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Explore BicolDiving in the Bicol Region of the Philippines offers an extraordinary underwater advent
Explore Bicol
Diving in the Bicol Region of the Philippines offers an extraordinary underwater adventure, marked by its rich biodiversity and unique dive environments. The region, located southeast of Luzon, includes popular diving spots such as Donsol, Ticao Island, Catanduanes, and Calaguas. Donsol is renowned for its seasonal whale shark encounters from November to May, providing divers with the thrilling opportunity to swim alongside these gentle giants. Just an hour away, Ticao Island's Manta Bowl is a hotspot for manta rays, attracted by the area's natural cleaning stations. San Miguel Island, near Ticao, boasts vibrant reefs teeming with marine life, making it a paradise for underwater photographers. For those seeking a more secluded experience, Catanduanes and Calaguas offer pristine dive sites off the beaten track. Calaguas, in particular, is known for its untouched beauty, where divers can explore its waters with little interruption, as accommodations are limited to tents and there are no dive resorts. Whether you're diving from shore, boat, or liveaboard, Bicol's diverse marine environments and seasonal attractions make it a must-visit destination for diving enthusiasts.
Places to explore
Dive Activity
Diving in Bicol
Reef diving is king in Bicol, with stunning reefs everywhere, especially in San Miguel. Shoal and cleaning station diving are characterised by their pelagic encounters.
Liveaboard diving is possible here, and gaining in popularity as the region becomes better known. Many dive centres offer dive courses. It is not the most popular place in the world for dive courses, not because the diving isn’t fantastic, but because there’s not a huge amount to do here except dive, so most people come already qualified.
Top Wildlife Sightings in Bicol
The reef systems here are healthy and as such have the usual array of brightly coloured hard and soft corals, reef fish and fascinating macro critters. However, most people visit the area to see the pelagic creatures.
A big draw to Bicol is the chance to catch a glimpse of a mighty whale shark, but they are far from the only big fish in these waters. Manta rays frequent a cleaning station here, almost guaranteeing a sighting. Mola-mola, or sun fish, have also been known to glide up from the depths. Hammerhead and thresher sharks are all regular visitors as well, making these islands a must see for pelagic lovers.
Wildlife Sightings are Based on User Generated Content
The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 200
Alamy-WaterFrame
Moray Eel
7 Sightings
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iStock/Extreme Photographer
Whale Shark
3 Sightings
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Alamy/National Geographic Image Collection
Oceanic Whitetip Shark
2 Sightings
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Shutterstock-Shane Myers Photography
Green Turtle
2 Sightings
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 600
iStock/ultramarinfoto
Wrasse
2 Sightings
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iStock/Divepic
Giant Oceanic Manta Ray
2 Sightings
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 3000
SSI-Peter-Schinck
Nudibranch
21 Sightings
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Alamy-WaterFrame
Common Seahorse
19 Sightings
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The image shown is a representative illustration and does not depict every individual animal in this category.
Total number of species: 28
Udo Kefrig
Clownfish
12 Sightings
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AdobeStock-Richard Carey
Banded Sea Krait
11 Sightings
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The best Months to dive in Bicol
You can dive in Bicol all year round. The best time to dive is the dry season between November and May — the oceans are at their calmest and the visibility is clearest. These are the best months to spot a whale shark. The water temperatures vary between 26°C/78.8°F in December/January and 30°C/86°F between April and September.
From June to October, the diving is still good but the rainfall increases. There is also the possibility of tropical typhoons which may disrupt dive boats operating.
