Diving

Dive sites in the Philippines

Underwater photos taken in Bohol, Negros, Cebu, Sangat.

The Philippines are one of my favorite places to go for diving. You will find everything a diver wants. From steep coral walls in Balicasag and Cabilao to underwater mounds with sharks at Malapascua, muck diving of the best in Negros and a bay full of wrecks in Busuanga. Current swept islands like Apo, Apo Reef and Tubbataha with large fish or gentle slopes around Siquijor - the Philippines has everything to your hearts content! I have been there seven times for extensive diving. I have compiled many pages of information, tips about dive areas, descriptions and maps of dive sites and liveaboards, photos of the underwater animals you will find there, and much more. I hope a look into my pages will make you want to go to the Philippines immediately! Map of the dive areas in the Philippines Click on the orange areas for more information. Travelogs, description and maps of dive sites: Visayas (Bohol, Cebu, Siquijor, Leyte and Negros) and wreck diving in Sangat (Coron Bay, Busuanga, Palawan). Diving fact sheets (addresses, links - ready to print): Visayas, Coron Bay (Sangat, Apo Reef, Tubbataha Reef ) Photos taken in: Sangat, Bohol, Cebu, Negros

General information about the Philippines

The Philippines is probably the most biologically diverse country in the world, in terms of unique terrestrial and marine plant and animal species per unit area. Even small islands are supporting greater biodiversity than the biologically richest countries in Europe! The diversity of small biogeographic regions in such a compact area makes the Philippines ecologically unique. This makes for great diving and many lovely surprises underwater!

However the Philippines are is also one of the most endangered reef areas in the world. Major threats are destructive fishing methods using explosives and poison (cyanide fishing for the aquarium trade), excessive fishing, pollution runoff from logging, agriculture and urban development. This is one of the most threatened hotspots due to its population density. Hotspots are regions that harbor a great diversity of endemic species and, at the same time, have been significantly impacted and altered by human activities.

What can you do to help? I suggest, that whenever you encounter people or organizations (national parks etc.) that actively help to conserve this beautiful reef area you help them financially. And whenever you see people damaging the reefs (selling shells for souvenirs, walking on the reef, spearfishing, dynamite fishing, polluting etc.) you talk to them and try to change their behavior.

Best time to visit the Philippines is November to June. Nearly no rain in April and May. Raining season is July to October. The water is colder in December to February (26 to 27°) and warmer in March to May (29°).

You can find detailed information about dive operators, liveaboard operators, dive safety (Hyperbaric chambers in the Philippines), dive conditions, climate, hotels and how to get to the Visayas and Coron Bay on a separate page ready to print.

More information about diving in Southeast Asia

The Daymaniyat Islands (Oman)

The Galapagos islands (Ecuador)

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