The Ultimate Guide to Your Philippines Diving Trip
Exploring the extremely biodiverse underwater world is what brings many visitors to the Philippines. The diving here is a blast for every fish- nudibranch- or shrimp&crab-nerd. The species richness in the waters of the coral triangle – spanning from Indonesia to PNG and the Philippines – boggles the mind. There are a few issues to clarify before planning travel, however, to make sure you are safe and you have the best possible experience. I hope the resources I present here help. Let’s approach things systematically, deciding when to go, taking care of general travel issues, and then deciding where among the multiple diving destinations to head to:
When to Go?
One issue to consider is that during Christmas time and Easter, tourist destinations in the Philippines can be crowded, mostly by local tourists! Also, domestic travel can be very congested during these times, with ferries and busses fully booked. Avoid these times if you can.
There seems to be undue fear of the “rainy season” among international travelers. It’s not that bad, and greatly varies between places in the Philippines, which are a very big country, with a considerable north-south extent. All explained in this blog post:
General Considerations
A few general considerations clarified in three videos. Take your time! Add buffer days, and take a few days to chill and chat up the locals. Don’t rush from place to place, and spend all of your vacation in busses and ferries. Also, I don’t recommend driving a scooter yourself in the crazy traffic, and of course, go diving!
Health-wise: there is nothing really crass to be afraid of (that’s in the third video). Wash your hands and be careful with food hygiene, and certainly make sure to stay away from stray cats & dogs.
Where to Dive?
A big question is: where among the many, many diving locations in the Philippines do you want to travel to? Do you want to combine two or more destinations? Do you want to see small critters, coral reefs or ship wrecks? Do you want to chill or party at the end of your dive day? The dive decider in the blog post below helps you decide. Then, I’ll introduce three dive destinations particularly close to my heart: Dauin, Apo Island and Tubbataha:
I love the muck diving in Dauin. This dive map of Dauin contains detailed information about many of its (muck) diving sites:
Apo island, a part of Dauin, is well known for its turtles and beautiful corals. This blog post explains how to get there, and how to dive Apo:
The Ultimate Apo Island Guide – Incredible Diving in the Philippines
Very well protected, remote, and home of many big fish: The crown jewel of Philippine diving, Tubbataha reefs:
I hope this info is useful,
Best Fishes,
Klaus
