Diving in The Philippines

World-class Diving and a Well-developed Industry

As a diving destination, the Philippines is hard to beat. Walls, drop-offs, coral reefs, wrecks, submerged islands and lagoons abound. Divers can choose from a staggering array of locations, both easily accessible and hard to reach. Choices range from off-the-beach resort diving to dive safaris and daily boat dive trips. Among these options are a variety of liveaboard boats and other vessels which visit not only the popular and well-known sites, such as the Sulu Sea and the Visayas, but also numerous more remote locations.

Whether you’re a humble scuba enthusiast with a limited budget or a wealthy aquanaut with a taste for the luxurious, the Philippines can accommodate your every whim at a price to suit your pocket.

SCUBA POTENTIAL

Since the early 1960s, when scuba diving first started to gain popularity, entrepreneurs were quick to realize the potential of a country with 7,107 islands (counted at high tide), each with its own unique coral and reef formations.

Anilao in Batangas Province, to the south of Manila, became the very first dive center in the country and probably one of the first in Asia. Since those distant days, diving has caught on in a big way. Resorts all over the country have invested in diving equipment and there are scuba diving instructors and dive-masters everywhere.

In fact, the Philippines is an outstanding place to learn diving or to upgrade your certification level. Courses from open water to professional levels are widely available and can be taught in languages as varied as English, French, German, Italian, Hebrew, Swedish, Japanese or various Chinese dialects by multilingual instructors of many nationalities who have made the Philippines their home. You’ll find international certification agencies such as PADI, NAUI, SSI and CMAS well established here, and there are numerous PADI course directors and SSI instructor trainers running instructor courses. Professional training is a big industry in the Philippines and instructor courses are widely available in La Union, Anilao, Puerto Galera, Boracay and the Visayas, to name but a few. In fact, most areas now have professional level courses running at some point throughout the year.

Asia Divers in Puerto Galera offers a seafront dive center and accommodation at El Galleon.

A photographer, eager for the ultimate close-up shot, peers into a marvelously colored feather star on Balicasag Island.

A spotted hermit crab gingerly peeking out from its borrowed shell house.

Although many operators have invested in fiberglass speedboats, diving is still largely done from native banca boats—motorized outrigger canoes that can vary in size from 6 to over 25 meters. As a general rule, the smaller the boat, the less stable it is likely to be. Care should be taken when stowing gear and selecting a place to sit as the balance can be critical, especially in smaller banca. The driest part of such a banca is usually right in the front, beneath the plywood covering the bow. Stow items you want to keep dry there. Let the bancero, or boatman, take charge of this and try not to make any sudden movements. Inform the boatman when you are about to enter the water or get back on board after a dive as he may have to provide counterweight to avoid capsizing. Another useful tip is to arrange the price for your trip before leaving and pay when you get back. There are, sadly, uncommon but verifiable stories of divers who have paid up front and then been left to fend for themselves once they are in the water.

If the banca has no steps to get back on board, another useful tip is to take a length of rope, tie one end to the outrigger close to where it joins with the hull and tie a stirrup, or loop, at the other end at about water level. Then, by placing a foot in the stirrup and standing up, you can avoid the embarrassment of struggling to get back in the boat, otherwise accomplished by pulling oneself up by the arms. If you are climbing back on board, do not remove your fins. Kicking as you pull yourself up also makes the process much easier.

PROTECTING THE SEAS

Spear fishing, dynamite fishing, the collection of corals and shells and other destructive practices are illegal in the Philippines, but that doesn’t seem to worry the many fishermen and gatherers who make their living from the sea. Dynamite fishing is still practiced and the damage is horrendous in some places. Sodium cyanide and other poisons are sometimes used to stun fish for collection for the aquarium and live food fish trade, a practice that burns dead patches into the coral and invertebrate cover. Then there is muro-ami fishing, where teams of swimmers bounce rocks tied to string with streamers attached across entire reefs to drive the fish into a net at one end. This practice strips a reef of its fish and destroys the coral at the same time, yet another factor contributing to the degradation of the Philippines’ estimated 27,022 sq km of coral reef at the 10-fathom level.

Although various attempts have been made to cope with the problem and many projects are now underway and showing signs of success, local politicians and influential supporters in many areas have effectively negated any serious effort to stop the devastation. The coast guard suffers from a lack of vessels and other resources, meaning that policing of marine sanctuaries and other likely targets of the dynamiteros is a haphazard and arbitrary affair. In a country in which millions rely on the fishing industry for their livelihood, it is ironic that the fishermen themselves, through the harmful techniques they employ, are the main culprits behind the declining fish stocks which they so vocally complain about.

Anemone shrimp carry their eggs with them. The eggs here are clearly visible.

Butterflyfish are often found in pairs, such as these two spotted at Anilao, Batangas.

The scuba diving industry in the Philippines has always been at the fore-front of the struggle to protect the magnificent resources nature has bestowed on the Filipinos. In Anilao, for example, there is a long history of co-operation with the coast guard, and an ongoing, aggressive, pro-environment sentiment among the large scuba diving community there. In Puerto Galera, the industry has developed in harmony with the local population who can see the benefits that tourism has brought to their little corner of paradise. As with Anilao, there are some superb sites around the area because of this concern.

The colorful reefs around remote Palawan offer numerous photo opportunities.

In the Visayas, the story is the same. On Mactan Island, there can be no doubt that the presence of so many scuba diving operations over the years has considerably slowed down the ravages of illegal fishing. Sites that are frequently visited by divers—and there are a lot of divers in the water every day around the island—are perceived as too risky by most illegal fishermen. While there are some areas bombed out beyond hope, there are also some incredible spots just waiting to be discovered and no shortage of knowledgeable guides to take them there.

Around Bohol, especially at Panglao and Balicasag islands, the locals seem to have held their marine resources in higher regard than some others because they are precious jewels in the crown of Visayan diving. Apo Island, to the south of Cebu and east of Negros, is another outstanding site not to be missed.

Obviously, the remoteness of a location can be its salvation, though some muroami vessels are quite seaworthy and can stay at sea for long periods, over six months, if necessary. The Sibuyan Sea to the northeast of Boracay and southeast of Marinduque Island, is still less visited by divers. Banton Island and the wreck of the Maestre de Campo, two popular Sibuyan Sea sites, are now regularly accessed from Boracay and Puerto Galera, and returning divers praise them with gushing superlatives. Other even more remote sites that are often frequented by liveaboard vessels on transition runs are described as either fantastic or devastated, with few assessments of anything in between.

These big eye snappers were pictured in the Bohol Sea.

Green turtles in the Bohol Sea allow divers to approach at close quarters.

PROFESSIONALISM IN THE INDUSTRY

The Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD) was formed in 1987 to promote the development of the sport, oversee the conservation of the country’s marine resources and register and license dive establishments and professionals in the industry. This regulatory body has done a lot to improve and develop scuba diving.

Numerous dive establishments and diving professionals in the Philippines are registered with the PCSSD. Air from registered dive centers is tested twice annually and licensees are required to conform to an ethical and environmental code. It is always a good idea to check that a dive center is registered with the PCSSD as it may say a lot about the integrity of the operation. To view a list of accredited operators, check www.dive-philippines.com.ph. The PCSSD works closely with the industry to promote the country as a diving destination and visitors are always welcome at their office in the Department of Tourism Building in Manila. The PCSSD also works closely with a recompression chamber in Cebu.

In the private sector, most of the popular dive areas have attempted to organize an association of local dive operators. The Dive Industry Trade Organization of the Philippines (DITO Philippines) was set up in 1999 to act as a focal point for interested parties such as media groups, trade show organizers and travel and industry professionals. The Haribon Foundation is another effective environmental group working with divers, as is Mario Elumba’s Scubasurero project at Anilao. Scubasurero is a play on the Tagalog word for a garbage collector, a basurero, and that’s what participating divers do: pick up plastic bags and other garbage strewn over affected reefs.

A PRICE FOR EVERY POCKET

But don’t be put off by tales of dynamite and plastic bags. A visiting scuba diver is not short of superb destinations from which to choose. For most, deciding which area to choose will be based on financial considerations and the amenities on offer. From a US$500 plus a night resort with an array of facilities to a hut on the beach for backpacker rates, the choice is yours. In the US$45–75 per night range, the possibilities are almost endless. These days, most dive centers have good equipment, many offering niceties such as rental of dive computers and underwater videos, and are run by professional, competent businessmen. Many conservation-minded dive centers are also running reef monitoring projects and courses.

Porcelain crabs live in the base of anemones where they are protected by the anemone’s tentacles.

El Galleon Resort is the perfect spot to relax after a day of diving in Puerto Galera.

Various consultants and specialized tour operators, such as Whitetip Divers and Dive Buddies, both located in Manila, can give valuable tips on most areas as well as up-to-the-minute information on weather and dive conditions around the islands, advice on travel, accommodation, amenities, night life, dining and other points of interest.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

La Union

Calm Waters and Pleasant Beaches

Access Banca boats, 20–90 minutes

Current Good but seasonal, 20 meters on average

Reef type Usually negligible

Highlights Damaged but pretty in certain places

Visibility Rocky: crevices, caves and corals

Coral Skittish, fair variety, small numbers

Fish M10-1A World War II tanks, caves

Approximately a 4–5 hour drive from Manila, La Union was one of the first beach resorts to be developed in the Philippines. The US Air Force had around 150 men stationed at Wallace Air Station until 1992, many of whom learned scuba diving in the warm, clear waters of La Union’s Lingayen Gulf.

Unfortunately, indiscriminate dynamiting and other illegal fishing techniques have wreaked havoc over the years on the once prolific inner reefs. Nonetheless, there are enough interesting sites in the usually calm and gentle waters of the gulf to justify several days of lingering around to enjoy both the diving and the beaches of Bauang, Paringao and San Fernando.

THE TANKS

This is the most famous dive in the gulf. Resting 39 meters down on a ledge protruding from the almost vertical western wall of Fagg Reef, about 2 km off Poro Point, three World War II M10 tanks are now home to a variety of marine life.

Hard coral heads are the base for many soft coral growths and together they form coral bommies.

Moray eels open and close their mouths to force water through their gills to breath.

Currents can be tricky this far out but it is usually possible to come up from this deep dive and drift across the top of the reef while decompressing and still see plenty of interesting stuff. I have come across pelagic white tip and whale sharks on the wall at Fagg, as well as wrasses, dorados, the occasional Spanish mackerel, king barracuda and leopard rays. There used to be plenty of hawksbill turtles but sadly they are rare now.

Marble rays, one of the larger species of stingray found in the Philippines, can measure up to 2 meters across.

Unlike hard corals, soft corals do not have a rigid calcium carbonate skeleton.

The caves on Research Reef are another popular dive, with an average depth of around 15 meters. A series of easily penetrable tunnels and canyons rather than actual caves, expect to see lobsters (usually young), parrotfish and lionfish as well as almost any kind of other tropical reef fishes, though usually small and timid, at this site. It’s an excellent site for a night dive.

VOICE OF AMERICA REEF

In the next cove to the north, you’ll find VOA Reef, so named because of the half-million watt Voice of America transmitting station which still occupies a large section of Poro Point. From the white coral sand at 6 meters to the bottom of the wall at 22 meters, VOA is a delightful, easy dive. In common with the other local sites, there is a profusion of table, basket, staghorn, brain, star, flower and finger corals, together with a wide variety of soft corals and anemones. La Union makes up in shell life for what it lacks in fish, and following trails in the sand will usually lead to something interesting. There are eggshell, map and tiger cowries as well as green turbans, a variety of augers, cones (be careful!) and Murex. There is generally more fish life—groupers, parrotfish, squirrelfish, snappers and lion-fish—at the southern, deeper end of the wall, although visibility is usually not as good here.

