Where are the best scuba diving places in the Philippines?

Dive into a fantastic underwater world as you dive at the Hinugtan’s dive place composed of many diving sites. Dive into the vivacious underwater scenery along a wall full of sea fans and gorgonians, a forest of corals and many different kinds of schools of fish. You can dive 2 times for a day trip or just one time for a half day journey.

One of the excellent diving destination in Boracay and mainly suggested for beginners and training in scuba diving is the Angol point, for it has a shallow, easy reef dive going from 10 meters (33 feet) to 15 meters (50 feet) deep. Angol point is also the right spot for those who like to take and enhance macro underwater photography since the visibility is excellent and the marine sanctuary is full of life and flourishing with colors. This is highly recommended for night dives also.

One of the shallow diving destinations in Boracay, the Tulubhan reef, is also well-known for having a slow and steady flow of current, making it an amazing and comfortable diving experience. The Tulubhan reef is located beside the Laguna de Boracay dive spot where its starting depth starts at 5 meters (15 feet) and go down to 20 meters (65 feet). It is accessible at 15 to 20 minutes by boat ride or via swimming from the shore.

Located beside the Yapak diving destinations and the Balinghai wall, Punta Bunga is another accessible diving destination from the shores of Boracay. Punta Bunga is advised for beginners and training scuba divers. Punta Bunga can be reached via 15-minute boat ride from boat station 1. With its calm waters, you will dive into a unique experience that allows you to absorb and enjoy the underwater sceneries.

The Maniguin island is just 1 hour away with an average of 25 knots (47-48 km/h) by boat (with our boats) from Boracay. With a local bangka boat, it can take more than 4 hours. This is a day dive safari, so prepare yourself to be astonished first by the underwater visibility which is more than 30 meters (100 feet). Secondly, by the unusual rich biodiversity like the big napoleon fish (AKA Humphead wrasse), manta rays and other kinds of rays, school of barracudas, trevally fish, school of jacks and so on.

The Yapak dive sites are located at the West-North end of Boracay and just near the Punta Bunga diving site area. A 15-minute boat ride from stations 1 and 2 can take you to Yapak dive sites. Yapak sites are separated walls that span at 30 meters (100 feet) going down to 70 meters (230 feet). The walls can be split into four different dives. This dive site is known to have mild to strong currents.

The Laguna de Boracay is a diving destination that is located in the Eastern part of the island of Boracay. This dive site is well-suited and recommended for both advanced and beginner scuba divers. With a depth ranging from 5 to 20 meters (16 to 66 feet), the visibility of the marine life is not bad, and the area is accessible with a flowing slow current. Laguna de Boracay can be reached via the shores.

The Balinghai dive site is located right in-between the Punta Bunga and the Diniwid dive sites. It is just a 10 minute-boat ride from the shores of Boracay Boat Station one and two. The dive site consists of two walls that are positioned in parallel. The two walls have a different minimum and maximum depth, and both have different marine biodiversity.

The Virgin Drop dive site is just a 15-minute boat ride from the Boat Station one or two from the Boracay shores. The dive site has a long wall that goes on and on with many crevices and cracks where you will see the marine life hiding away from the rest of the marine population. A lot of shoal of fish are hanging around too.

Coral Garden might be one of the most popular diving sites in Boracay. The Coral Garden got its name from the hard and soft corals that are forming in the reef, especially the Cabbage corals. It is located right in the center of west-coast Boracay and is accessible by boat from station 1 and station 2. This dive site is ideal for beginners in scuba diving and for those who just want to snorkel around. The sea in this area is calm and clear; it's also a favorite fish-feeding area.

Crocodile Island is an uninhabited island that looks like a crocodile from afar when you go from the south-west of Boracay. Crocodile Island is one of the main attractions of Boracay and a usual island hopping tour for snorkeling since it is just 5 to 10 minutes away from Boracay. Crocodile Island has a vigorous current, which is perfect for a drift dive with also a pretty good visibility most of the time. Crocodile Island is a four-star dive site in Boracay.

