Philippines Dive Destinations

 

Philippines Dive Destinations:

The best of Philippines dive destinations. We know and most of you who read this know, that Subic Bay is the best place in the Philippines for wreck diving and technical diving. The number of international guest that return to dive with us year after year attest to that. A good number of our guest come from Europe and spend a number of weeks or even months in the Philippines. While a good portion of those guest spend their entire visit with us, some diversify their diving, by adding another dive destination to their dive vacation. Our protective bay with little or no currents are great for ship wreck diving and muck diving. However, if you are looking for shark dives or long fast drift dives we are not the right place for you.

If you are considering a longer vacation to the Philippines and want to explore beyond our great wrecks there are some other destinations that match up with diving with us. Here are some of the other leading Philippines dive destinations.

Coron Bay: The Philippines Other Wreck Destination

For dedicated wreck divers looking to spend a few weeks in the Philippines, the only other destination worth considering is Coron Bay. On Sept 21^st to 24^th 1944, American carrier based aircraft attacked Japanese shipping mostly in Manila Bay. After the lost of 15 ships, the Japanese commander ordered many of the ships away on the 22^nd, many headed south on a 12 hour trip to a secluded Coron Bay arriving on the 23^rd. The presence of the enemy supply ships was found by the US Navy, this lead to an early morning attack on the 24^th which caught most of the fleet bunched together. As many as 24 ships were sunk or heavily damaged, in total 10 ships are now known dive sites.

These ships are the magnet that draw wreck divers to this second wreck diving haven.

Puerto Galera, Philippines

Puerto Galera is one of the best known diving destinations in the Philippines and some of its dive sites are found in list of the worlds best dive sites. Located in the northwest portion of Mindoro Island in the Oriental Mindoro province, Puerto Galera is a ideal destination to pair with Johan’s for your extended vacation. Like Subic Bay, Puerto Galera is a year round diving destination. The area is generally not impacted by typhoons and the layout of the shore and bays are such that if wave conditions make one area unsafe for diving, bays and inlets on the other side will likely be great. Advance divers will find the southwestern end of the Isla Verde Passage provides excellent challenging dives. The Isla Verde Passage is considered the center of marine diversity in the Philippines. That is a considerable title since the Philippines is included in the coral triangle the scientifically recognized zone with the most biodiversity anywhere on earth. You will find everything from macro life to large sharks and rays.

Also like Subic Bay, Puerto Galera is one of the few Philippine destinations that support technical diving.

Puerto Galera is an established diving destination with international guest diving there for over 30 years. There are a range of accommodations from simple to more upscale. Most international guest head to Sabang section of the town and most of the dive centers are also in this area. It also has a exciting nightlife, similar to that around Subic Bay. The White Beach area is the other main tourist area and attracts most of the Filipino guest, also international families find this location comfortable.

To reach Puerto Galera from Manila is overland to Batangas, and then a hour or so ferry to the island. This means there is no time to fly concerns.

Cebu

Cebu is another destination that our divers enjoy. There are any options for diving in the province of Cebu each unique. Mactan Island across Tanon Strait from Cebu City is the home of Cebu’s airport and one of the most popular diving destinations. The island is known for its coral gardens as well as wall and drift dives. A few hours from the airport is Malapascua island at the very north end of Cebu Island, a two hour taxi ride or 4 hours by bus will bring you to the ferry that will take you to the island in about 30 minutes. The tip is well worth the time as Monad Shoal just off the island is the only known permanent cleaning stations for thresher sharks. Almost every morning, thresher sharks rise from the depths and wait their turn to be cleaned from three to five different stations on the shoal. Manta Rays are also frequent visitors to the area. Gato island is also well know location for other pelagic species.

First Time for Subic the Best Philippines Dive Destination

If you have not had the pleasure of diving in Subic Bay and have experienced the pleasure of other diving locations in the Philippines, than you owe yourself a visit to Subic Bay and our array of wrecks, both ships and a increasing number of found aircraft. We offer the largest number of wreck related recreational dive sites in the Philippines and South East Asia. We also offer the most technical dive sites as well. Only an hour from Clark Airport and around 3 hours from Manila. Become one of the divers in the know that Subic Bay ranks with the very best Philippine dive destinations.

Find out more about diving in the Philippines and Subic Bay