Visibility in the Lingayen Gulf is unusually good year round. In peak season (March to June), it can get to 40 meters. In the middle of the rainy season (from June to December), it rarely falls below 7 meters and is often better at many sites. The gulf is protected from all but the worst weather by the Cordillera mountain range to the east, and is well north of the usual typhoon tracks, and so enjoys mild weather all year round.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Subic Bay

A Choice of Wrecks in a Perfect Natural Harbor

Access Banca boats, 5–60 minutes

Current Usually fair, 10–25 meters

Reef type Usually none

Highlights Fair variety in places

Visibility Sand, mud bottom, some corals

Coral Good variety, prolific in places

Fish Excellent wreck diving

Just a few hours northwest of Manila are the coral and wreck sites of duty-free Subic Bay. During the years the US Navy held sway over the perfect natural harbor in the bay, diving and fishing were off-limits in many areas. Since their departure, 12 wreck sites have been discovered and a number of reef sites. Visibility can reach 25 meters in the bay, though it is usually between 5 and 15 meters. There is virtually no current and the water is almost always calm enough for diving.

Probably the most accessible wreck, and the most interesting one to dive on, is the battleship USS New York. Built in 1891, the ship saw service in the Philippine American War, the Chinese Revolution and World War I.

Decommissioned in 1931, she rode at anchor in Subic Bay for the next 10 years until she was scuttled by retreating US forces to prevent her massive 43-cm cannons from falling into Japanese hands. She lies on her port side in 27 meters of water between the Alava Pier and the runway at Cubi Point, and is home to a variety of marine life, including barracuda, lionfish, spotted sweet-lips, groupers, lobsters and spotted rays. The cannons are still intact and the photo opportunities are outstanding.

The large soft coral in the center of the image has retracted its polyps revealing its white stem. The soft corals to the left and right have open polyps displaying bright colors and a “bushy” appearance.

This nudibranch is from the Chromodoris family and is specifically known as the kuniei species.

A SUNKEN FREIGHTER

Not to be missed is the El Capitan. Lying on its port side, the stern is in only 5 meters of water while the bow rests at 20 meters. A small freighter, the El Capitan is safely penetrable. The accommodation area is now taken up by a wide variety of tropical fishes. Look out for glass eyes, wrasses, tangs, gobies, spotted sweetlips, lobsters, crabs and clown-fish. Visibility is usually between 5 and 20 meters depending on the tide.

There are several other wrecks visited regularly by local dive centers, including the Oryoku Maru, an outbound passenger ship carrying over 1,600 prisoners of war when it was attacked and sunk 400 meters off Alava Pier. Despite having been flattened by US Navy demolition divers for navigational safety reasons, this is still a good dive with plenty to see, including a shoal of barracuda that are known to patrol the site overhead.

Dive sites off Nabasan Point in Triboa Bay are suitable for reef divers and offer a mix of hard branching, soft and sponge corals which provide habitat for small, colorful damsel fish.

GOOD CORAL REEF DIVES

Coral reef fanatics are also well served in Subic. Apart from the ever popular sites at nearby Grande Island, a former R&R center for US servicemen, there are a number of other good reef dives. These include sites such as the coral gardens off Nabasan Point in Triboa Bay. Their healthier than average condition is due to the fact that they have been protected from fishing and divers for many years. Expect to find examples of various brain, table and star corals as well as a profusion of crinoids, sponges and crustaceans.

Subic is now a duty-free port and is a good place to buy diving equipment (remember to take your passport along). Complete diver training is offered by numerous dive centers from Olongapo to Barrio Barretto, a popular laid-back beach resort area a few kilometers to the north of the city of Olongapo.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

A close-up view of a pothole on the El Capitan wreck in Subic Bay.

Nasugbu and Fortune Island

Easily Accessible Diving from Manila

Access By boat, 10–60 minutes

Current Average 20 meters depending on the site

Reef type Can be strong in places

Highlights Good variety, prolific in places

Visibility Walls, drop-offs

Coral Good variety

Fish Fortune Island, walls and caves

A few hours’ drive to the south of the capital of Manila, in the province of Batangas, is the coastal town of Nasugbu. Facing onto the waters of the South China Sea, this region has long volcanic sand beaches and no shortage of good diving.

FORTUNE ISLAND

Perhaps the most famous dive sites around here are at Fortune Island, a small privately owned resort island a few miles out to sea west of the town itself. Except for the Bat Cave, the visibility here is usually good and can reach 30 meters and even more.

On one particular site, the Blue Holes, there are large groupers, sweetlips and parrotfish everywhere as well as angelfish, puffers, wrasses, gobies, butterflyfish and damselfish, to name but a few. Squid and cuttlefish are also spotted here. The corals and other reef organisms are prolific and diverse. You’ll find gorgonians and barrel sponges, vast slabs of star coral with plume worms all over them and anemones galore. There are three sinkholes which converge into an open cavern, and a coral overhang at 28 meters. Hawksbill turtles and shoals of leatherjackets frequent the area, plus several species of pelagics.

The red banded wrasse (Cheilinus fasciatus) is a popular fish among divers because it often allows a close approach.

Also at Fortune Island are the remains of an old freighter lying in 20 meters or so of water. Not much is left now except box sections, but the wreck is very penetrable and excellent for photography. Look out for lionfish and scorpionfish that are often camouflaged against the wreck’s surfaces.

The Bat Cave is also a popular site, another 20-meter dive, which leads to a semi-submerged cave with bats hanging around inside. Cuttlefish breed here, and there are abundant soft corals around.

The lifeguard tower on the beach in Nasugbu sits in the shadows of towering palm trees.

SUMO BANK

Several miles further out, this is another excellent local dive. Among other features is an abundance of cauliflower-shaped corals that cover the sandy bottom. White tips and other sharks roam these waters, and a wide variety of tropical reef fish make their homes here. The corals, soft and hard, are prolific, and the area is well suited for the more experienced diver.

Closer inshore are Twin Islands, two large rocks jutting up out of the sea. There are several good dives here, the Pink Wall being our favorite. An almost sheer drop-off starting at 8 meters, the wall is covered by thousands of soft, pink corals. There are lots of small tropical fish and occasionally turtles frequent the area. Visibility doesn’t usually exceed 20 meters but the diving is memorable.

SUNKEN BOOTY

At Fuego Point, almost 900 meters directly north of Twin Islands, a boulder-strewn bottom hides the remains of a galleon, the San Diego, sunk in 1600 by a Dutch warship and discovered in 1992, of which the anchor and chain can still be seen. The fish life is not impressive, but lots of small tropicals are swimming around. Visibility is seldom much above 15 meters but the drop-off, which goes past 30 meters, usually enjoys better visibility—between 12 and 25 meters—and is draped with colorful gorgonians and other hard and soft corals. Tuna and other pelagics cruise the waters, and there are also plenty of small tropical reef fish to enjoy.

The dive sites around Nasugbu are busy sites, due to their proximity to Manila. The PADI dive center at the popular Maya Maya Reef Resort offers daily diving around these sites.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Anilao

The Birthplace of Philippine Scuba Diving

Access Banca boats, 10–60 minutes

Current Usually fair, 10–25 meters

Reef type Can be stiff in places

Highlights Prolific and varied

Visibility Walls, drop-offs

Coral Prolific in places

Fish Outstanding macro photography

A two and a half hour drive through the lush Southern Luzon countryside from Manila, Anilao can justifiably claim to be the birthplace of scuba diving in the Philippines.

In the mid 1960s, Dr Tim Sevilla transplanted an entire coral reef onto a large rock formation a short distance off shore from his Dive 7000 resort. At the time, the conventional thinking about coral reef growth regarded transplanting a coral reef to be futile but Dr Sevilla proved them wrong, and to this day Cathedral Rock is a much visited site, a vibrant, colorful dive with a profusion of small reef fish, soft and hard corals and even a small underwater shrine.

The shrine is in the form of a cross, and was blessed by the Pope and placed at about 13 meters between two coral carpeted pinnacles in 1982 by Lt General Fidel V. Ramos, who would later become the President of the Philippines.

Anilao has remained at the forefront of the scuba industry since then, and is still an excellent place for snorkelers, novices and experienced aquanauts alike.

However, don’t expect to find much beachfront along the rugged Balayan Bay coastline. You don’t come to Anilao to laze around on beaches. Trips here are definitely focused on water sports and, in particular, scuba diving.

Photographers inevitably have a field day here, and professionals come in time and time again from around the world to shoot the area’s diverse sites. The macro photographer will enjoy the legendary photo opportunities this dive destination affords while wide-angle enthusiasts won’t be disappointed either.

Unfortunately, the pressures of an ever increasing population has put a lot of stress on the local ecosystem, typical of many premier dive destinations elsewhere. Being just round the corner from a major port, Batangas City, located at the mouth of Batangas Bay, Balayan Bay has not escaped the negative effects of shipping and the constant movemen of water.

This cross at Cathedral Rock was laid by President Fidel Ramos and blessed by Pope John Paul II.

The many thousands of Filipino divers who trained and still dive regularly in Anilao have long been on the cutting edge of the social, environmental and political issues affecting all marine areas of the Philippines, from Mactan to Marinduque. Dynamite and other illegal fishing techniques, collection of corals and shells, overfishing and pollution, these are just some of the harmful influences that have put immense pressure on the environment. Action is being taken against such practices at many levels and by an increasing number of people throughout the islands.

Anilao has led the way in programs such as the Scubasurero (a play on the Tagalog word for a garbage collector) clean-up operation and has attracted wide interest from such prestigious organizations as the Haribon Foundation and the PADI Project AWARE Program. This is not to say that diving around Anilao is in any way deficient. Far from it. But it is important to recognize Anilao’s importance to the development and to the future of scuba diving in the Philippines. The fact that the local diving continues to attract many thousands is testament to the continuing struggle between the ecologically aware locals and the diving community on the one hand, and the forces of industrialization and the unending demands for resources on the other.

Anilao is still, and plans on continuing to be, an extremely popular year-round destination, and there is certainly no shortage of excellent diving available here. Most of the better sites are not actually in Balayan Bay but around the islands of Sombrero and Maricaban, each located a short banca boat ride to the south of Anilao.

SOMBRERO ISLAND

Uninhabited, Somrero Island has a delightful beach which is often used as a picnic spot between dives. The diving is good all the way round the island but perhaps the best site is Beatrice Rock, just off the northern point. From depths of 6 meters down to 25 meters, there are plenty of good hard corals. Currents are often strong, which encourages pelagics to visit the site. Several species of ray can be found here, including the occasional eagle ray, as well as rainbow runners and yellowtails. Look out for another small statue placed here at a depth of around 13 meters.

At nearby Bajura, east of Sombrero and north of Caban Island, the reef is over 1 km long and descends from 12 meters to around 37 meters. There are lots of caves and overhangs, often providing a temporary home to sleeping sharks. The drop-offs and walls here are covered in a profusion of table, staghorn, mushroom and other hard corals as well as a wide variety of crinoids and gorgonians. The prolific fish life is impressively diverse, with plenty of parrotfish, butter-flyfish, triggerfish, wrasses, lionfish, scorpionfish, moray eels, aggregations of sweetlips, the occasional octopus, some angelfish, a few batfish, schools of surgeons and snappers, and from time to time eagle rays and white tip sharks. However, you should take care here as the currents are unpredictable and can be strong, but as this is an excellent dive experienced divers shouldn’t be dissuaded by this possibility.

At Mapating, off the northwest shore of Maricaban, the reef has excellent soft corals and small fish in depths of only 3–12 meters. As with most sites around Anilao, the macro photography here is outstanding. The wide variety of nudibranchs are an ever popular subject. Then there is a big, long wall starting at 18 meters which drops off to over 60 meters. Another shelf at 20 meters has some good hard corals and provides temporary shelter to occasional nurse and cat sharks. Schools of snappers and surgeons often swim by when the current is running, as do some very large southern rays and white tip sharks. For those divers who are qualified to make a really deep dive, there is a huge cave here between 37 and 43 meters.

This juvenile lionfish was pictured in Anilao where macro photography is a focus for many divers.

Soft coral goby Pleurosicya on Dendronephthya soft coral are not so easy to spot.

Frogfish have a lure, much like a fishing rod, attached to their head, which entices prey to come within striking distance.

PINNACLES AND POINTS

To the southeast at Devil’s Point there is a large submerged rock between 6 and 12 meters with pleasant corals and lots of small fish. The rock formations are picturesque but, again, watch out for the current.

At Mainit, which means “hot” in Tagalog, there is a rocky, ridged slope with a good selection of hard and soft corals on it. At 18 meters, you’ll find a submerged pinnacle and a shark cave at 6 meters. Generally, the site hosts an abundance of small reef fish. Currents can be strong, but they also produce a few pelagics when they are running so it’s usually worth the effort. Afterwards, check out the hot springs on the beach.

Just off Layaglang Point on the northeastern tip of Caban Island is Kirby’s, a pinnacle which goes down to 28 meters. There’s a small wall with moray eels, lionfish and lots of colorful crinoids.

Between Culebra and Malajibomanoc (which means “chicken feather” in Tagalog) islands is Nelson’s Rock, which tops out at 16 meters and drops down to a depth of over 30 meters. The pinnacle is carpeted most of the time by a profusion of blooming coral polyps and large gorgonians, while the water is usually a haze with lots of damselfish. You’ll also see caves that often host sharks, some stingrays and a few pelagics when the current is running.

A little to the east are the Hot Springs, a very unusual dive site affording the opportunity to try out a neat trick. At 21 meters, hot volcanic gas bubbles out of holes in the seabed, and you can place an egg to cook on one of the holes while you swim off into a fairytale landscape of multihued pastels, bright greens and vivid yellows. Because the water is warm, the visibility here is always good. Walking fish, such as frogfish and anglerfish, are common in one spot, and sharks and rays are known to pass through. When you are ready to ascend, don’t forget to collect your egg; it should be hard-boiled by the end of your dive.

It is hard to include all the favorite dive sites in and around Anilao. This choice is inevitably very subjective. Suffice to say that Anilao has plenty to offer divers of all levels.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Verde Island

A Fabulous Wall and Good Corals

Access By boat, 30 minutes–3 hours

Current Usually good, 15–30 meters

Reef type Very strong in places

Highlights Prolific, colorful and good variety

Visibility Walls, drop-offs

Coral Often prolific and good variety

Fish Pristine wall, excellent corals and fish

This is a favorite dive spot for regulars in the Puerto Galera and Anilao area. Situated in the aptly named Verde Island Passage between southern Batangas on the mainland of Luzon and the northeastern tip of Mindoro, Verde has one of the best wall dives north of Palawan. There are also several beaches where divers picnic between dives. Please clean up afterwards and take your rubbish home.

Currents can be a problem here though they do create some interesting drift dives. The island’s west coast has gentle drop-offs starting from the shore and sloping down to abyssal depths. There used to be the remains of the keel of a Spanish galleon sitting in a few meters just off the beach. History relates that the galleon had just left Manila bound for Spain with a cargo of silks and spices from China when it ran aground. No one was killed but the incensed crew and passengers immediately constructed a gallows and hanged the unfortunate navigator. The keel has now been raised and preserved in the National Museum. Divers who have sifted through the sand where the galleon sank have been known to come across a few ballast stones, fragments of pottery and even ancient musket balls.

Jumping into the sea anywhere off this west coast will put a diver onto the gentle slopes of the fringing reef, which is criss-crossed with gullies and ravines. The current usually provides a free ride, but nonetheless care should be taken. There are lots of soft and hard corals here but not so many reef fish around because most of these lurk in the gullies out of range of the current. It is worth investigating the various patches of sand with coral heads blooming out of them as they are home to anemones, clownfish and spotted rays as well as a variety of crustaceans.

The diver in this photo is only marginally taller than the barrel sponge in the foreground!

THE VERDE ISLAND WALL

It is the Verde Island Wall that attracts most divers to the island. Easily identifiable by the rocks sticking out of the water off the southeastern tip of the island, the wall descends from the surface almost straight down to seemingly unfathomed depths. Around the corner from the drop-in point, the wall curves in a bit, which allows divers to collect themselves in calm waters before starting to explore the surroundings.

There are vast slabs of star corals draped all along the wall as well as giant gorgonians and large, cascading soft corals. Sea fans and anemones billow in the constantly moving water, and you can’t help but be amazed by the impossibly diverse colors that meet the eye everywhere. The first time our party visited Verde, we encountered two large Napoleon wrasse who casually swam up and inspected us. On other dives, we have seen mantas, eagle rays, white tip and black tip sharks. Schools of jacks and tuna are not uncommon, and there are plenty of sweetlips, batfish, wrasses, emperors, surgeons, soldiers and tangs everywhere.

Jackfish are a schooling fish that swim in the water column above tropical reefs.

You must take care to control buoyancy and watch the depths on this particular dive. As the reef starts at the surface, safety stops can be made while still on the wall. Look out for schools of curious unicornfish coming in close to check out decompressing divers. Serious photographers should bring two cameras (or interchangeable lenses), one for the larger animals and one with a macro lens to capture the nudibranchs which are generally plentiful around here.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Puerto Galera

Diving from a Popular Holiday Resort

Access Banca and customized dive boats, 10–30 minutes

Current Usually fair, 10–30 meters

Reef type Very strong in places

Highlights Prolific, colorful and good variety

Visibility Walls and coral gardens

Coral Often prolific, good variety

Fish Shark caves, coral gardens

The discovery of an ancient inter-island trading vessel laden with Chinese dragon jars and other ceramic goodies in the picturesque Batangas Channel of Puerto Galera was the precursor to the incredible growth of the scuba diving industry that thrives there today.

There are over 30 excellent dive sites within an hour of whichever of the many coves or beaches you may be staying at. Usually, there is fine snorkeling just offshore. There is no shortage of dive centers in the area competing for business, most of which offer a full range of courses, fun diving, equipment hire and other dive services.

A place of outstanding natural beauty, Puerto Galera’s underwater delights are some of the most popular diving sites in the country.

Probably the most famous dive hereabouts is Shark Cave off Escaceo Point. Prone to treacherous currents (one local veteran has been swept away into the Verde Passage twice now, fortunately surviving to tell the tale), this is not a dive for the faint-hearted or the inexperienced. The divemaster assesses the current and the divers descend to 18 meters. This is often a drift dive. You swim over a ledge to a patch of sand and there, under the ledge, you can usually spot a few white tip sharks, often with large grouper and other big fish. A little deeper and there is another, narrower cave which also accommodates sleeping sharks. This cave is popular with photographers as one can get really close to the sharks, but it is quite deep (28 meters), so bottom time is limited.

Ascending from here to around 12 meters you’ll find the Pink Wall, so-named for the profusion of soft cauliflower corals that have created an impressive overhang. A great spot for photography and a popular night dive.

Puerta Galera dive sites range from calm sites for beginners to more challenging sites with currents for experienced divers. Dive courses for all levels are available across the island.

Emperor shrimps have a symbiotic relationship with sea cucumbers, where they live on the underside for protection.

THE CANYONS

The Canyons is probably the most visited dive site in Puerto Galera and is especially popular with technical divers. Usually starting at the Hole in the Wall, a natural hole that’s large enough to pass through one at a time, divers swim along a wall and then into a series of canyons. These are encrusted with all sorts of soft and hard corals, sponges, sea fans and feather stars. The sea is alive with moray eels, lionfish, sweetlips, jacks, tuna and frequently white tip sharks. If you’re lucky, you may even catch a glimpse of a passing hawksbill turtle. The dive ends at an old anchor covered with soft corals and small sea fans, often a good spot for seeing lionfish.

Sabang Point is another site worth visiting. A booming coral reef starting at 7 meters and descending to 18–20 meters, the reef is covered with feather stars, pot sponges, sea whips and sea pens. At one point there is a beautiful wall covered with different corals and home to moray eels multicolored nudibranchs and fluorescent blue triggerfish.

Eight kilometers to the west of the town of Puerto Galera proper, past the secluded White Beach and out from Talipanan Beach is another reef for the serious diver, with strong currents, pelagic fish and stunning corals of all kinds. This reef, being a little further away from the majority of dive sites, is visited less often but is none the worse for that. Dorado and Spanish mackerel have been spotted here as well as tuna and other pelagics. Expect to find hump-head wrasse, parrotfish, sweetlips, angelfish, lionfish and the peculiar crocodilefish, which, though difficult to spot, is quite common around Puerto.

Visibility in the area can reach 35 meters but is typically 20 meters or less depending on the site and the season. As mentioned earlier, currents can be very tricky, even on some seemingly innocuous shallower dives, so always plan to go with a professional dive guide to avoid trouble. Puerto is increasingly being visited by passing liveaboard boats and is also a jump off point for regular live-aboard trips to Apo Reef, Coron Bay and the Sibuyan Sea. Trips are usually arranged at short notice.

Action Divers in Puerto Galera is one of many operators that uses traditional-style outriggers to ferry divers.

Local dive operators own an interesting variety of vessels, from traditional banca to custom dive boats, yachts, catamarans, v-hulls and converted local wooden fishing boats. For snorkelers, ocean kayaks are available for rent.

An active dive store owner’s association works hard to ensure visiting divers have healthy reefs to dive on. They provide mooring buoys at popular dive sites and promote environmental and infrastructure projects. A number of artificial reefs have been created since 1996 by sinking derelict vessels in the area. This professional attitude to safety and service that has developed over the years explains why so many divers just keep coming back to Puerto Galera.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Marinduque

Outstanding Dives in the Tablas Straits

Access Liveaboard boats, 1–5-day trips

Current Good, 10–50 meters in season

Reef type Can be strong in places

Highlights Outstanding variety and prolific

Visibility Walls and drop-offs

Coral Many species, great numbers and all sizes

Fish Pristine diving, superb corals and fish, wrecks

A short flight or around a five-hour drive and ferry ride south of Manila finds you in Marinduque. Famous for its Moriones festival, Marinduque and environs are far more rewarding to the diver for the profusion of outstanding underwater sites.

Wreck divers, wall divers, reef divers, cavern divers and photographers are well catered for, and many experienced divers who have visited some of the outlying islands in the Tablas Straits reckon them to be superior to anything they have seen anywhere, including the Red Sea, the Great Barrier Reef and the Sulu Sea. High praise indeed.

To get to the choicest spots, it is necessary to plan full day trips and dive safaris of several days. Trips usually originate from Puerto Galera or Boracay. There are 11 main diving areas adjacent to Marinduque, from Natanco in the northwest to the Maestre de Campo Islands to the southwest and Banton Island to the southeast. Each has something special about it and has more than one dive site to recommend it.

NATANCO AND BALANACAN

Natanco is noted for its walls and drift diving. On one section we found an unbelievable coral structure, white, like a huge avalanche of snow stretching for several meters. At another wall we came upon a huge shoal of tuna at 20 meters. We also found some great gorgonians and big groupers.

At Port Balanacan, the Japanese torpedo boat is not a dive for amateurs. This small 35-meter-long casualty of World War II is sitting upright with a badly smashed bow in 36–40 meters of water. The visibility can be a problem sometimes, and averages around 10 meters. The prop is missing but there’s still a multi-barrelled gun on the deck.

Though the current will toss this anemone about, the pink clownfish is determined to keep his home safe from any menace, Balicasag Island.

ELEFANTE ISLAND

Elefante Island is a privately owned island but there are a couple of good dives around here. To the north, there is a wall off the beach with a fairly stiff current (3 knots or more at times). The bottom of the wall is deep; we reached 40 meters at one point and it still kept going. Large gorgonians adorn the face. A little further south there’s an area with more of that incredible white coral, this time flatter and resembling a snow-covered field. There are a lot of colorful fish here and photo opportunities abound.

BALTHAZAR ISLAND

At Balthazar, to the west, there is a cave you can enter at 20 meters and exit at 28 meters. There are lots of stonefish everywhere, so be careful. The gorgonians are particularly beautiful here, too. A little to the south is a great night dive with prolific corals and plentiful fish life and an army of spiny lobsters.

Further south and west again, at Maestre De Campo, there are several excellent dives, including the MV Mactan, a ferry boat that went down in 1973. In good condition, she lies north to south on a sandy slope from 25 to 55 meters. The bow is to the south. Sweetlips, grouper, barracuda and a lot of lionfish and clouds of small tropicals have made this wreck their home.

