a liveaboard, you can combine this 7 nights liveaboard trip to Central Visayas (7 nights starting from ...) and an eco-resort in Dauin after the liveaboard - contact SeaCrush for a quote.

Anilao, Batangas

The village of Anilao is easy to reach as it is only a couple of hours' drive from Manila. Along with Dauin, Negros Oriental, it is one of the best areas in the Philippines for muck diving, blackwater diving, and macro photography. Expect to spot countless nudibranchs, frogfish, seahorses, cuttlefish, and pipefish to name a few.

North of the Verde Island passage, this area has dive sites with pinnacles, seamounts, and coral gardens, where you'll be able to see bigger marine life.

The Best Dive Sites of Anilao

Secret Bay: the best site for muck diving, where you'll get to find pipefish, frogfish, mimic octopus, wonderpus, and a multitude of sea creatures. An excellent night dive too when everything is quieter.
The Pier, or Janao-Janao: a fantastic shallow dive site to encounter stargazers, Bobbit worms, crabs, shrimps, mollusks, octopus, eels, flounders, sea snails, and more.

Diving Season

Diving season in Anilao is from October to early June. The best months are November/December and April/May.

Dive Conditions

The water temperature ranges 25° to 29°C (77° to 84°F)
Mostly no current
Visibility ranges 10 to 15 m (30 to 50 ft)
Shallow dives mostly

How To Get There

From Manila airport (MNL) take a 2-3 hours taxi to Anilao. Your resort will be able to arrange the transportation for you.

Puerto Galera, Mindoro

Located across Anilao and the Verde Island Passage, Puerto Galera is one of the most popular areas to dive in the Philippines.

There are more than 30 dive sites to choose from, with an extensive range of marine life. Add to these beautiful beaches and plenty of restaurants to go to, and you'll get an idea of what it looks like.

Verde island passage, accessible from Puerto Galera is not to be missed, as it is one of the richest ecosystems of the Coral Triangle. You'll get to see on your dives some nudibranchs, frogfish, reef octopuses, large schools of barracudas, batfish, snappers, emperors, and trevally to name a few.

The Best Dive Sites of Puerto Galera

Canyons: expect strong currents bringing large schools of barracudas, snappers, and trevally. The three sunken boats of the Sabang Wrecks are covered with colorful corals and sponges.
Verde Island Passage: is among the richest areas in the Coral Triangle and one of the most productive ecosystems in the world!

Diving Season

Diving season in Puerto Galera is year-round, and the best time is from October to early June.

Dive Conditions

The water temperature ranges 25° to 29°C (77° to 84°F)
Strong current on some sites
Visibility ranges 15 to 25 m (50 to 80 ft)
Shallow and deep dives

How To Get There

From Manila airport (MNL) take a 2 hours taxi to Batangas Pier.
Take a one-hour ferry to Puerto Galera.
Your resort will be able to arrange the transportation for you.
If you'd like a quote to go diving in Puerto Galera, contact SeaCrush

Apo Reef, Mindoro

The Philippines' largest atoll, Apo Reef, is located in the open ocean between Mindoro and Coron. It was declared a Natural Park in 1980 and is a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2006.

Years of stress on the reef due to overfishing, destructive coral practices, chemical pollution, sedimentation, and climatic change have damaged the reef. There's now a Strictly Protected Zone to allow for some recovery.

With 385 fish species recorded, Apo Reef is often called the "little Tubbataha". Damsel fishes, wrasses, butterflyfish, groupers, gobies, jacks and trevallies, reef sharks, whitetips, blacktips, and hammerhead sharks are some species you can expect to see diving there. The list is endless.

The Best Dive Sites of Apo Reef

Apo 29 dive site: with a deep seamount and strong currents, the dive is for experienced divers only. You'll be rewarded with plenty of pelagic action: large schools of barracuda, reef sharks, thresher sharks, hammerhead sharks, and manta rays to name a few.

Diving Season

Diving season in Apo Reef is from October to early June.

Dive Conditions

The water temperature ranges 26° to 31°C (79° to 88°F)
Very strong current on some sites
Visibility ranges 20 to 40 m (66 to 131 ft)
Deep dives mostly

How To Get There

When Apo Reef Natural Park is opens to visitors, you're able to visit the area with a liveaboard that usually goes to Coron wrecks on the same trip.
Some dive shops in Mindoro organize day trips to Apo Reef. The crossing is very long (2,5 to 3 hours one way), subject to weather, and having enough people interested.

Dive Safety Recommendations

We always recommend having your well-maintained dive gear as you'll be safer and more comfortable. Light and compact dive gear is particularly suited for travels.

Always have a surface marker buoy, and know how to use it. We also recommend you to have a Nautilus Lifeline, a GPS that could save your life if taken by currents.

Tubbataha and Apo Reefs are only for divers experienced in currents.

To dive on Coron Wrecks and Malapascua, you'll need at least an Advanced Open Water (or level 2) as these are deep dives. A Wreck specialty too is good for Coron, as local dive shops tend to penetrate wrecks even if the divers they take are not certified.

Finally, remember to take along a reef-safe sunscreen.

Philippines Entry Requirements

You must have a valid passport to enter the Philippines, and a return ticket
Ensure your passport is valid for at least 6 months beyond the period you intend to stay
Most citizens do not require a visa to stay in the Philippines for up to 30 days
Please check current visa policies that apply for your country on Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs website