Philippines

As to be expected from a nation that consists of over 7000 islands, The Philippines is home to some of the best diving in Southeast Asia and has a well developed diving infrastructure to match as well meaning it is a top class destination for divers from all over the world. Whether you are travelling on a budget or looking for 5 star luxury liveaboards there is something for everyone in the Philippines and massively varied diving too with big animal action in Malapuscua with the Thresher sharks or macro critters such as Pygmy Seahorses in Anilao.

The diving industry really began to take off in the Philippines in the 1960s when the early pioneers realised the potential, Anilao in Batangas was one of the first destinations to be developed as a diving destination in the country and even possibly Asia. Since then resorts and spread out from here to encompass the whole of the country with numerous dive centres to support, in fact the Philippines is one of the best places to learn to dive and take your open water certifications as well.

The variety that the Philippines has to offer is quite stunning with locations and styles to suit most skill levels too. The downside with the Philippines is that the diving in and around Batangas aside, travelling to and from these destinations can be quite difficult and time consuming. Around Batangas, which is located on the main island of Luzon, about a 3 hour car journey from the capital city of Manila you’ll find Anilao, Puerto Galeria and the verde Islands. The diving around here is often focussed on macro subjects and in Anilao especially the wide array of weird and wonderful creatures is simply breathtaking. Venturing further afield to Cebu you’ll find sites such as the world famous Malapuscua which is renowned for its regular sightings of thresher sharks to whale sharks in Oslob, Cebu. Other locations such as Tubbataha Reef is accessible via liveaboard for those wanting something a little more adventurous and are certainly worth the extra effort in terms of getting there and back. In short, the Philippines seems to have everything in terms of diving and is a fantastic destination to combine with a beach holiday too and soak up some rays and indulge yourself with a spot of diving too.

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