The Channel Drift dive site is located between the Boracay Island and the Aklan mainland. It takes 15 to 30 minutes via boat ride to the dive site. It is also known as the Channel Steps by the locals in Boracay. This dive site is like a coral garden, full of flora and fauna.You will find amazing rock formations, hard and soft corals, and school of fishes such as batfish, sweetlips, snappers, and stingrays.

Laurel Island is situated just behind the Crocodile Island dive site. From the shores of Boracay, it will take 45 minutes to an hour to get to the island by boat. Laurel Island is divided into two dive sites: the Laurel Island and the Laurel tunnel. Both diving destinations are quite close to each other and can make a perfect island tour worth diving. Currents may stay quite moderate, but it is always advisable to be a little more experienced in drift diving so that you can enjoy and be safe in this fun diving destination.

The Camia shipwreck dive site is one of the premiere diving destinations in Boracay, and it is situated between the Virgin Drop and Coral Garden diving destinations. A 30-meter long cargo boat was sunk in January 2001 as a fish attraction device. Now, it developed as an artificial reef being resided by large red bass, a school of bluefin trevallies, scorpionfishes and a school of batfish.

Friday's Rock covers two dive sites: the Fridays Reef which is 7 to 12 meters (23 to 40 feet), and the Friday's Rock which is 12 to 18 meters (40 to 60 feet) deep. It is a known fish-feeding station and the most anticipated by underwater photographers as they can capture close-up photos of the emperor fish, triggerfishes, red bass, scorpionfish and surgeon fishes. Butterflyfishes and batfishes can be sighted too. Amazing different kinds of soft and hard coral formations are also covering the sea beds of both Friday's Rock and Friday's Reef.

Full moon diving is a unique night dive experience. We do full moon diving in all our dive centers. Wherever in Boracay, Bohol, Panglao or Mactan and Cebu, full moon diving in the tropical waters is a must-try. Check out our full moon calendar to see when it will be the full moon! You can dive with a full moon around two days before and 2 to 3 days after the given day on the calendar.

The ideal place for scuba diving and technical diving training is the Kontiki House Reef. It offers an excellent shallow flat area and is pretty suitable for novice divers. The shallow part of the reef sets out with sea grass beds and amazing formed corals. An artificial reef artifact which is a giant iron clam sunk in the 90s, is now filled with hard and soft corals. Kontiki House Reef is suitable for underwater photography training.

Cabilao island is known as the best diving place, with its different dive sites, between Bohol and Cebu. Cabilao is a haven for underwater photographers, and we can't even speak enough about macro photography! Cabilao is home to the famous pygmy seahorse and the most beautiful species of nudibranch in the Philippines. Cabilao is also the home of hammerhead sharks, as well as the white tips and black tips reef sharks.

The Caubian cave dive site is less than 30 minutes away from our dive center headquarters in Mactan. Diving in the Caubian cave is for experienced divers, and we even recommend it for tech divers. The average depth is around 40 meters (130 feet), and exploring the cave is a must to do. On the way back, you will have all the time to observe the amazing marine life along the wall during your decompression.

The Camotes Islands are a group made of four islands. At the Camotes islands, you can dive on a deep wreck, in a cave, or all around different plateaux and walls. The Camotes is a very beautiful island, especially underwater with an enormous biodiversity. Colorful species of soft and hard corals, as well as gorgonians and sea fans with all tropical fishes are shoaling around.

The Cuatro Islas mean the four islands. The Cuatro Islas (the four islands) is a day trip safari, with three dives on the site and we go back before evening. Non-divers are welcome to join the safari as they will enjoy the journey too. Cuatro Islas has a tremendous underwater visibility that the divers will love, and it's also perfect for snorkeling where you can see the bottom of the seabed.

The Danajon Bank Double Barrier Coral reef is one of only six underwater double-barrier reefs in the world made of corals. This unique feature of the Danajon Bank make this dive site a unique dive spot in the Philippines, and even in the world, due to the numerous species of corals. This double-barrier reef is also known for a possible Tiger sharks encounter, as well as Bull sharks.

The Hilutungan Island dive site is one of the most popular in the Cebu region. The local government is maintaining this marine sanctuary well and authorize the tourists to dive around. Due to this effort, the marine life and the marine biodiversity is quite impressive and it has made the Hilutungan Island a great choice for diving, as well as island hopping and excursions.