At Port Concepcion, there are two Japanese wrecks in the harbour. A little scratching around in the muddy bottom usually rewards the searcher with bottles and other relics. The visibility is not so good and careful finning is necessary.

There are also the remains of World War II planes dotted around the place, and there is also good coral diving on the west side of the island.

Schools of big eye jackfish can include thousands of individual fish.

At Isabella in Dos Hermanos to the east, there is a maze of crevices and lots of corals and reef fish. The area has been visited by local hookah fishermen in the past and the fish remain skittish. A little to the west there is an excellent night dive area.

At Torrijos, on the east side of Marinduque, there’s a shallow (15 meters) dive with cracks, fissures and canyons everywhere that is full of interesting things to explore, and a wall with large gorgonians, colorful sponges and lots of big fish. Expect to see tuna, barracuda, grouper, sweetlips, shoals of tropical reef fish of all shapes and sizes and Tridacna clams. The current is not usually too bad here.

BANTON ISLAND

Further south and east again finds the island of Banton. The inhabitants of Banton process copra though many of the younger islanders have found work abroad, apparently remitting sufficient funds to maintain their families comfortably. Perhaps that’s the reason the locals don’t fish the surrounding reefs as much as they do in other parts of the Philippines, and that’s why the reef fish are so abundant and frisky around the island. The west side has areas of stunning coral encrustation, hard and soft corals of all kinds everywhere, with pennant butterflies, huge grouper, snapper and sweetlips darting in and out of the holes and cracks in the reef. Several species of shark and ray are sometimes seen, as are dolphins, which are very common all around the surrounding Sibuyan Sea.

The North-West Wall is simply awesome, one of the best wall dives you will find anywhere.

The weather can kick up on this exposed westerly side, making it a site you should plan to visit during the relatively benign months of March, April and May.

On the west coast of Banton, the story is pretty much the same, pretty white sand coves, some with fantastic un-spoiled diving in coral gardens which reach 20 meters.

The Slab, a block of rock in a few meters of water about a third of the way south along the west shoreline, has an interesting cave that stretches into the darkness and is penetrable for several meters. Visibility often exceeds 35 meters here during season (December to June), and the profusion of pelagic and reef fish of all sizes is simply staggering.

One anemone can host several clownfish, with the biggest one being the dominant female.

Wall diving is a highlight of the Philippines but requires divers to have mastered buoyancy control.

SIBUYAN SEA

The Sibuyan Sea, which stretches south and east of here is one of the more remote areas for divers but there are numerous operators in the region. Some areas that have been visited over the last few years are reported to be heavily devastated by illegal fishing techniques. Others are spoken of in awe by the few divers lucky enough to have reached them.

One last point to make about Marinduque is that, up to now, scuba instruction is not as easily available as it is in the more touristic regions of the Philippines.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Boracay

Stunning Beaches with First-class Dive Sites Nearby

Access By boat, 10 minutes–1.5 hours

Current Usually good, 7–25 meters

Reef type Strong in some areas

Highlights Good variety and quite prolific

Visibility Walls and coral gardens

Coral Prolific in places, good variety

Fish Easy access, awesome walls

The fabulous powdery white sand beaches of Boracay have made their name as some of the world’s best. The diving industry is booming here with numerous dive centers doing good business around this small island, making it an excellent place to learn scuba. Diving courses range from discover diving to PADI master instructor.

Many dive outfits operate safaris to hard-to-reach locations, such as the Sibuyan Sea, Tablas, Romblon and Semirara Island, as well as to the west coast of Panay and the outlying reefs and islands.

Closer to Boracay there are some first-class dive sites catering to divers of all levels and some good, easily accessible snorkeling.

Friday’s Rock, close to the west shore and at a depth of between 10 and 18 meters, is a favorite dive site. Here you will find a variety of soft and hard corals, butterflyfish, wrasses, tangs, damselfish, snappers and stingrays, and big scorpionfish and lionfish.

A little to the northwest of Friday’s Rock there are two dive sites named Punta Bonga 1 & 2. One is shallower, a drop-off to 24 meters, and the other starts at 30 meters and goes down to 50 meters. On the shallower dive, the top of the reef is covered with soft corals. Triggerfish, groupers and angelfish are commonly seen. Diving on the deeper wall, you’ll find large gorgonians of all colors and big stingrays. There are plenty of sizeable sweetlips and tuna about, and occasional barracuda and sharks.

CROCODILE ISLAND

Southeast of Boracay, Crocodile Island (named for its shape, not any resident reptile) is another popular site but one with current as it is right in the channel between Boracay and Panay. The bottom of the wall is around 24 meters at its deepest, the top of the reef about 10 meters. You’ll find just about everything here: sweetlips, triggerfish, wrasses, butterflyfish and snappers. There are a few banded sea snakes, too—we’ve seen some over 2 meters long—but as they are docile by nature no one has been bitten by one. Look out also for the pretty blue gorgonians.

Boracay Island New Wave Divers is one of many operators offering full service dive trips and courses.

Sea snakes are air breathers so they make frequent trips to the surface and back to the reef in the blue.

Large soft coral fans feature on wall dives where they have a solid substrate on which to anchor and flowing current to supply them with nutrients.

The markings of the clown triggerfish are amongst the most distinct in Boracay.

Another excellent dive close by is Laurel Island. Currents can get very strong here, but it is these currents that encourage the corals to open up their fantastic yellow and orange polyps to feed on microscopic elements, festooning the walls of an 8-meter-long tunnel at the tip of the island. There are also big sponges and large gorgonians.

At the northern end of Boracay is Yapak, a deep wall starting around 30 meters and descending beyond 60 meters depth. Currents are often tricky here and the water is usually rough, but for experienced divers and lovers of big animals this is the best Boracay has to offer. Covered with a profusion of soft corals, there are also some outstanding gorgonian fans hanging off the wall. Snappers, sweetlips, surgeons, pennants and rainbow runners are all plentiful, as are barracudas, white tip and grey reef sharks. Occasionally, a hammerhead will fin by. Manta rays have also been spotted from time to time. This is not a dive for beginners.

To the north, nearby Carabao Island has some fairly good spots. Cathedral Cave, a wide-mouthed cave at around 28 meters, is our favorite for its plentiful groupers and colorful soldierfish.

Lionfish are closely related to scorpionfish and likewise have poisonous spines.

NEIGHBORING PANAY

To the southwest of Boracay, the west coast of Panay has some excellent sites. At Buruanga, off Nasog Point, Black Rock and Dog Drift, the walls and drop-offs start at around 10 meters and then go down to 40 meters. A variety of hard and soft corals are home to snappers, sweetlips and big triggerfish. Keep an eye open for large pelagics.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Mactan

A Popular Resort Close to Cebu City

Access Local boats, 10 minutes–1.5 hours; also liveaboards

Current Often excellent, 10–50 meters

Reef type Can be stiff in places

Highlights Good variety, pristine in places

Visibility Walls and drop-offs

Coral Good variety, good shells

Fish Fans, gorgonians and pelagics

Looking a little unprepossessing from the air, the island of Mactan, 45 minutes from the heart of Cebu, comes alive underwater. Visited by thousands of divers every year, Mactan’s east coast has several good dive sites along its walls. The Hilutangan Channel, which separates Mactan from adjacent Olango Island, is extremely deep and, as a consequence, one can hope to see several species of large animals on a lucky diving day. Although visibility can exceed 30 meters it usually averages around 18 meters, and divers should note that currents are a factor to be reckoned with.

DIVING OFF THE RESORTS

The Tambuli Fish Feeding Station is an excellent opportunity to get to know many smaller species of fish that abound in the warm and generally clear waters off Mactan Island. This used to be a feeding station but only the name of the dive site has remained. Photographers will appreciate this dive, as literally hundreds of fish swarm all around in close quarters. A small light aircraft has also been sunk offshore and lays at around 22 meters. This artificial reef attracts a great number of resident reef fish.

The soft corals off Mar y Cielo Resort are another interesting dive, a gentle slope covered with elephant ear coral and barrel sponges.

Although a little deep, with an entrance at 26 meters, the Marigondon Cave is another popular dive well worth visiting. The cave stretches inward for about 45 meters and comes to end at a depth of 25 meters where there is a small grotto, home to dozens of flashlight fish. These fish have adapted to life in the dark by developing a neat patch of bioluminescence under each eye. Divers poke their heads into the narrow opening and turn off their torches to be rewarded with a wonderful light show as the fish dart around and hundreds of eyes appear to be winking back out of the dark recesses.

Adult hawksbill turtles grow up to 1 meter in length and weigh an average of 80 kg.

GOOD WALLS

Just to the south of the cave on Marigondon Reef, there is a wall starting at 12 meters and descending to around 45 meters. Its attraction is that the face is covered in a wide variety of colorful sponges, soft corals, brain corals and gorgonians, a feature that characterizes most dives off Mactan. Not to be missed here is a sizeable colony of garden eels. There is usually a fair current and thus most dives are drift dives.

To the north is Pang Pang, another wall dive popular for night dives. Lucky divers occasionally spot passing sharks.

The wall just off Kon Tiki Resort is another fine site. A short swim from the resort finds one on a gently sloping coral covered rocky seabed at 5 meters. This soon gives way to an impressive drop-off, festooned with fan corals, sea stars, feather stars and myriad crinoids. Barracuda are sometimes known to pass through.

OLANGO ISLAND

Across the Channel at Olango Island there are a couple of sites of interest, including Santa Rosa. Here, a white sand bottom with a profusion of soft corals leads to a steep drop-off at 15 meters. This bottoms out around 50 meters where big grouper can be seen in the small caves that are dotted about.

Also at Olango is Baring, just off the northwestern tip of the island. A sloping sandy bottom starting at around 15 meters with several small caves, this area is home to a number of large fish. Sharks can also be seen.

Mactan is a major jump-off point for divers wanting to visit the outstanding, remoter dive sites around the Visayas, such as Cabilao, Panglao and Apo Island. Most dive centers on the island organize dive safaris, lasting from a couple of days to a week or more aboard a variety of boats.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Northern Cebu

A Less Crowded Alternative to the Southern Resorts

Access Local boats, 10 minutes–1.5 hours; also liveaboards

Current Often excellent, 10–50 meters

Reef type Can be stiff in places

Highlights Good variety, pristine in places

Visibility Walls and drop-offs

Coral Good variety, good shells

Fish Fans, gorgonians and pelagics

Most of the coastal dive sites visited regularly by divers in the north of Cebu tend to be close to the town of Sogod on the east coast as it is easiest to access. The exception is those divers who are heading over to Malapascua Island, home to a number of dive resorts and, more famously, thresher sharks.

Another option for exploring this area is to use some of the Mactan-based dive operators who head north regularly, usually to visit Capitancillo, Gato and Calangaman islands.

CAPITANCILLO ISLAND

Capitancillo Island has a mushroom-shaped wall on its south side with outstanding coral formations and impressive gorgonian fans. Large manta rays are occasionally seen roaming around the teeming waters of the reef, and you can also hope to see shoals of yellow fin tuna and large groupers. The bottom is deep here—you still can’t see it when you are down at 45 meters—so care should be taken at all time to monitor depths.

As a diversion after diving, you’ll find an old lighthouse on top of this small rocky island. It is worth the climb for its view.

North of Capitancillo lies Calangaman, another dive site well worth visiting. Both sites are within relatively easy striking distance and visited often by Sogod-based operators and safari boats.

Quatro Island is another location frequented by northern Cebu divers, who rave about its caves and reef formations. The hard and soft corals are outstanding here, and snorkelers favor the place as there is plenty to see even in only 1–2 meters of water. There are actually four different reefs at this site, with walls descending to 150 meters, but don’t even consider trying to get near the bottom of the wall. Keep in mind that although there is a recompression chamber in Cebu City, it is far away.

At Kimod Reef, another one of those sunken islands, you are quite likely to run into a wide variety of pelagic life, including several different species of shark as well as eagle and manta rays.

