Category: Diving in the Philippines

 

Diving in the Philippines is one of the best in Asia-Pacific with famous diving spots such as Malapascua Island and Coron Bay and famous dives such as the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a UNESCO world heritage site. The Philippines are a great destination for scuba divers who love wreck diving and muck diving. It is one of the underwater photographers’ favourite destinations for macro photography. A little less known, you can also give a try at diving in Dauin, Apo Island, Balicasag, Puerto Galera and Verde Island.

The marine life in the Philippines is mostly about thresher sharks, turtles, whale sharks, reef sharks, manta rays, mandarin fish, coral reefs, pygmy seahorses and nudibranchs. It’s the right place to go for both beginners and experienced divers. Due to the water temperatures, regarding scuba gear, it is most common to scuba dive there in a 3 mm wetsuit. The best time of the year is often from November to June, but the islands can be dived year-round. The best dive sites can be reached by boat or from the shore.

Below you will find all my best scuba diving stories from diving in the Philippines. I share my top tips on how to organise your trip, my favourites dives, what is the best itinerary or how to do it without breaking the bank. From a travel budget point of view, the Philippines are a lower budget destination, so you may need to save up but not as much as you think.

Sea turtle Philippines

Where to go scuba diving from Manila in the Philippines?

This blog post is brought to you by Rome2rio. It’s no secret that I long to return to Asia. Since the beginning of the year, we have been getting, month after month, some good news from Thailand, Indonesia and, more recently, the Philippines! I’m waiting for the entry conditions to ease in the same way as in Latin America, where I am currently travelling.

Porcelain crab - Diving Visayas Philippines

2 weeks in the Visayas: my ultimate itinerary for scuba divers

I thought I was going back to South East Asia by going for 2 weeks in the Philippines. But the Archipelago, located on the edge of the coral triangle, has a unique feel. I couldn’t help thinking I was in a baffling mix of Indonesia and Mexico. Colonised by the Spanish for more than 300 years from 1591 with the arrival of Magellan to 1898 when

Thresher Shark Malapascua Philippines

Diving Malapascua : playing hide and seek with the thresher shark

Going to the Philippines without indulging myself with some relaxing time on a paradise island? No, of course, that was not possible! But instead of going to overcrowded Bocaray, I decided to end my island hopping tour in the Visayas by Malapascua, the tiny island on the northeast tip of Cebu Island.  Only 2km long by 1 km wide, the island of Malapascua is

Ghost pipefish muck diving Dauin Negros Philippines

Muck diving paradise in Dauin, Philippines

Negros was the 3rd step of my island hopping tour in the Visayas in the Philippines, just before going diving in Malapascua. Surprisingly, I found out on the ferry between Tagbilaran in Bohol and Dumaguete in Negros that most travellers were stopping on Siquijor, the ‘island of the witches’, and not visiting Negros. Let me assure you that even if you are not a scuba