The Hilutungan and Nalusuan day trip safari are a must to dive if you come in the Cebu region. These two dive sites have a different biotope not so far from each other. The whole family can enjoy this diving safari even if they are not divers because it is also a popular island hopping tour destination for nondivers. People can swim or snorkel to see the fishes few meters below.

There is a lot of House Reef diving sites all around the world, and because Scotty's Action Sports Network is spread around the Philippines, we do know many House Reef dive sites. Wherever in Boracay, Panglao, and Bohol or Mactan and the Cebu region, we have an extensive list of diving sites called "House Reef", where it's usually a perfect and excellent diving spot.

The Kontiki House Reef is an easy dive going down on a slope, where various critters are living around the tropical corals and inside the metallic artificial sunken structure. The Kontiki Reef is perfect for macro photography as it has a lot of species to capture for photos like the nudibranchs, crabs, seahorses, sponges and many more underwater living creatures.

There is a lot of Lighthouse diving sites in the Philippines, and because Scotty's Action Sports Network is spread around the Philippines, we do know many Lighthouse diving sites. Wherever in Boracay (Maniguin island), Bohol (Cabilao) or in Mactan and the Cebu region. Diving at a Lighthouse dive site, like in Capitancillo, can be quite a unique experience.

Malapascua Island is a not-to-miss diving destination in the Philippines. Malapascua is well-known for the Thresher sharks diving at 05h00 (5 AM), just before the sun rises, when the Thresher sharks are active. But in Malapascua, there are not only the Thresher sharks to see, but there is also the Dona Marilyn Wreck dive to do, as well as Gato island and it's underwater tunnel.

The Pawod Underwater Cave System is located in Barangay Agus on Mactan of the Cebu region in just 15 to 20 minutes by car from our Dive Center. The Pawod cave is a spring freshwater cave diving site, where only certified cave divers can enjoy the dive. It's a dissolution cave made of limestone, and the entrance is inland. The Pawod cave is a perfect training cave where we conduct our cave diving courses.

The Marigondon Cave diving site is located just 10 minutes away from our Scotty's Dive Center. This cavern is one of the most popular diving sites around Mactan and Cebu. The entrance of the cave is at around 30 meters (100 feet) of depth and is covered by beautiful gorgonians and sea fans. The Marigondon Cave is also known for the beautiful wall around it.

Moalboal is in the southwest part of the main Cebu island. Diving in Moalboal is well-known for the sardine run, a huge school of sardines, that it is considered to be a once in a lifetime dive. From our Scotty's Dive Center, diving in Moalboal is a diving day safari trip, with two dives on the different diving sites of Moalboal and going back before dusk.

The Nalusuan Island diving sanctuary is located at around 17 kilometers (9 nautical miles) from our Scotty's Dive Center in Mactan. The overall trip, with one dive on the site, takes around 2 hours and a half, but the trip is worth to do because even if just an hour has passed, the great underwater biodiversity of the Nalusuan Island marine sanctuary can be seen from your boat.

The Santa Rosa dive site, situated along the Olango Island, is 5 to 10 minutes away by boat from our Scotty's Dive Center headquarters on the Mactan Island. Santa Rosa is at the edge of the marine sanctuary of Olango Island, and when there is a good tide, this diving site can become a beautiful drifting zone for all divers. Olango is known to be filled with a great underwater biodiversity.

The Shangri-La marine sanctuary is our commitment to the preservation of the underwater world. The dive site is just infront of our Scotty's Dive Center headquarters at the Shangri-La Mactan. With many years of dedication to preserving this sanctuary, it is now filled with a high biodiversity and a beautiful underwater seabed with all its coral formation.

The Talima dive site, located in Olango Island, is between 5 to 10 minutes by boat from our Scotty's Dive Center headquarters on Mactan. The Talima diving spot is the leading marine sanctuary of Olango Island, where all the underwater photographers will want to go for their best shots. As a major dive site in the area, Talima is known by all the local scuba divers.

