Coral Diving in the Philippines

Situated on the western fringes of the Pacific Ring of Fire, the Philippines’ fascinating array of flora and fauna have led scientists to label it a megadiverse country. Sitting proudly at the vertex of the Coral Triangle, the Philippines is referred to as the ‘centre of the centre’ when it comes to marine biodiversity. With over 3,000 species of fish recorded in the archipelago, you can be sure the diving will be superb, and with almost 500 species of hard corals identified, the coral diving in the Philippines is hard to beat.

A reef with healthy coral cover is a haven for a plethora of magnificent critters and provides a colourful backdrop to beautiful underwater seascapes. A trip to experience the coral diving in the Philippines will reveal pygmy seahorses clinging to gorgonian corals, mandarinfish hiding among staghorn corals, and multicoloured whip corals providing a home to gobies, xeno crabs and whip-coral shrimp.

But with well over 7,000 islands to choose from, where should you start? Fear not-our intrepid dive specialists have blown bubbles throughout the myriad islands to ensure we have the answers to your Philippines coral diving questions and can help you tailor the perfect itinerary to see the stunning seascapes first-hand.

Puerto Galera

Within easy reach of Manila, Puerto Galera was designated a UNESCO Man and Biosphere Reserve back in 1973. The currents flowing through the Verde Island Passage ensure a constant supply of nutrients to the area, and the benefits of these nutrients are immediately obvious. Colourful soft corals and healthy hard corals compete for space and provide shelter for a dazzling array of macro critters. While the currents can be fun on some sites, the inner bay sites allow for relaxed diving among the pristine corals.

Malapascua

A small island to the north of Cebu, Malapascua is world-renowned as the best place to dive with thresher sharks. Following an at-the-crack-of-dawn dive to see these mesmerising sharks going about their morning ablutions, morning and afternoon dives can be spent admiring the impressive rainbow of soft corals that adorn the local dive sites and provide hiding places for frogfish, pygmy seahorses and an impressive array of nudibranchs.

Dumaguete and Dauin

Dumaguete and Dauin are located on the south-eastern corner of Negros Island and are well known for their muck diving critters. While you can marvel at the magical array of frogfish and nudibranchs on the house reef, a trip out to the volcanic Apo Island will reveal a marine reserve with a healthy reef ecosystem. Apo Island is home to more than 650 documented species of fish and in excess of 400 species of corals, making it one of the hotspots for coral diving in the Philippines.