This trapezia crab was spotted hiding amongst soft corals off Malapascua.

GATO ISLAND

Gato Island is another popular spot. Between November and May it’s a good area for white tips and other reef sharks. You’ll also find plenty of soft corals, gorgonians of all colors, sponges and hard corals. Gato Cave, actually a tunnel underneath the island, is also frequented by sharks and banded sea snakes. It is not for the faint-hearted, but definitely a must for those thrillseekers with the right experience. Currents are usually a bit stronger here than at the previous locations mentioned, so expect drift diving.

Gato Island is a marine reserve and sea snake sanctuary. It is also home to several dive sites.

The thresher shark’s long tail fin is highly distinctive, making it vulnerable to the shark fin trade.

MALAPASCUA ISLAND

Malapascua Island is now one of the Philippines best-known dive destinations. Malapascua has risen to fame almost entirely due to its resident thresher sharks, which divers from across the globe flock to see. These rare, shy creatures can usually be found swimming off the seamount. They cruise in a triangular pattern, swimming in circles at each corner of the route.

Divers can get quite close to these creatures but should avoid getting in the way of the sharks as this could upset their swimming patterns and may drive them away.

The threshers and manta rays are around for most of the year and it is also possible to see hammerheads here but they tend to be seasonal, between January and April. If you are a pelagic fan, then Malapascua has a lot to offer and should definitely be on your “to visit” list!

The Dona Marilyn was a passenger ferry that sank in 1988 off Malapascua.

A rare swimming nudibranch, Malapascua.

Closer to Sogod there are a number of inshore sites that are worth a look. There is a series of lagoons with sheer drop-offs going down to a maximum of 40 meters, then it slopes gently to several hundred meters. All kinds of soft corals, sponges, nudibranchs and other invertebrates flourish in these waters. Chances are you will encounter dolphins and hawksbill turtles and discover shells.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Southern Leyte

Whale Sharks, Walls and Waterfalls

Access Boat or tricycle

Current 5–35 meters

Reef type Sometimes strong

Highlights Dense, prolific, untouched

Visibility Seamounts and walls

Coral Prolific pelagics

Fish Whale sharks, mantas, stunning walls

In recent years, Southern Leyte has started to flourish as a diving destination, with a number of dive resorts operating in the area. The walls, reefs and drifts promise something for everyone, but the macro life is really what makes it stand out. Topside, the topography is equally intense, with waterfalls and pristine primary forest coverage abounding.

Whale sharks are a major attraction in Southern Leyte and many whale watching tours are offered by operators.

Most of the best macro life sites are in Sogod Bay, also a popular whale watching area with several species of whales regularly spotted by tour boats operating from resorts along Cebu’s east coast and Leyte’s west coast. Southern Leyte is distinct from Cebu as it is another island and home to a different ethnic group.

Limasawa Island, a 6-km-long land-mass with a fringing reef, offers walls and drift dives along its length. The island is known as the site of the first Christian mass held in the Far East, but it is now equally famous for its underwater attractions, especially its virginal coral gardens visited by large pelagics such as barracuda, mackerel, tuna and jacks.

Max Climax Wall is found to the north of Limasawa, just off the coast of Lungsodaan, Padre Burgos. Many crevices along the wall provide shelter for angelfish, snapper, sweetlips, grouper and Napoleon wrasse, as well as a host of smaller tropical fish. Turtles are often seen nosing around and pelagics that regularly visit include several species of shark, barracuda, tuna and eagle rays.

Tangkaan Point, to the south of Max Climax, is home to a number of dive sites on the various reefs dotted around the area, many of which have been declared marine sanctuaries. It is here that the odds of spotting a whale shark are the highest and sightings are regularly reported. Mantas are also common visitors, as are white tip and black tip sharks. Other shark species can sometimes be seen here too. The reefs are varied, from flat to rugged, some with gentle slopes, some with steep walls. Barrel sponges are prolific in some areas, notably at the site named Barrel Sponge Garden, which also features large table corals as well as a good variety of hard and soft corals and sponges and tunicates. Nearby Turtle Rock is a likely place to spot green turtles as well as batfish, eagle rays and grouper. The corals at this site tend towards whips, gorgonians, table and brain, with plenty of soft corals and sponges filling in the gaps.

Nudibranch (Nembrotha) have gills positioned on their back and two rhinpophores on their heads, which are their sensory organs.

Napantaw Fish Sanctuary, also known as Rio’s Wall and Toshi’s Wall after pioneering divers that discovered many of the local sites, is one of the better walls in Southern Leyte. Turtles are frequent visitors, and there is a cave at 40 meters worth checking out if you can find it at the start of the dive. Don’t spend too long looking for it though, as there is plenty to see higher up the wall and it’s not worth risking the bends by spending too much time at depth. The currents can be strong, which makes for prolific and healthy coral coverage, notably huge gorgonians and black coral as well as the ubiquitous soft corals liberally festooning the reef. Batfish, sweetlips and grouper are among the reef’s denizens, and barracuda often pass by.

Peter’s Mound is a seamount about 200 meters offshore starting at 10 meters and dropping off to well below 40 meters. Aside from the resident surgeons, fusiliers, snapper, grouper, Napoleon wrasse and other reef fish that swarm over the vibrant cora-encrusted reef, Peter’s Mound is a dive worth making if only for the fact that it is a cleaning station for large pelagics who can be found finning gently against the often strong currents (the best time to see this is when the current is running) as cleaner wrasse pick off the pesky infestations of microscopic critters from their gills, teeth, fins and scales.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Moalboal and Pescador

A Small but Superb Site away from the Crowds

Access From the beach or by boat, 10 minutes–1 hour

Current Often excellent, 10–50 meters

Reef type Can be strong in places

Highlights Outstanding—great variety and prolific

Visibility Walls and drop-offs

Coral Good variety, prolific in places, big pelagics

Fish Pescador, Sunken Islands

A few hours’ drive southwest of Cebu City, across the dusty mountain roads of the interior to the west coast, is Moalboal.

One of the original dive centers of the Philippines, Moalboal owes its popularity almost entirely to scuba diving. A few steps off the beach from the main resort area of Pangasama lies a reef which is home to a wide variety of marine life. The ubiquitous fan corals and gorgonians are, of course, very much in evidence, as are sponges and crinoids, nudibranchs and several different species of shells. There are sweetlips, tangs, gobies and lionfish all over the dive site. A little careful exploring will usually reveal some interesting shell life, too.

Tongo Point, at the south end of the beach, is covered with little cracks and caves, home to soft corals and many tropical reef fish. Anemones and clown-fish, nudibranchs and a host of other invertebrates make this a popular photographer’s dive. Visibility can be changeable, depending on the weather. This is a great dive for novices and a popular second dive.

An underwater “island” named Lambug lies about a 45-minute banca boat ride away. Really an underwater mountain, Lambug is reached after descending through blue water for 27 meters before reaching the peak. There is often a strong current here, too, so this really is not a dive for amateurs but for those who are up to it. Lambug is an outstanding experience. Large pelagics cruise by all the time. We saw several king barracuda, a lone tuna, two manta rays and a white tip shark as well as groupers, snappers and a huge shoal of talakitok or jackfish, on one 25-minute dive recently.

The common lionfish (Pterois volitans) sometimes travels in packs, lurking around vertical formations like coral outcrops or shipwrecks.

PESCADOR ISLAND

The jewel in the crown of Moalboal’s diving is tiny Pescador Island. About 2 km offshore, Pescador has been described as “a different dive every five meters”. It is possible to circle the island on a shallower dive. Superb drop-offs, buttresses and impressive overhangs are the main features of this site, with a shallow reef running around the island. At 22–25 meters is a large funnel-shaped structure of about 15 meters, called The Cathedral. When the sunlight hits it in just the right position, the corals and sponges are dappled with beams of light, making it a beautiful sight.

Lionfish, snappers, groupers, scorpion-fish and sweetlips are found at every depth, and on deeper dives white tip sharks and hammerhead sharks are not uncommon, especially between November and April. Less frequently, tiger and thresher sharks put in an appearance. The gorgonians are perhaps less profuse than one might imagine, but there is a lot of black coral around as well as sea fans, sponges of all types and nudibranchs. Divers often see Spanish dancers wriggling their way sensually around the reef.

Pescador takes on a totally different perspective after dark, and it is a favorite local night dive.

Despite its name, the melon headed whale is actually a member of the dolphin family.

Near to Pescador Island is Badian Island, another spot worth visiting although the marine life is neither as prolific nor as exciting as at Pescador and Lambug. However, white tip sharks are quite common, and you may well see a banded sea snake or two, together with the inevitable anemones and sponges.

Several Moalboal dive centers arrange excursions further afield, including to Bohol, Cabilao, Apo Island and other, more remote dive sites on an ad hoc basis. Whatever you may end up doing, you can rest assured that Moalboal is sure to satisfy even the most jaded diver. It also has the advantage of excellent off the beach diving of a quality which few other dive areas in the Philippines can match.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Bohol

Great Diving off Cabilao, Panglao and Balicasag

Access Bancas, 10 minutes–5 hours; also live-aboards

Current 10–35 meters

Reef type Can be stiff in places

Highlights Good variety, pristine in places

Visibility Walls, drop-offs and coral gardens

Coral Good variety, good shells

Fish Fans, gorgonians and pelagics

Bohol, in the Western Visayas, has long been regarded as home to some of the best diving in the Philippines. Panglao Island, connected to the mainland by a bridge, is the easiest dive area to reach and has a number of excellent sites for both divers and snorkelers.

At Arco Point (also known as “the Hole in the Wall”), near the exclusive Bohol Beach Club, there is a colony of sea snakes and a tunnel starting with an entrance at 8 meters, exiting at around 18 meters. Covered with a garden of soft corals, the interior has clouds of small tropical fish, including wrasse, butterflyfish, tangs and copper sweepers.

The northwest tip of the island has a gentle drop-off leading to a bottom which becomes deeper the further south you swim. Currents can be quite strong here, so you should dive with a guide. The gorgonians are impressive, as is the mix of hard and soft corals and sponges.

There are other spots worth diving around Panglao Island, including the wall at Tangnan. Starting at around 6 meters, the wall falls away steeply to over 35 meters. Here, you will find a series of small caves that are fun to explore. Big groupers dart in and out of the holes in the corals and rocks, but it is also a good place to look out as well for wrasses, soldierfish, surgeons and the occasional barracuda, jacks and white tip sharks.

Thanks to marine preservation efforts, fish life is abundant around Balicasag Island.

MARINE SANCTUARY

Diving aficionados should make sure that they take the time to venture a little further afield to Balicasag Island, lying to the southwest of Panglao, one of the most pristine dive sites in the world. It contains a superb marine sanctuary and has what most visitors regard as the best diving in the Visayas. Drop-offs and bottomless walls, overhangs, plentiful fans, huge table and star corals, large clumps of black coral and big fish are the main attractions of Balicasag. But that is not all that the sanctuary has to offer.

Shallower spots with a variety of hard and soft corals, sea whips, feather stars, crinoids, tunicates, anemones and sponges are a photographer’s delight. On a good day, you’ll encounter schools of barracuda and jacks, batfish, big parrot-fish and groupers. There are plenty of lionfish about, and clouds of reef fishes.

To the east of Balicasag and southeast of Panglao lies Pamilacan Island. Pamilacan means “resting place of mantas” in the local dialect, and when diving you may be lucky enough to swim with one of these impressive creatures. A marine sanctuary has been set up on the northwestern side of the island, and it is here that you’ll find superb gorgonians and hard corals along the walls as well as an assortment of soft corals, anemones, tunicates, sponges and sea fans.

Between Pamilacan and Balicasag is the Cervera Shoal. An underwater island just beneath the surface, dropping off to 20 meters, it is home to a large colony of banded sea snakes. The corals are not particularly impressive, but it is the pelagics which are the attraction here. You can expect to see several interesting species and occasional white tip sharks, as well as butterflyfish, scorpion-fish, damsels and surgeons.

The Bohol region of the Philippines comprises more than 70 islands with white sand beaches, such as this one and also the famous Chocolate Hills.

