Philippines Scuba Diving Travel Guide
Scuba Diving
With more than 40,000 square kilometres of coral reefs bursting with marine life, wherever you travel in the Philippines, you will not be disappointed. The consistently warm waters (27-31C) mean that diving is a year round indulgence, but December to April is the often the best time to visit, avoiding the heavy monsoons and searing summer heat.
Luzon Island has plenty of dive sites to choose from but the Anilao peninsula -a couple of hours south of Manila - is where it all started. As the birthplace of scuba-diving in the Philippines, Anilao is still a popular destination today, renowned for its colourful reefs. Or, if you’ve come to the Philippines for whale sharks, head to the small fishing town of Donsol in south east Luzon Island, 600Km south of Manila - November to June is the best time to spot these curious seafarers.
In the southern Visayas group, the UNESCO world heritage site at Apo Reef is the second largest contiguous coral reef in the world and boasts excellent macro photography opportunities. In the far western Visayas, Busuanga Island is a favourite amongst wreck divers, where you’ll find more than ten sunken WWII Japanese ships just off the shoreline near the town of Coron. Further east, the popular tourist island of Boracay offers the opportunity to explore extensive corals and dive with shark, tuna and rays
