Dive Spots in the Philippines

The Philippines is part of the "coral triangle", in which live 76% of the world's coral species, 6 of the world's 7 marine turtle species and at least 2,228 reef fish species. The central Philippines also has an especially high number of species which are discovered nowhere else in the world.

Since Philippines has many exceptional diving spots, many tourists and divers prefer to experience diving here in the Philippines rather than go diving in other parts of the world.

 Diving in the Philippines is throughout the entire year, however, the best time is generally December to April. July to September is the monsoon season. The hottest months are April to June with temperatures of 32°C or above. The wind swings from North-East to South-West for June to September and this opens up few places that are not so accessible for diving in the drier months. Water temperatures are 27-31°C all the year round. Diving highlights include the World Heritage site of Tubbataha, thresher sharks at Malapascua and enormous pelagics at Panagatan.

The tropical storm Haiyan/Yolanda in the Philippines has badly damaged the Eastern Visayas. The provinces of Samar and Leyte were particularly affected. Popular tourist areas like Boracay and the southern parts of Cebu are mostly unaffected, but right after the typhoon, other tourists ought to check the local conditions before travelling.

However, despite the typhoon Yolanda, the affected areas in Eastern Visayas were able to cope with it and Eastern Visayas is now welcoming those visitors and divers again.