CABILAO ISLAND

This island is located further north, off the west coast of Bohol. Cabilao is a two and a half hour boat ride from Mactan, and it is from this island that most divers start their trip. Off the Lighthouse on the northwestern tip of the island there is a series of overhangs, cracks and coral gardens. Gorgonians, crinoids, sponges and soft corals can be seen adorning the walls and drop-offs, making this an exceedingly pretty dive.

But it is the hammerhead sharks for which the island is most famous. Schools of these awesome beasts congregate seasonally around the island, usually quite deep at around 40–45 meters, between December and May (April is usually the best month but it changes from year to year so check with your operator what the current predictions are). Also commonly encountered in this excellent spot are barracuda, jacks, mackerel, tuna, triggerfish, butterflyfish and humphead wrasses feeding in the strong currents.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Apo Reef

A Speck in the Midst of the South China Sea

Access Boat from Pandan Island, 1 hour; liveaboards offer various durations

Current Usually good, 15–50 meters

Reef type Can be stiff in places

Highlights Prolific and varied

Visibility Walls and coral gardens

Coral Prolific in places

Fish Outstanding macro photography

Apo Reef in the South China Sea, off the west coast of Mindoro, is actually an underwater lagoon. Between March and June, the peak season, water visibility is usually excellent, extending to 30 meters or more at most sites. But from July to January, the sea can be turbulent, making access uncomfortable to downright unpleasant. Trips to Apo can be arranged through Pandan Island Resort (amongst others), based on the west coast of Mindoro, and from Puerto Galera, 125 km away. Most liveaboards feature Apo Reef on their itineraries. Wall diving is spectacular along many parts of the reef’s perimeter and you don’t need to go too deep to discover plenty of marine life.

A favorite spot on the reef itself is the wreck of a small fishing boat with a bridge which divers and snorkelers love to have their photographs taken in. Lying in shallow water, the hulk used to attract snappers and groupers as well as hard and soft corals, including tables and sponges, and a variety of other tropical marine life.

The whale shark leads a solitary life and is only rarely seen by lucky divers when it ventures inshore.

DRAMATIC DROP-OFFS

The northern edge of the lagoon has spectacular walls, dropping off radically from around 5–10 meter depths. The walls are covered with gorgonians and fans due to the currents which can get quite stiff, attracting lots of pelagics as well as encouraging more impressive coral formations. Watch out for the tuna, jacks, humphead wrasses and, from time to time, mantas and hammerheads. The remains of an old steamer in shallow water on the north of the reef is also quite interesting.

To the east, Shark Ridge is renowned for, of course, sharks—white tips and black tips most commonly—as well as manta rays. The coral is not so impressive on this sloping bottom, which gives way to sand and detritus at about 25 meters, but the animals are big and the diving can get wild!

To the southwest of Apo Reef is another excellent wall, the Binangaan Drop-off. Impressive gorgonians and hard and soft coral formations as well as schools of bumphead parrotfish are seen here, along with tuna and groupers, snappers, lots of interesting shells and some large pelagics.

Around Apo Island, to the west of the reef, there are also a number of superb sites to dive, mostly walls and drop-offs. Once again, mantas are not uncommon visitors all around the island, and the gorgonians are outstanding. Schools of tuna and other pelagics, turtles and groupers, snappers and wrasses, triggerfish and parrotfish seem to be everywhere. Lobsters and other crustaceans scuttle about under rocks, in crevices and fissures, while along the perimeter black tip, white tip and hammerhead sharks, remoras and barracudas fin silently past. Currents are often strong but snorkeling can be good.

SEA SNAKES GALORE

Some 21 km west of Apo Reef, Hunter’s Rock is an underwater island and not easy to find unless you’re with a good guide.

The highlight of Hunter’s Rock is that it is a popular spot for banded sea snakes. Guides often joke that to find the site you follow a sea snake down.

There can be hundreds of them on Hunter’s Rock, in crevices, under coral heads and swimming about the reef. During the mating season (June through July), the sea is sometimes unnervingly carpeted with them. The reef itself is a profusion of corals and sponges alive with schools of tropicals—butterflyfish, snappers, sweetlips—and larger predatory reef fish.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Sumilon

A Species-rich Marine Sanctuary

Access Day trips from Dumaguete; safaris from Cebu and Bohol

Current Usually outstanding, 15–50 meters

Reef type Can be strong

Highlights Outstanding, prolific and abundant

Visibility Walls, drop-offs

Coral Many species, prolific and large

Fish Fans, gorgonians and pelagics

At the southeastern tip of Cebu lies Sumilon Island. While there are other sites around South Cebu visited by divers from Cebu and Bohol dive centers, Sumilon is a favorite, being the very first marine sanctuary created in the Philippines. Though it has suffered considerable damage in the past despite this status, the reefs have made an excellent recovery. Today, Sumilon enjoys better protection than before and visiting divers are asked to contribute a small sum to help preserve it once again.

The waters are outstandingly clear around the island, especially between December and May, and there are stunning drop-offs and walls to be enjoyed, with breathtaking fans and plentiful gorgonians, especially at deeper depths.

All kinds of pelagics swim around Sumilon, including leopard and manta rays, yellow fin tuna and jacks. Several shark species have been noted, not only the ubiquitous white tips but also hammerheads and the occasional whale shark.

This reef octopus is flashing a white color, a sign that it is feeling threatened.

APO ISLAND

To the south of Sumilon is Apo Island (not to be confused with Apo Reef in the South China Sea, off the southwest coast of Mindoro). Apo is widely regarded as one of the best dive sites in the Visayas. In fact, many dive enthusiasts claim that it is the best site. The marine sanctuary area on the southeast side of the island is a fairytale land of hard and soft corals, with thousands of tropical reef fish blotting out the light in every direction. Gobies, tangs, wrasses, chromis or pullers, damselfish, surgeons, squirrel fish, butterflyfish, glass eye snappers, drums and several species of parrotfish are all there in quantity.

The colors of these hard coral formations are generated by the algae that live in symbiosis with them. Coral bleaching occurs when the algae hibernate due to the heat and the color is lost.

Pelagics are plentiful, and there is every chance of an encounter with black tip and white tip sharks as well as barracuda, tuna and game fish such as dorado and Spanish mackerel.

Apo is conical in shape, and the untouched coral reef fringes the island at 15–20 meters. All over the reef are hills of star and brain corals, magnificent barrel sponges, a variety of stinging crinoids and pillar and staghorn corals. On the walls are magnificent gorgonians and fan corals. It is an outstanding dive site!

Trips to either Apo or Sumilon Island are arranged regularly by dive operations from Mactan, Moalboal, Bohol, Dumaguete and several of the smaller resorts in southern Cebu. The best time to visit Apo Island is between December and May.

Glassfish tend to school around coral heads where they can swim up into the current stream or nestle down for shelter.

SIQUIJOR ISLAND

Between Apo and Sumilon, and a little to the east, is Siquijor Island. The inhabitants of this island are renowned (and feared) throughout the Philippines as mystics and spiritualists. Unfortunately, this did not prevent serious damage being inflicted on the reefs and shoals, and many of the great dive sites of yester-year are history, reduced to algae covered skeletons of coral. Good recovery is evident in some areas, but not all.

There are still one or two sites worth visiting, however, including Tonga Point on the northwest coast. Here, a wall drops off quite rapidly from the relatively shallow fringing reef. Soft corals are plentiful here, and you’ll find some reasonable gorgonians as you drift along the wall. Don’t expect an abundance of fish life around this area, except at Apo Island, as overfishing has been a serious problem in the past. Divers are urged to avoid any dive outfits that encourage spear fishing.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Coron Bay

Exploring a World of Wrecks off Busuanga Island

Access Banca boat, 30 minutes–2 hours; also liveaboards

Current 10–35 meters

Reef type Moderate

Highlights Good variety, prolific in places

Visibility Walls, coral gardens and wrecks

Coral Wide variety, prolific

Fish Wrecks galore!

On September 24, 1944, Admiral “Bull” Halsey, seeking a safe passage through the uncharted Calamian Islands, sent out several waves of photo reconnaissance planes. When analysts compared the pictures taken, they noticed several “islands” had changed position relative to the surrounding land. Realizing that they had discovered a camouflaged Japanese fleet, Halsey immediately ordered an air strike. Upon their return, US Navy pilots claimed 24 vessels sunk.

Today, not all 24 wrecks have been found but around a dozen are regularly dived in the protected waters of Coron Bay, lying at various depths between 15 and 40 meters.

Due to their former inaccessibility and lack of diving infrastructure, these wrecks lay undisturbed for decades. Now there are numerous operators visiting the wrecks and outstanding coral reefs of the area. Most are easily as good as the wrecks of Truk Lagoon in Micronesia but much shallower.

The diving around Coron garnered fame for its World War II shipwrecks.

IRAKO AND KOGYO MARU

The southernmost wreck visited frequently by local divers here is the Irako. The Irako was a refrigeration ship, about 200 meters long displacing 9,570 tons. Now it is home to big groupers and shoals of yellow fin tuna. Lying in over 40 meters of water, the deck of this relatively intact wreck is at 28–33 meters.

To the north is the 140-meter-long freighter Kogyo Maru. Also known as the Tangat Wreck, she is lying upright in about 30 meters of water. Divers come onto the deck at between 18–24 meters. The cargo holds are easily penetrable, and have fish all over. Look for giant pufferfish, especially around the masts, bow and stern. Soft corals and sponges and some small hard corals have attached themselves to the remains. This is a good first wreck dive for beginners.

MAMIYA MARU

West of the Kogyo Maru is the Mamiya Maru, another freighter about 160 meters in length. Lying on its starboard side in 34 meters of water, the wreck is easily penetrable in some places. The cargo holds still contain construction materials and anti-aircraft weapons remain on the deck. Lots of grouper have made their home on the Mamiya Maru, and the port side has many hard and soft corals and a variety of fish, including snappers, wrasses and lionfish.

To the northeast is a gunboat about 35 meters long on the other side of Tangat Island. Lying in only 18 meters of water, this wreck is a good snorkeling site as the bow is in only three meters.

Coron not only offers a selection of wrecks but also some picturesque reef diving.

OLYMPIC MARU

North west of the gunboat is the Olympic Maru, 120 meters long and lying on its starboard side in 25 meters of water. Once again, there are plenty of grouper on this wreck, and the port side, which is only 14–18 meters underwater, is covered in hard corals. Easy penetration of the cargo holds and engine room make this an interesting dive, but watch out for scorpionfish which are all over the area!

TAE MARU

Further away, to the northwest, is the Tae Maru, which is also known as the Concepcion Wreck, a tanker about 200 meters long lying upright in 26 meters of water. You come onto the deck at between 10 and 16 meters. The bow is completely smashed, allowing for easy penetration, and the wreck is covered in hard and soft corals and sponges. Sweetlips, grouper, lionfish, surgeons, wrasse, tang and soldierfish have made this wreck their home, and barracuda occasionally swim by overhead. The currents can be treacherous sometimes, taking an unwary diver by surprise, especially when rounding the stern or bow.

AKITISUSHIMA

Due south is the Akitisushima, a personal favorite, a 200-meter-long flying boat tender lying on its starboard side. The flying boat is long gone but the huge crane used to put it into the water and retrieve it is still in one piece, twisting away from the wreck into the sandy bottom at 38 meters. More or less intact, the gaping hole in the side, which caused it to sink immediately, is quite apparent.

A good boatman will put a diver onto the highest point of this unusual wreck at about 20 meters, and the average depth of a dive is usually around 28 meters or so. Shoals of barracuda, tuna and yellow fin circle the wreck, and grouper, batfish, snapper and many other species of tropical reef fish have made their home here.

Apart from the wrecks, Coron also has some outstanding coral dives, and these should definitely not be missed.

