Diving in the Philippines
To divers around the world the Philippines is a very little known and understood dive destination; those who have visited and got to appreciate the diving options and experience the culture invariably think:
‘WOW, I love the Philippines!’
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What we have tried to do in our website is explain the main dive destinations throughout the country and to help you come to the right choices for your holiday.
Here we want to give you an insight to what the Philippines is like from a day to day perspective as a diver and to hopefully answer many of the questions you may have if your dive experience has not included tropical diving before.
Starting with the most commonly asked question of all:
When is the best time to go diving in the Philippines?
The typical diving season is from October through to May, however all year round diving is possible in most of the destinations. For the very best months for giving a higher chance of classic tropical blue skies, calm seas, dry and hot and good visibility, are the 3 months of the Philippine summer – March to May. But that’s only part of the story…
Philippines Weather explained….
It’s all about the winds, which direction they come from and where you are…
The Habagat, the southwest monsoon, traditionally runs from May through to October, moisture laden wind comes off the Pacific ocean and sweeps up the western side of the country towards Luzon in the north. It’s at this time weather systems can get hugely powerful and turn from Low Pressures to Tropical Depressions to Typhoons and even Super Typhoons.
The Amihan, the northeast monsoon from November through to early May, for the majority of the country this will bring dry weather, except for the eastern side of the country, which takes a little longer to dry out.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Total | |
| LuzonManila | 6 | 3 | 7 | 9 | 100 | 273 | 341 | 398 | 326 | 230 | 120 | 49 | 1863 |
| Central VisayasCebu | 110 | 70 | 20 | 30 | 70 | 170 | 180 | 110 | 160 | 200 | 110 | 110 | 1540 |
| Eastern VisayasSamar | 640 | 430 | 320 | 260 | 240 | 230 | 180 | 140 | 180 | 330 | 530 | 640 | 4120 |
Average rainfall in mm Source: Wikipedia
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So what does this mean for the main diving areas?
Manila & Anilao
Places in the north like Manila and Anilao will start to get rain from June onto October, sometimes this can be weeks on end rain, other times it’s more like sun an showers. From November all the way through to May, even June can be beautiful weather, sunny, not much wind and it can get seriously hot in April and May.
Puerto Galera
As it is on the west side of the country it can get rainy from June through to October, but as it is protected from the south westerly winds from the island of Mindoro it doesn’t receive anywhere near as much wind and rain as Manila.
Other than when a large weather system passes by, it’s possible to carry on diving regardless. From November through to June, it is likely to be classic tropical paradise weather.
Coron
Coron forms the western boundary of the country. During the peak of the Habagat monsoon season strong winds, but not necessarily rain will hit the archipelago. Some resorts will close in July and August as getting to the wrecks can be a bit rough. From November through to June it can be absolutely stunning there.
Apo Reef
It’s a very exposed area between Coron and Mindoro and will follows the same weather as Coron. The Liveaboards offering trips here will only run from October through to June. Dive Centres in Coron offering day trips will have to choose their days in June to September very carefully to avoid bad weather.
Tubbataha
Being in the middle of the Sulu Sea, it’s a long way to any land from Tubbataha, consequently with safety in mind, Dive operators/Liveaboards are only allowed to offer trips there between mid March and early June.
Central Visayas area – Malapascua, Moalboal, Panglao, Cabilao, Dumaguete
This area will receive less wind and rain during the Habagat monsoon than other areas, mainly because it is protected from all sides by other islands.
Diving will be possible all year round in every location and very few dive days per year are lost due to weather. Even in the so called rainy season, it can be clear blue skies for the morning, cloud over in the afternoon and throw it down for an hour or so then clear up in time for picture perfect sunsets.
Some destinations that face southwest, for example Panglao, will be more effected by the Habagat than others, experiencing wavy conditions around the dive sites.
Eastern Visayas area – Southern Leyte
Kind of in the middle between the true Eastern Visayas and the Central Visayas, Southern Leyte will be more affected by the Amihan monsoon, meaning that whilst other areas become drier and less wind from November, the Amihan will still bring wind and rain from the East, persisting till about February. Although it might experience more rain in this period, the Amihan is generally not as severe as the Habagat and diving is still perfectly possible. On the more positive side, the rainy season of the Habagat has much less impact here and the summer months can be extended even into September, when there’s hardly a tourist to be seen as some of the most beautiful diving conditions you could wish for!
And the temperature?
As far as temperatures are concerned, all you really need to know is: pack shorts, T-shirts and a sun hat!
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
| LuzonManila | 30 | 31 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 32 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 31 | 30 |
| Central VisayasCebu | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 |
| Eastern VisayasSamar | 28 | 28 | 29 | 31 | 31 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 32 | 31 | 30 | 30 |
Average high temperatures in celsuis source: Wikipedia
Send us a message if you have any questions
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The Philippines is an archipelago made of 7,107 islands and is situated between Taiwan and Borneo. With the South China Sea to the west, Pacific Ocean to the east, Celebes Sea in the south and the Philippine Sea in the north the potential Another prominent feature of the Philippine Sea is the presence of deep sea trenches, among them the Philippine Trench and the Mariana Trench, containing the deepest point on the planet. nd It is bounded in the west by the South China Sea, in the east by the Pacific Ocean, in the south by the Sulu and Celebes Seas, and in the north by the Bashi Channel.
Its strategic position finds the Philippines at the crossroads of international travel lanes. It has a total land area of 300,000 sq.km and a coastline of 34,000 km, the longest in the world. The land consists of coastal plains with many central peaks and mountain ranges. Mount Apo in Mindanao is the tallest in the country, rising 9,600 feet.
Volcanoes dot the country. And one of these – Mayon Volcano in the Bicol region – is considered to have the most perfect cone. Manila is the seat of administration and the center of commerce and industry, culture, the arts, and education. It is the largest and most important city in the Philippines. It is also one of the loveliest and most exciting cities in Asia. The city of Manila has been combined with other major cities and municipalities to form what is now popularly known as Metro Manila, which has a total area of 60 sq. km. The Philippines has three major islands – Luzon, the largest island where the capital of the Philippines is situated; Visayas, known for its fine beaches and idyllic coves; and Mindanao, whose exotic forests make it an irresistible haven for nature lovers.
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