Sulu Sea
Far from land in the Sulu Sea, the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is widely considered the pinnacle of diving in the Philippines. Accessible only by liveaboard from Puerto Princesa between March and June, this UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises North and South Atolls plus Jessie Beazley Reef. Expect steep vertical walls covered in pristine coral, and some fabulous encounters with vast schools of fish, sharks, rays and pelagic species from far and wide. The shark species count is high with common sightings of blacktips, whitetips, and hammerheads. Less frequently thresher sharks, silvertips, whale sharks, guitar sharks and tiger sharks. The visibility often exceeds 30 metres, and the sheer biomass rivals the best dive sites on Earth. This is a non-negotiable destination for any serious Philippines scuba diving trip.
Central Visayas
Lying just off the north of Cebu, Malapascua is a small island with a big reputation, and for good reason. Many divers come here for one reason - it is one of the only places in the world where you can reliably encounter pelagic thresher sharks. After your thresher encounter, explore Gato Island (a sea snake sanctuary and cave system), Chocolate Island (macro heaven), and local wrecks. To dive the Philippines for rare and elusive sharks, Malapascua is essential.
The central island of Cebu lies in the heart of the Philippines. In addition to Malapascua there are big names like Moalboal, Oslob and Sumilon. Moalboal is home to the famous 'Sardine Run' at Pescador Island, where millions of sardines form swirling tornadoes just metres from shore. Add to that healthy coral gardens, turtles, and frequent sightings of sharks further out, it's fantastic complement to any Philippines dive trip. Oslob offers near-certain encounters with whale sharks, though ethical operators recommend Sumilon Island nearby for less intrusive sightings. Sumilon also boasts a stunning coral wall, pygmy seahorses, and schools of jackfish.
Tourists flock to the island of Bohol for the sight of the famous ‘Chocolate Hills’, an expanse of little hills that turn brown in dry season, appearing like chocolate drops. The diving around Bohol’s coastline, at places like Balicasag, Panglao, Anda, and Pamilacan, is another drawcard, luring scuba divers with its excellent healthy reefs, crawling with macro life. However, there are sharks and pelagic species here too, in numbers and variety to rival anywhere in the Philippines.
Dumaguete acts as a base for a number of excellent destinations in the area, such as Dauin, Siquijor and Apo Island. Considered together, this region boasts an impressive diversity both in terms of creatures and the nature of the dive sites. The diving is a fantastic blend of marvellous macro, rainbow reefs and prowling pelagics. The region boasts everything from manta rays to leaffish; from vast schools of fish to blue-ringed octopus. It is little wonder that underwater photographers flock to this region to capture the marine magnificence.
Eastern Visayas
The diverse diving in Southern Leyte is famed both for whale sharks and for fabulous muck and macro diving. Sogod Bay is one of the best places to dive the Philippines for whale sharks, particularly around the coast of Panaon Island. This happens between November and May and, unusually, some of the sharks are known to stay in the area for several months, before moving on. Outside of this period, manta rays, dolphins and whales visit the area already populated by many marine species. There are also several amazing macro sites, particularly around Limasawa Island where the critter population includes nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, frogfish and more. Protected zones like the Napantao Fish Sanctuary and Santa Paz Sanctuary aim to ensure this diversity remains for future generations.
Calicoan Island (Guiuan) is often overlooked, yet the area features pristine reefs and the wreck of the WW2 supply ship SS Kyokuzan Maru, now an artificial reef. The nearby 'Rock Pile' offers drift dives with barracuda and trevally.
Mimaropa
This region of the archipelago comprises Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan. Apo Reef Natural Park is found between the islands of Mindoro and Coron in the Mindoro Strait. This UNESCO-listed park offers huge walls, channels full of sharks (blacktip, whitetip, grey reef), and frequent hammerhead sightings. The walls are heavily decorated with hard and soft corals, with all manner of schools and meaty pelagics in the blue.
Coron is the wreck diving capital of the Philippines. While the country has a number of great wreck dives peppered around the islands, nowhere can rival Coron Bay. Here there are a dozen major Japanese WWII wrecks, resulting from US bombing raids in 1944. Some are deep, some are shallow, several are huge. Most are penetrable with possibilities to swim through some of them from bow to stern. The wrecks also support a lot of fish life and Coron also promises lake diving, caves and dugongs.
Nestled on the northern coast of Mindoro Island, Puerto Galera is a diver's paradise renowned for its rich biodiversity, vivid coral reefs, canyons, and thrilling drift dives. As one of the Philippines' most established scuba diving destinations, its 40+ sites offer something for everyone, from shallow coral gardens teeming with macro life to dramatic wall dives where sharks and rays glide through the blue, and a couple of small wrecks with heaps of reef fish. Home to famous sites like Shark Cave, Hole in the Wall, and Sabang Wrecks, this UNESCO Biosphere Reserve promises year round encounters with sea turtles, reef sharks, mandarinfish, and even rare critters such as nudibranchs, seahorses, frogfish.
Romblon is an area known for the diversity of its seascapes and for being home to myriad macro species including some of the more rare critters. In terms of topography you can expect rich reef flats, dramatic walls, caves, canyons and overhangs. It even has its own Blue Hole! The shrimp species diversity is noteworthy. As Bubba Gump might say: marble shrimp, skeleton shrimp, tiger shrimp, hairy shrimp, algae shrimp and sawblade shrimp. As you can imagine the night diving can be positively fantastic. Further A-list critters include blue-ringed octopus, white ornate ghost pipefish, wonderpus, mimic octopus, Lembeh sea dragons, bobbit worms and a dizzying array of nudibranch species.
El Nido, on the Palawan mainland, is best known for dramatic limestone cliffs and lagoons, but also offers decent fringing reefs with turtles, cuttlefish, and occasional sharks. The Dilumacad Tunnel is a swim‑through cave for advanced divers.
Luzon
A mere 3 hours drive south from Manila is the province of Batangas. The area boasts 2 diving hotspots. Anilao is a muck diving mecca. Photographers from all over the world come here in search of the perfect shot. All manner of weird and wonderful critters can be seen often in shallow sites near to the shore. These include stargazers, mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish, snake eels, pegasus sea moths and innumerable nudibranch species. Verde Island sits in the channel between Luzon and Mindoro and enjoys the sweep of currents that rush through, meaning adrenalin-filled dives with big schools of fish and impressive pelagics.
Bicol
The Bicol region covers the southern part of Luzon Island and nearby island provinces and includes both Masbate and Donsol. Ticao Island in Masbate holds the promise of big stuff! Oceanic manta rays are present from March to June, and there is a spot called 'Big Boys’ Alley' where hammerheads, threshers, tiger sharks and whale sharks are known to appear. Nearby, San Miguel Island is often visited to find more of the incredible Filipino macro life. Donsol is all about the whale sharks and is the place to go if you want a 100% guarantee of an encounter, ...or 6. November to May is the best period for snorkelling and diving with these, the biggest fish in the sea.
Northern Mindanao
Occasionally liveaboards cover the waters to the north of Mindanao, in the south of the Philippines, where the diving is concentrated on the black sand around the little-visited Camiguin Island. Its volcanic origin is hard to avoid, especially on sites like Old Volcano. All manner of crazy critters crawl over the dark sea bed here on sites where you are likely to encounter no other divers. The sandy flats are peppered with coral patches and some areas are characterised by large volcanic blocks and boulders. While seahorses, mandarinfish, wonderpus and more populate the muck sites, other sites offer whitetip reef sharks, stingrays and barracuda. This is one of the best places to dive in the Philippines away from the crowds.