CORAL DIVING

Off the northwest coast of Busuanga lies Dimaky Island. Adjacent to this island are a number of excellent coral dives. On the west side of the island, a gorgeous coral garden with tame reef fish is a popular dive. A slope dropping to 17 meters is a natural home to tunicates and sponges as well as groupers and several species of parrotfish. At the far end of the wall, there’s a large swathe of staghorn coral, with an abundance of barracuda, rainbow runners and goatfish. Manta rays and turtles are occasionally seen here and, more frequently, at the northern end of the island.

At Dibuyan Island, the reef starts around 13 meters, sloping gently to 28 meters. White tip, black tip and grey reef sharks are commonly found here, as well as surgeonfish and batfish. Manta rays, too, are occasionally seen. In the shallows, a fascinating profusion of small tropical reef fish can be found.

Busuanga is at the frontier of the struggle to preserve the natural resources of the Philippines. Among the creatures whose fates are inextricably linked with man’s actions over the next few years is the harmless Dugong dugon, a relative of the manatee or sea cow. Dugong are only occasionally seen by divers, but their tender flesh is a favored delicacy among native fishermen, which may lead to their eventual extinction in local waters despite the best efforts and intentions of several conservation groups operating in the area.

Most dive centers around Coron offer buoyancy control courses to ensure safer and more comfortable dives.

BARRACUDA LAKE

Coron also has one of the most unusual dive sites in the Philippines, Barracuda Lake. To get to the lake, you have to make a climb up a limestone mountain for 15–20 minutes in full gear.

The water temperature in the lake varies from between 30 and 38° C. The unique feature of this lake are the layers of fresh, brackish and salt water which are actually visible (haloclines). There is also a deep cave at the bottom of the lake, but due to its depth this should only be attempted by serious and experienced cave divers.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

El Nido

Fabulous Seascapes and Year-round Diving

Access Banca boat, 10 minutes–2 hours; also liveaboards

Current 10–45 meters

Reef type Usually negligible, strong in places

Highlights Outstanding in places; soft coral covering past dynamite damage

Visibility Walls, drop-offs and coral gardens

Coral Varied, prolific; some unique species here

Fish Walls and pelagics

A stunning collection of islands with high limestone cliffs predominates the idyllic seascapes of El Nido in northwestern Palawan. As one might expect, there is no shortage of fine diving to be enjoyed here. There are lots of pelagics, some rare and unique species, and excellent wall and drift diving. The marine life is diverse and in places very prolific.

DIVING DILUMACAD

A popular site west of El Nido town itself, situated in the southern bowl of Bacuit Bay, is on the north side of Dilumacad Island. This is a year-round dive site except when a strong north wind is blowing. The location features a tunnel with a cavern in the center of it, at about 15–20 meters, and an entrance wide enough for two divers to swim abreast. Not far in, the tunnel widens out into the cavern that has a bottom of sand, and there are clouds of small fish as well as crabs roaming the floor. The 10-meter-long way out is narrower, so only one diver can pass at a time. It exits at about 22 meters near lots of large rocks that frequently have big fish hanging around them. Recently, while searching for the rubber cover of his depth gauge which had fallen into a crack, my buddy collided suddenly with a very large Spanish mackerel. It was hard to tell who was the more surprised!

Longtail boats in El Nido are still the preferred means of water transport between islands.

Further west around Miniloc Island there are also several worthwhile sites. South Miniloc has a dive site between 13 and 21 meters with abundant lettuce corals, sponges and a colony of blue ribbon eels. Visited by jacks and barracuda, squid, cuttlefish and angelfish also make their home here. A sheltered spot, this is one of several year-round dive sites that is worth a visit.

To the north is Twin Rocks, another year-round site. It is characterized by a sandy bottom at depths varying between 13 and 21 meters, and is dotted with table corals, sea whips, corals and sponges, amongst which there are small blue spotted stingrays and angelfish.

BOULDERS AND BIG FISH

Off the northwest point of Miniloc Island lies tiny Tagbao Island. The local boatman probably knows it as Tres Marias, in reference to the three coral reefs wrinkled between the two landmasses. To the southwest is a series of vast boulders, some as large as two-story houses. Because of the relatively shallow depths, the potential for snorkeling is good here, and you’ll find plentiful reef fishes and colorful corals as well as painted crayfish.

Green turtles have paddle-like flippers to propel them through the water.

Irawadi 1 is one of Palawan Divers’ traditional-style dive boats modified for divers.

Female sea turtles that hatched in El Nido return there each year as adults to nest and lay their eggs on the beaches before making their way back to the open ocean.

Banayan Point or South Tip on the larger Matinloc Island to the west is for lovers of pelagics. Most divers don’t notice the richly coral-encrusted rocks as they are too busy avoiding mackerel, tuna and jacks finning by in the often stiff currents. It’s best to head for the western side of the island, especially between March and June, as the east coast is generally a lot less attractive despite being accessible all year round. Bakanayos Rock, known locally as Picanayas, has yet more boulders on the southwest side, with a crew of white tip sharks poking in and out of the holes.

To the southwest of adjacent Inbogal Point (Inambuyod) there are some impressive gorgonians and green corals on a steep wall that drops down to 35 meters. Jacks, tuna and mackerel pass by, and this site is home to a unique species of angelfish, Pomacanthus annularis, distinguished by its additional stripe. It is only known here and at Tres Marias.

Of the many other local dives in the area, Black Coral Forest off the west of Entalula Island deserves a mention. On a steep drop from 35 to 40 meters, it sprouts lots of acropora and black coral.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

El Nido is a tropical paradise for snorkelers.

Puerto Princesa and Port Barton

Honda Bay, Taytay and Port Barton

Access Some beach dives, mostly by boat

Current 5–35 meters

Reef type Mostly negligible

Highlights Prolific, varied and colorful

Visibility Mostly small drop-offs, fringing reefs, seamounts

Coral Mantas (Honda Bay), pelagics (Taytay Bay), prolific reef fish (Port Barton)

Fish Baby blacktips, juvenile whale sharks, (Honda Bay)

Puerto Princesa is the capital city of Palawan Island in the western Philippines. Located on the island’s east coast, it is a quaint, laid-back city, the base for dive sites. Adjacent Honda Bay has some quite good sites worth a visit, serviced by numerous dive centers in Puerto itself and Dos Palmas resort in Honda Bay. To the north, Taytay Bay is a good option, and in the west Port Barton has some excellent sites.

HONDA BAY

Around the resort island of Dos Palmas there are several easily accessible shallow sites. Helen’s Garden is diveable most of the year and is a popular night dive. It is a small, rounded reef richly carpeted with hard and soft corals, including some impressive clumps of table and black corals. Juvenile black tip sharks are usually spotted here as the island is a breeding ground. Sergeant majors, snapper, wrasse and trevally are among other residents you are likely to spot. Henry’s Reef fringes Arrecife Island, another shallow dive up to 10 meters with small caves and crevices to explore. Best dived during the dry season as it is buffeted by sometimes fierce winds and waves during the rainy season, this site features lionfish, cardinals, snapper, sweetlips and a good variety of nudibranchs and is a good area for photographers. Honda Bay is also blessed with resident juvenile whale sharks and almost all operators offer whale shark trips. Mantas can sometimes be found cruising in Honda Bay; Pandan Island is a likely place to encounter them. The reef on the east side of the island features a steep slope to 18 meters, liberally festooned with a variety of hard and soft corals and home to blennies, triggerfish and several species of parrotfish.

Long stretches of white sand bordered by crystal clear waters and tropical palms are a stereotype of the Philippines for good reason.

TAYTAY BAY

Further north of Honda Bay, about a five-hour drive from Puerto Princesa, Taytay has some excellent sites to visit. It also offers a choice of dive centers and a variety of resorts. Some of the offshore diving is excellent, and the inshore sites are also worth a visit.

PORT BARTON

On the west coast of Palawan, about a five-hour drive from Puerto Princesa, Port Barton offers some rewarding dive experiences for those willing to make the trip across the rugged interior. The furthest of the dive sites in the area, Shark Point, is a large rock you can circumnavigate in a single dive, but you’ll probably want to make more than one dive here as there is a lot to see. Shark Point can experience rough seas, especially during the rainy season, so it is best to suit up in calmer water and be ready to hop off the boat on top the site to avoid seasickness and the hazards of trying to kit up in an unstable boat. Black tip and white tip sharks are quite common, the corals are impressive and there is a host of tropical fish as well as painted crays and several species of crab that call the place home. On good days, whale sharks are also occasionally spotted here.

Honda Bay is home to some good reefs, anemones and black corals. It is diveable most of the year round.

The Puerto Princesa subterranean underground river is a unique sight.

Royal Shoal is a seamount found at 12 meters with some of the best soft and hard corals in the area. The bottom is quite deep at 40 meters, so watch your depth and pressure gauge. Expect to see plenty of fish life, including soldierfish, a variety of angelfish, tangs, squirrelfish, gobies and sergeant majors.

Ten Fathoms is another seamount, this one starting at 18 meters, where you may get lucky and see hammerheads, leopard sharks and nurse sharks. Brain, star and pillar corals festoon the reef, grouper and snapper cruise the deeper sections, and there are plenty of smaller tropical reef fish to observe.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Davao

General Santos City

Access Boat or beach

Current 5–35 meters

Reef type Unpredictable, can be strong along walls

Highlights Dense, prolific

Visibility Walls and fringing reefs

Coral Prolific pelagics (General Santos), good variety of reef fish (Davao)

Fish Pelagics, gorgonians (General Santos), coral gardens (Davao)

Davao City, home to the ubiquitous, smelly but delicious durian fruit, has several dive sites worth visiting, mostly adjacent to the Pearl Farm Resort. There are numerous dive centers in town, most based around Sta. Ana Wharf, offering everything from fun diving trips and courses to discover scuba dives for first-timers.

The Ligid Caves are amongst the most popular sites around this area. A two-cave system with several entrances, the larger of the caves has some interesting black coral formations inside it as well as a variety of sponges and tunicates. The reef itself is liberally festooned with leather corals, and lionfish, rabbit-fish and parrotfish make this their home. Look for the large gorgonian fan coral and you are near a cave entrance, which is a good site for photographers.

Pinnacle Point is another good dive for photographers, with a huge variety of fish life, including cardinalfish, big eye trevally, octopus and moray eels. Watch out for the currents here, though, as they can be tricky. The southeast side of the reef is home to schools of surgeonfish and jacks as well as a variety of angel-fish. The center of the reef has some beautiful pink soft corals and plenty of hard corals. Further down on the leeward side, you’ll discover clumps of black and fan corals with hundreds of little anthias darting in between them.

Sponge corals grow individually and in clumped formations like these pictured here.

Pindawon Wall is just about the best wall dive in the area, with lots of overhangs, gorgonians, black and table corals. Grouper and snapper roam the deeper sections of the wall. At the shallower portions of the reef, expect to find sea snakes around the large cabbage corals.

Marrissa 1, 2 & 3, named after the daughter of Pearl Farm Resort’s owner, are three shallow (18 meters) reefs which also provide for good snorkeling, lots of sea stars, staghorn and elkhorn corals and an interesting topography.

General Santos, or Gen San as it popularly known, is another destination that is increasing in popularity as the word spreads. The tuna fishing capital of the Philippines, Gen San’s tuna fleets ply the adjacent rich seas.

The main attraction for divers is the huge Tinoto Wall, running for over 10 km along the coast to the west of the city in Sarangani Bay. The wall drops off to well over 40 meters, so watch your depth here! There are over 20 sites visited by local divers on this impressive structure, all with different features. Currents can be a factor. At some points they can be fairly strong, making even a drift dive an improbable option, but an experienced dive guide can usually give a warning a few minutes before the onslaught and can get divers onto the shallow topside reef before they get washed out to sea. Huge gorgonians, sponges and a good variety of hard and soft corals festoon the wall, home to an endless variety of critters, both large and small.

Stilted resorts and accommodation over the water give guests a complete marine experience

White tip reef sharks often take refuge in small caves and under ledges.

Batfish are an easily identifiable species of reef fish because of their extended dorsal fins.

