What is it like to dive the Philippines? Regions, seasons and what each one offers divers

Diving the Philippines means warm tropical water, some of the richest reef and macro life in the Coral Triangle, and very different diving from one island group to the next. The headline encounters are pelagic thresher sharks at dawn off Malapascua, whale sharks in the plankton-rich water off Donsol, and the remote, shark-patrolled walls of Tubbataha, with world-famous muck diving and Second World War wrecks in between.

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It is 6:15 in the morning off Malapascua. You are kneeling on rubble at the edge of a drop-off, coffee still in your stomach, when a grey shape glides out of the blue with a tail almost as long as its body. It slows down at a cleaning station, lets a couple of small wrasse pick at its skin, then flicks that ridiculous tail and leaves. Nobody on the boat will talk about anything else at breakfast. That is the Philippines in a nutshell. The country has more than 7,000 islands, which means a dozen distinct dive destinations hiding inside one country name. You can spend a week in Anilao photographing animals smaller than your fingernail, then a week on a liveaboard in the middle of the Sulu Sea watching grey reef sharks patrol a wall. It suits macro photographers, wreck nerds, big-animal hunters and divers who just want warm water and a reef full of fish. If you already know you want to go, you can compare boats and dates on LiveAboard.com. If you are still working out which part of the country fits you, read on.

When is the best time to dive the Philippines?

The short answer: roughly November or December to May for most of the country, with some regions running on their own calendar. The Philippines has a dry season and a wet season, and the wet season (roughly June to November) is also typhoon season. Typhoons mostly hit the north and east of the country. The water stays warm all year. It is the weather on the surface that decides how your trip goes.

Season by region

• Tubbataha (Sulu Sea): open only from about mid-March to mid-June, when the sea is calm enough for the overnight crossing. April and May are usually the most settled months. Outside that window, no diving at all.
• Donsol (Bicol): whale shark season runs roughly November to June, with sightings usually best from about February to May.
• Malapascua (Visayas): thresher sharks are seen year-round at dawn. The dry months, roughly March to May, generally have the calmest conditions.
• Anilao and Puerto Galera (Luzon): diving runs all year. October to May or June is the usual season, and November and May are popular shoulder months. Visibility drops and seas get choppier in the wet season.
• Coron (Palawan): diving runs all year. The dry season gives the calmest boat rides out to the wrecks.

Water temperature and wetsuits

Expect water of roughly 27-30 C for most of the year across most of the country. The exception is Anilao, where the water can drop to around 24-25 C from about December to February. A 3mm full suit works for most trips. Bring a 5mm, or a 3mm with a hooded vest, for Anilao in the cooler months, or if you are the person who is shivering on dive four while the guide is still in a rash vest. Long macro dives don't help either. Lying still for 70 minutes looking at one nudibranch is surprisingly cold work.

Insider tip: if your dates are fixed between June and November, choose your region carefully and buy travel insurance that covers weather cancellations. One typhoon on the wrong side of the country can cancel your boat days. One on the other side might not even make the news where you are.

Luzon: Anilao and Puerto Galera, the macro capital

A few hours' drive south of Manila (more if the traffic gods are angry), the Batangas coast and the island of Mindoro across the water sit on the Verde Island Passage. Research by marine scientists Kent Carpenter and Victor Springer identified the central Philippines as the 'center of the center' of marine shorefish biodiversity, and this strait is widely cited as the heart of that area. In other words, this small stretch of water is one of the richest places for reef fish on the planet.

What it's known for: Anilao is a cult destination for macro photographers. Its sandy slopes, rubble patches and night dives produce a steady stream of strange critters. Puerto Galera, a short boat ride across the passage, mixes reef and current dives with its own muck sites.

What you'll see: mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus) are regularly found on the sand, flattening into a fake flatfish one minute and trailing banded arms like a sea snake the next. Wonderpus (Wunderpus photogenicus) are on the same list. On the sea fans, guides find pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti) the size of a grain of rice, and hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) sit on the rubble, waving their lures at anything small enough to swallow.

Conditions and level: mostly gentle slopes and reefs, suitable for newly certified divers. Some current sites in Puerto Galera and the Verde Island Passage need more experience. Visibility is good rather than spectacular, and it really doesn't matter when your subject is 2cm long.

How to dive it: resorts and day boats. Anilao is almost entirely resort-based with small bancas, and Puerto Galera is reached by ferry from Batangas port.

Insider tip: book a private or semi-private guide if your resort offers one. Macro diving is a team sport between you and the person with the pointer stick, and a guide with four photographers can only point at one thing at a time.

Palawan: Coron's wrecks and the wild reefs of Tubbataha

Palawan stretches down the western edge of the country and offers two completely different dive trips.

Coron

On 24 September 1944, US Navy carrier aircraft from Task Force 38 attacked a Japanese supply fleet that had sheltered in Coron Bay. The wrecks they left behind are now one of Asia's best-known wreck dive areas, with cargo ships, a seaplane tender and a gunboat in relatively sheltered water. Depths range from shallow enough to snorkel down to the low 40s of metres on the deepest wrecks, so there is something for open water divers and plenty for the technical crowd.

Eighty years underwater have turned the hulls into artificial reefs. Lionfish (Pterois volitans) hover in the cargo holds like they pay rent there, and schools of glassfish fill the openings. Most diving is done from day boats out of Coron town, and some Palawan liveaboard routes include the wrecks too. Wreck penetration needs proper training. Swimming through a dark hold because 'the guide went in' is not a training course.

Tubbataha

Out in the middle of the Sulu Sea, around 10-12 hours by boat from Puerto Princesa, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and arguably the most protected reef system in the country. There are no resorts, no day boats and no land to speak of. Liveaboard is the only way in, and only during the short spring season.

This is big-animal and wall diving. Grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and whitetip reef sharks (Triaenodon obesus) are commonly encountered. The whitetips rest on ledges in the daytime, looking deeply unimpressed by your presence. Hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) and green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are everywhere, humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) cruise the reef top, and big schools of bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) hang in the current off the walls.

Level: intermediate to advanced. Expect drift dives along walls, blue-water conditions and the occasional current that makes you rethink your air consumption. Most operators expect Advanced Open Water and a decent logbook. You can compare the boats running the season on LiveAboard.com's Tubbataha page. Because the season is short, the good dates fill up early.

Insider tip: fly into Puerto Princesa a day before your boat leaves. Domestic flight delays are common, and the boat leaves without you. There is no second ferry to Tubbataha.

The Visayas: threshers, sardines, turtles and muck

The central island group is where many divers spend their first Philippine trip, and with good reason. Cebu's international airport puts you within a few hours of several very different dive areas.

Malapascua: this small island off the northern tip of Cebu is known for one thing above all, the pelagic thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus). They come up from deeper water at dawn to visit cleaning stations on Monad Shoal, a marine protected area, and divers line up behind a rope to watch. Flash photography is banned because it disturbs the sharks. The dive suits divers who are comfortable at moderate depth with steady buoyancy, and Advanced Open Water is commonly recommended. Access is by resort and day boat. Expect a wake-up call that makes your alarm clock look lazy.

Moalboal: on Cebu's southwest coast, a huge school of sardines lives just off the shore, often within a short fin from the beach. Millions of fish twist and split around you as jacks charge into the school. Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) are commonly seen grazing on the nearby reef. Most of the diving is easy and resort-based, so it's great for newer divers and snorkellers.

Dumaguete, Dauin and Apo Island: on Negros, the black-sand slopes of Dauin are classic muck diving territory. Look for hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus) and ornate ghost pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus) hiding among crinoids and debris. Offshore, Apo Island is one of the country's best-known community-managed marine sanctuaries, with healthy hard coral and lots of turtles. Day boats from resorts are the norm.

Bohol: Panglao and nearby Balicasag offer walls, schools of jacks and easy resort diving, and they are often combined with a Cebu itinerary.

Visayas liveaboards also link several of these areas on one trip, which is a good way to sample threshers, walls and muck without packing your bag every three days.

Insider tip: at Monad Shoal, nitrox gives you useful extra bottom time at the cleaning station. It is the one dive of the week where nobody wants to be the first to head up.

Bicol: Donsol and the whale shark coast

At the southern end of Luzon, the town of Donsol in Sorsogon province is the country's best-known place to swim with wild, unfed whale sharks (Rhincodon typus). They come into the plankton-rich bay seasonally, and interactions are organised by local Butanding Interaction Officers using small boats. Here's the catch for divers: these encounters are snorkel-only. Scuba isn't allowed with the whale sharks in Donsol, so leave the BCD in the bag and bring good fins and a mask. Water in the bay is often green with plankton, and that's the reason the sharks are there. Sightings are commonly reported but never guaranteed.

For scuba, nearby Ticao Island and the Ticao Pass, home to the Manta Bowl shoal, have current-swept sites where oceanic manta rays (Mobula birostris) are reportedly seen. This is current diving for experienced divers, mostly arranged through small local resorts.

You may also hear about whale shark encounters at Oslob in southern Cebu. There, the sharks are hand-fed to keep them close to shore, a practice that many marine biologists and conservation groups criticise. Donsol's unfed, seasonal encounters are the more natural option.

Insider tip: go out in the morning when the bay is usually calmer, and book more than one day in Donsol. Encounters depend on plankton, weather and luck, and a single day is a coin toss.

What marine life will you see in the Philippines?

A list of every species you could see would be longer than this post, which is the whole appeal. In short:

Big animals

Pelagic thresher sharks (Alopias pelagicus) at Malapascua, whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) at Donsol, oceanic mantas (Mobula birostris) in the Ticao area, and grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and whitetip reef sharks (Triaenodon obesus) at Tubbataha. Blacktip reef sharks (Carcharhinus melanopterus) also occur in Philippine waters, usually in the shallows.

Reef life

Green turtles (Chelonia mydas) and hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are widespread. Humphead wrasse (Cheilinus undulatus) and bigeye trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) patrol the healthier reefs. The reefs themselves are dense with anthias, butterflyfish, angelfish and damselfish, and if you can name half of them on day one, you're doing better than most divemasters.

Macro

This is where the Philippines really shines. Mimic octopus (Thaumoctopus mimicus), wonderpus (Wunderpus photogenicus), pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti), hairy frogfish (Antennarius striatus), ornate ghost pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus), and more nudibranch species than any one guide can name, including the big red Spanish dancer (Hexabranchus sanguineus) dancing through the water column on night dives. Expect your macro photographer friends to surface with 400 near-identical frames of one goby and an expression of total peace.

Liveaboard or land-based?

The Philippines is one of the few places where both options work well, and the right choice depends on what you want to see.

Choose a liveaboard if: Tubbataha is the goal (there's no other way in), or you want to link several Visayas areas without packing up every few days. Tubbataha trips usually run around 5-7 nights, with several dives a day. The downsides: fixed dates, the Tubbataha crossing can be bumpy, and you can't skip the 6am dive to sleep in. Well, you can, but everyone will know.

Choose land-based if: you're diving Anilao, Puerto Galera, Coron, Malapascua, Moalboal or Dumaguete, all of which are built around resorts and day boats. You get flexibility, non-diving partners are happier, and you can mix in hikes, island hopping and real sleep. The downside is time spent on transfers between regions.

Plenty of divers do both on one trip: a week on a boat, then a week of resort macro diving. Browse Philippines liveaboards on LiveAboard.com to see which routes run during your dates before you lock in the land part.

How do you get to the Philippines?

Most international divers arrive through Manila (Ninoy Aquino International Airport) or Mactan-Cebu International Airport. From there:

• Anilao: road transfer south from Manila.
• Puerto Galera: road to Batangas port, then a ferry across to Mindoro.
• Coron: domestic flight to Busuanga, then a road transfer into Coron town.
• Tubbataha: domestic flight to Puerto Princesa, where all Tubbataha liveaboards depart.
• Malapascua, Moalboal and Bohol: from Cebu by road (plus a short boat to Malapascua), or a ferry to Bohol.
• Dumaguete: a domestic flight, or a road and ferry combination from Cebu.
• Donsol: a domestic flight to the Bicol region, then a road transfer.