The Tambuli diving site is only a few minutes away from our Scotty's Dive Center in Mactan. This dive spot is well known for a wreck lying down at around 20 meters (65 feet) where the beginner open water divers can also enjoy diving a wreck. The Tambuli wreck is a plane that was sunk as an artificial reef and as a diver's attraction, now filled with marine life.

This a very early morning dive! Because early in the morning (best 6h00 - 6 Am in the water), the Thresher sharks are going up from the depths to the "cleaning station" at around 30 to 40 meters (100 to 135 feet) deep. Past 8 or 9 o'clock in the morning when it is finished, is your chance to see the thresher shark melting like an ice cream under the sun.

The Tingo Point diving site in Olango is not to be mistaken with the Thresher Point dive site. Tingo Point is at the tip of Olango Island, where often a mild to high current can run around. This diving site is for advanced divers and technical divers, as the top of the wall is at 25 meters (80 feet) going down to 65 meters (210 feet).

Diving with whale sharks is a unique experience! The biggest fish in the world (yes, it is a fish and not a mammal) is living in Oslob the whole year-round. Oslob is less than 3 hours away by car from our Scotty's Dive Center in Mactan, and this day trip safari starts very early in the morning to be in the water with the whale sharks before 10 o'clock followed by a second dive at the Sumilon Island.

Balicasag Island is a marine sanctuary where you can dive with sea turtles. It's usually a day trip safari with 2 or 3 dives at Balicasag. There are many diving sites around Balicasag Island, but the most popular dives are for the turtles which are quite shallow on the plateau at around 10 meters (33 feet) eating seaweeds and algae around 3 o'clock.

Pamilacan Island is located just 17 kilometers (9 nautical miles) away from our dive center in Bohol, Panglao. Pamilacan is known for its whale watching and dolphin watching between March and June (the sedentary dolphins can be watched the whole year though). The seabed of Pamilacan is covered by sea fans, huge gorgonians, and many different species of colorful corals where fishes are shoaling around.

The Habagat wreck diving site is a steep slope where open water divers can enjoy the top, down to 20 meters (60 feet) while deep divers can go down to 35 meters (115 feet) to dive around the little wreck and visit the crevices on the wall around the wreck. The Habagat shipwreck is located in less than 5 minutes by boat from our Scotty's Dive Center in Bohol.

The Garden Eels dive site in Panglao, Bohol province is situated at less than 5 minutes away from our dive center in Bohol. The Garden Eels dive site is a haven for all divers, from beginners to experienced divers. This dive site is also a must-dive at night. You can see a field of spotted garden eels on the seabed. A strong recommendation is to not forget your underwater camera.

The Doljo point dive site in Panglao Island (Bohol province) is a must to dive if you come in the Philippines. It's made of 2 walls on top of each other which make the dive site perfect for all levels of divers, from beginners to advanced dives. The biodiversity of the marine life is great! You can spot barracudas, tunas, sharks and all the usual tropical underwater marine life.

Off the shore of Panglao Island, the Cervera Shoal diving site is known as the Snake's Island because there are many white and black banded snakes on the south part of the diving site. The current can be powerful to "brutal" on the surface, this is why the Cervera Shoal is familiar to the experienced drift divers. The underwater marine biodiversity is average for this tropical island.

Cabilao Island is known as the best diving place with its different dive sites, between Bohol and Cebu. Cabilao is a haven for underwater photographers, and we can't even speak enough about the amazing macro photography opportunities. Cabilao houses the famous pygmy seahorse and the most beautiful nudibranchs in the Philippines. Cabilao is also home to the hammerhead sharks, as well as the white tips and black tips reef sharks.

Balicasag Island is a marine sanctuary where you can dive with sea turtles. It's usually a day trip safari with 2 or 3 dives at Balicasag. There are many diving sites around Balicasag Island, but the most popular dives are for the turtles which are quite shallow on the plateau at around 10 meters (33 feet) eating seaweeds and algae around 3 o'clock.

The Alona House Reef diving site is just 3 minutes away by speedboat from our Scotty's Dive Center in Panglao (Bohol). It is an excellent diving site for beginner scuba divers who want to do a relaxed dive and, still, enjoy the colorful tropical marine life. We often dive at night on this site, as the colors are truly awesome under the light of the underwater torches.