Depending on which location you dive, you can expect to see hammerheads, black tip and white tip sharks, manta, eagle and other rays, tuna, rainbow runners, barracuda, Napoleon wrasse, grouper, snapper and patrols of sergeant-majors—an impressive list for even the most seasoned of divers. The topside of the wall is shallow, good for snorkeling, and extends in most places for about 50 meters from shore. Some of the more popular sites along the wall include Amadora’s Diving Resort and Barracuda Point or Lau Tengco.

Nearer to town is Maharlika Beach Resort, home to a shallow reef with plenty to see, and popular as a training site and as a night dive. Turtles are quite often found here, as are Moorish idols, parrotfish, wrasses, emperors, tangs, filefish and cowfish. Squid are also known to lay their eggs among the copious staghorn corals. Look out for the resident shoal of yellowtail barracuda.

—Heneage Mitchell/Sarah Ann Wormald

Sulu Sea

Diving Tubbataha, Jessie Beazley and Basterra Reefs

Access Liveaboard boats from Puerto Princesa

Current Mostly excellent, 20–50 meters

Reef type Variable

Highlights Outstanding variety, pristine and prolific

Visibility Walls and coral gardens, sand banks

Coral Awesome variety, prolific in all sizes

Fish Probably some of the best diving anywhere

The Sulu Sea is bounded on the west side by the long, thin island of Palawan and on the east by the islands of Panay, Negros and Mindanao. Some of the best diving in the Philippines, and perhaps the world, is to be found at several remote locations within the Sulu Sea, the most famous of which is Tubbataha Reefs.

Despite its inaccessibility and its relatively short season—mid-March to mid-June—berths on any of the several liveaboard boats visiting the Sulu Sea are much sought after. It’s best to book as early as possible to avoid disappointment. If you are looking for a shore-based option, then Lankayan Island Resort offers excellent macro life, four wreck dive sites and seasonal passing whale sharks from March through to May.

The Philippine Siren offers luxury liveaboard trips around the Southern Visayas and in Tubbataha.

TUBBATAHA REEFS

Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park consists of two atolls, North and South Tubbataha, separated by 6.5 km of water with depths reaching an incredible 650 fathoms. Most liveaboards, and the one or two large pump boats that make the trip regularly in season, start out from Puerto Princesa, capital of Palawan, and take 10 hours or so to motor to the reefs. Puerto Princesa is actually located 158 km to the northwest of the reefs. Most live-aboards leave Puerto Princesa after dinner and arrive in Tubbataha early the next morning, ready for diving.

The first stop is most likely to be the southern reef, which is sometimes called Lighthouse, as it encloses a small islet with a solar-powered lighthouse that identifies the area. It is worth climbing up to the lighthouse for the view of the reef and the large lagoon inside it is truly spectacular from this vantage point.

Underwater, the east side of the reef is like gently rolling hills of hard and soft corals and sponges. A wide variety of squirrel fish, angelfish, grouper, parrot-fish and butterflyfish hover and swim about in an underwater fiesta of colorful abandon. You may even see a crocodile-fish on the bottom between coral heads. The reef slopes down to 18–24 meters in a few spots before reaching the edge of the wall stretching north for about 12 km.

What remains of the Delsan wreck lies partly submerged near the edge of the drop-off. The vertical walls are covered with a wide variety of soft corals, tube sponges and sea fans. Moorish idols, triggerfish, surgeons and other schooling tropicals are quite common near the drop-off, while white tip and black tip sharks cruise deeper along the wall. Occasionally, barracuda, either alone or in a pair, will cruise by, and if you are really lucky manta rays may pass by close enough for a good photograph.

The west wall starts more abruptly. Winding slowly towards the northwest for almost 11 km, the drop-off has large pink, purple and burgundy colored soft corals. Red and violet sea fans reach outward, and occasionally small schools of crevale jacks swim by. When the current is running, mackerel, tuna and shark also cruise close to the wall.

When diving with the sun overhead, shots up to the surface give an excellent depth of field and sense of drama.

The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the largest fish known. Although this is a small specimen, it has been known to reach 15 m.

The north side of the reef, known for its turtles, has the same gently sloping incline leading to the actual wall, but the drop-off is not so steep in places. Hawksbill and green turtles are usually to be seen, either resting or gliding leisurely near the edge of the reef. Around the area called Black Rock there are likely to be currents. Unpredictable and often swift, these can catch an unwary diver and cause problems.

Amos Rock on North Tubbataha is in the south among the sandy cays. Here, you will find a gently sloping bottom covered mostly with branching hard corals interspersed with soft corals, sponges and sea squirts. Sandy patches at around 6–10 meters are home to sea pens and Cerianthid anemone. This area is ideal for night dives, when a good variety of cones, cowries and olive shells can be found by sifting through the white sand. With a little bit of patience and close observation, we invariably spotted a fine assortment of species, including several Triton shells.

On the west side of the islet, the reef winds from the southwest to the northeast. The walls are not so vertical but numerous varieties of sea whips, sea fans and soft corals abound among the hard corals. Coral fishes hover about, facing mild currents, and further off the wall are schools of surgeonfish and jacks. The wreck of a small-sized tugboat, now inhabited by plenty of small fish and an increasing number of coral colonies, sits near the wall’s edge, and it offers either good snorkeling or a shallow second dive.

The north wall, near Bird Island, starts in 5–8 meters. Numerous fissures lead into the near vertical wall and open up into the shallows. Here, crevices and horizontal ledges cut into the drop-off where nurse sharks and, less commonly, leopard sharks may sometimes be caught resting or sleeping.

As you swim along further to the northeast, the edge drops gradually deeper. Black coral adorns the wall as well as plentiful lush soft corals and tube sponges. The sandy bottom that slowly rises to the shallows is dotted with coral heads and wide table corals. It is not unusual to find lobsters underneath these corals. Look underneath, also, for sheltering blue spotted stingrays and small sharks.

Keen-eyed divers have often found guitarfish (also called the shovel nosed shark) motionless on the sandy bottom, while we have often had good sightings of manta rays in the slightly deeper waters.

The north islet is known also as Bird Island for the thousands of terns and boobies that inhabit this pocket handkerchief of land. This is an excellent spot for birdwatching and photography, but be careful of where you step as the boobies lay their eggs in the sand.

JESSIE BEAZLEY REEF

This reef lies about 18 km northwest of North Tubbataha. It is a small, circular reef that rises up almost to the surface of the sea. The surrounding blue water plunges to depths of over 500 fathoms. Marked by the shifting sand cay and the contrasting greens of the shallows, Jessie Beazley has similar features as Tubbataha Reefs, except that it is only half a kilometer in diameter. During calm, sunny days, water visibility averages an impressive 27–37 meters although currents can be quite strong in places. The reef typically slopes to 7–12 meters before the edge of the wall itself, which drops off to over 50 meters. The shallows here are predominantly covered with Porites and Acropora corals. Near the edge, at a depth of 16–19 meters, are cave-like crevices with a colony of lobsters (Panulis versicolor). Turtles can also occasionally be seen perched among coral heads. Hanging off one side of the reef is an old anchor, encrusted with a variety of colorful corals.

Anthogorgia sea fans, dendronephthya and antipatharian black corals lace the wall as you descend the steep face. The wall itself is etched with small undercuts and ledges at 21–35 meters. Massive basket sponges, some of which measure as much as 3 meters, cling to the rock face along with a diversity of tube sponges. Small white tip and black tip sharks are commonly seen, and sometimes a nurse shark can be found on the sandy ledge. On the larger end of the scale, hammerhead, mako and thresher sharks are known to occasionally cruise the clear, blue waters of the reef.

The engine of the wreck of a Tristar B at Basterra Reef is encrusted with corals.

BASTERRA REEF

Also known as Meander Reef, Basterra Reef is rarely marked on maps and is not easily identifiable on most charts, but it lies around 77 km southwest of Tubbataha and 177 km southeast of Puerto Princesa. It is much smaller than the Tubbataha reefs and slightly bigger than the Jessie Beazley Reef, but what it lacks in size it more than makes up for in real fish action.

Surrounded by waters plunging to 1,000 fathoms, Basterra Reef pushes up to the surface, a massive pinnacle capped by a sandbar. A wreck, the Oceanic II, lies to the north. The majestic walls and corals of Basterra are bursting with myriad forms of marine life. In fact, the almost round reef is considered by many to be the best diving spot in the entire Sulu Sea.

At Barracuda Slope you’ll find a gentle slope of white sand, with porites and acropora corals almost breaking the surface, shelves to the edge of the wall at about 16 meters. Multitudes of small, colorful fish such as anthias, swarm like confetti around large coral heads and the table corals. These become more and more dense as you approach the edge of the wall. Perciform fish swim around in the light current and a large school of red snappers is usually seen cruising around the edge of the drop-off.

The red toothed triggerfish has a distinct C-shaped tail fin.

If you are lucky, then from a distance you should be able to pick up what appears to be a silvery-grey cloud in the water. At first sighting it seems stationary, suspended in mid-water, but as you move closer you realize that the cloud is a thick school of almost motionless barracuda, which regularly inhabit this area and after whom this site has been named.

The white, sandy slope is also an excellent place for night diving. A wide variety of shells, including terebras and Murex, make their home here, as does a colony of garden eels, which can be spotted peering from their holes during the day. Deeper down the wall, the common black tip and white tip sharks are almost always present.

From the southwest to the west side of the reef, a thick growth of massive brown corals, piled almost on top of one another, borders the impressive vertical wall which drops off from 5 to 10 meters to unfathomable depths. Squirrelfish, big eye jacks, assorted snappers and butterflyfish join schools of Moorish idols and bannerfish. Check out the crevices, too, for lobsters are found here. Coral encrusted fishing lines stretch out almost horizontally from the wall, which is covered with a profusion of soft corals, sponges, black corals and gorgonians.

As you swim along, you may see another silvery cloud cascading from the shallow reef to the depths in the distance. Closer inspection reveals it to be thousands of jacks, often mingling with a large school of sweetlips and surgeonfish.

Moving northward along the wall, in the shallower parts of the reef, there is a series of depressions that are etched into the wall. The most prominent one resembles a crater and is home to multitudes of small tropical fish, frequently including the uncommon leaffish. Deeper, you’ll come across boulder-like formations of massive corals at 12–15 meters, and this is where the current may start to move in the opposite direction, attracting plenty of fish. Look out for surgeonfish amidst jacks and tuna. From here, the action really begins.

Turtles are commonly spotted on reef tops where they have easy access to the surface for air.

Named Expressway for the current’s speed at this dive site, the reef hosts an abundance of fish life that includes large manta rays, grey reef sharks and even white tip sharks. Not as creviced as other areas around Basterra, the edge of the wall starts at around 3–4 meters before plunging radically to unrecorded depths, forming an awesome cliff that angles inward to create a truly impressive overhang. This is one dive which cannot fail to excite any diver, however comprehensive his diving experience! If you can tear your gaze away, common black corals and dendrophillias are scattered sparsely along the wall.

A WRECK, TOO

The scattered wreck of a large twin-hulled boat, the Oceanic II, complete with well established coral growth, provides shelter to a variety of snapper, grouper and spadefish as well as smaller fish like wrasses, chromis and thousands of sergeant majors. What used to be one of the engines lies in 13 meters of water close to the nesting site of some triggerfish.

Near the wreck to the north, the reef is characterized by a thick growth of a variety of hard corals. Here, you may see manta rays, mating pairs of hawksbill turtles and a few solitary barracuda. Patches of coral rubble near the edge of the wall at 18–24 meters are favorite hangouts of sharks. Barracudas, dogtooth tuna and mackerel are commonly seen off the wall that gradually curves away to the east.

Further south, the slope steepens then drops vertically from depths of 18–22 meters on the east side of the reef. Every so often, divers should watch the blue water to the east for sightings of grey reef sharks, mantas, tuna, jacks and turtles. Unicornfish and other varieties of surgeonfish are quite common in this part of Basterra. The beautiful and colorful clown triggerfish may be seen in the shallower areas, where brightly hued clams also thrive. Check out the crevices, too, for blue triggerfish and tangs.

—Louie and Chen Mencias

Green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) can weigh up to 160 kg and are listed as endangered by the IUCN.