Domestic connections change often, so check routes with your operator. Entry requirements change too, so check the current rules for your nationality before you book.

Planning tips for diving the Philippines

• Certification and experience: Open Water is fine for most of Anilao, Moalboal, Dumaguete and many Coron wrecks. Advanced Open Water plus some real-world experience is strongly recommended for Tubbataha, Malapascua's thresher dives and current sites around the Verde Island Passage and Ticao.
• Nitrox: widely available on liveaboards and at many resorts. It's worth having for multi-dive days and thresher dawn dives.
• Dive insurance: make it non-negotiable. Some of these regions are a long way from a recompression chamber, and Tubbataha is a long way from everything.
• Gear that matters: a surface marker buoy (SMB) for every drift dive, a good torch for night and muck dives (and for looking inside wrecks), a reef hook for current-swept walls if your operator uses them, and a 5mm suit or hood for Anilao in the cooler months. Macro shooters: bring spare batteries. You'll need them.
• No-fly time: wait at least 18 hours after repetitive dives or multi-day diving before you fly. Many itineraries here involve domestic flights between regions, so plan a dive-free day before each one.
• Conservation fees: many marine parks and sanctuaries charge fees, including Tubbataha. Check current amounts with your operator.

Booking your trip

Once you've chosen your region and season, compare what's running on LiveAboard.com.

Why I recommend LiveAboard.com

I've worked on liveaboards for 13 years. I've booked through LiveAboard.com many times, and so have a lot of my guests. They don't sponsor Fins and they don't see what we write. Here's why I point people to them:

• The biggest choice of boats. In most of the places we dive, they list more boats and departure dates than anyone else, so you can compare everything in one place.
• You don't pay more. Booking through them doesn't cost more than booking with the boat directly, and you get some of the most competitive prices around.
• Service that actually helps. They answer questions quickly and help with the planning before your trip and with anything that comes up after it.

If you're not sure which boat or itinerary is right for you, they're a great place to start: compare liveaboards in Philippines.

Before you go: get Fins

Know what you're looking at. Fins is a marine life ID app built by divers. Before your trip, use it to get to know the animals you're likely to meet. After each dive, identify what you saw from a photo, or answer a few simple questions if you didn't get a shot, and keep it all in your dive log. Download Fins before you fly.

Before you go, learn to recognise the difference between whitetip, blacktip and grey reef sharks, and get a feel for frogfish, ghost pipefish and the many nudibranchs, so you can use Fins to identify the critters your guide points at in Anilao or Dauin while you're still hanging off the dive boat ladder.

Diving the Philippines: FAQ

What is the best month to dive the Philippines?

For most regions, the dry months from about December to May are best, and March to May tends to be the calmest. If Tubbataha is on your list, go between mid-March and mid-June, because the park is only open then.

Can you scuba dive with whale sharks in Donsol?

No. Whale shark interactions in Donsol are snorkel-only and guided by local interaction officers. You can scuba dive elsewhere in the Bicol region, including around Ticao Island.

Do I need Advanced Open Water to dive the Philippines?

Not for much of the country. Anilao, Moalboal, Dumaguete and many Coron wrecks are fine for Open Water divers. Tubbataha and the Malapascua thresher dives usually expect Advanced Open Water and some experience.

Is the Philippines good for beginner divers?

Yes. Warm water, plenty of resorts with good training standards, and easy sites in Moalboal, Anilao and Dumaguete make it a very comfortable place to learn and log dives. Save the current-heavy sites for later.

What wetsuit should I bring to the Philippines?

A 3mm full suit covers most trips, with water around 27-30 C. Bring a 5mm or add a hood for Anilao from about December to February, when the water can drop to around 24-25 C.

Is it better to do a liveaboard or stay at a resort in the Philippines?

It depends on where you go. Tubbataha is liveaboard-only. Anilao, Malapascua, Moalboal and Coron are mostly resort-based, and Visayas liveaboards are a good way to combine several areas on one trip.

The Philippines rewards curiosity. Every region has its own character, and you could come back for a decade and still find a new critter on the sand. Get the app on your phone before you board the first flight, and make every 'what was THAT?' moment count. Download Fins