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Visit Anilao to experience some of the most incredible macro marine life in the world. Encounter the rare, weird, and wonderful during daytime muck dives, night dives at The Pier, and blackwater diving. Discover the best dive sites and what to expect scuba diving in Anilao, Philippines.
Average flight time from LAX
15
Scuba Dive Level
All Levels
Visibility
30 to 90 feet (9 to 27 meters)
Average Water Temperature
80
Macro Critters
Great Night Dives
Virtually every variety of juvenile fish and critter imaginable can be found in Anilao. You'll definitely want to bring your best underwater camera. Shrimp, crabs, nudibranchs, small squid, and cuttlefish are arguably more plentiful than any other dive destination. Frogfish, pipefish, and seahorses are also fairly common, and we've even seen Rhinopias and Hairy Frogfish. Wonderpus, mimic, and blue-ringed octopus can also be seen.
Bobbit worms and many other critters await patient muck divers. Anilao has a large number of species of hard and soft corals - perhaps more than anywhere else in the world. Local guides take pride in locating even the smallest macro subjects living on the corals, oftentimes leaving photographers with a tough decision on which subject to shoot.
Images By: Laurie Slawson &Virginia Worn-Ross
Larger marine life is also found in Anilao, including large schools of jacks, the occasional turtle and giant seahorses. At Mainit point, which has strong currents, we've seen up to 4 great barracuda hunting, along with giant and bluefin trevally. Reef sharks are occasionally seen down deep at dive sites with stronger currents and on very rare occasions people have seen small whale sharks.
Anilao has some unique soft coral forests, generally found at 70 - 130ft deep, which are mostly unexplored and can turn up rare critters such as seahorses and rhinopias.
Anilao is also one of the best places to dive in Southeast Asia. Check out the full list here.
Image By: Laurie Slawson.
Diving is usually by a small open boat (bangka), which is comfortable for up to 4 divers plus a crew of 2-3. Dive sites are usually 10-25 minutes away from most resorts. The general schedule is 2 dives early in the morning, enjoying lunch and rest in the afternoon at the resort, and then 2 more dives in the late afternoon, with the last dive being a complete night dive.
Frequent night dives are a must in Anilao and no visit would be complete without a muck dive at the pier! Dive time limits are less stringent than at other locations, and significant time can be spent in the shallows. Occasionally divers will encounter currents but the guides at the resorts we recommend dive according to everyone's skill and comfort levels. The guides are excellent critter-finders, which keeps photographers shooting for the entire dive.
For more information, you may want to check out our report from our trip to Anilao in 2019 & 2022.
Here are some of the diving highlights around Anilao!
Images By (From Left to Right):Laurie Slawson, Deborah Bennett, Virginia Worn-Ross
Anilao is about a 3-hour drive from the Manila International Airport (MNL), also known as Ninoy Aquino International Airport. Several major Asian airports run flights to MNL and serve as layovers for visitors from the US and Europe. Once clearing customs with checked bags, divers walk outside and take a tunnel down to the left where resort shuttle drivers are waiting with signs. The drive out of the city is exciting and you can catch glimpses of the colorful Manila city life through the window.
Anilao is a two to three-hour van ride from the airport in Manila. Resorts, liveaboards and dive centers are available. Many divers combine Anilao with a trip to dive Puerto Galera, or Cebu / Dumaguete. Puerto Galera is just an easy hour speedboat ride away, while Cebu or Dumaguete is an hour's flight from Manila.
Most of the Anilao dive sites are close to the dive resorts, 10 to 20-minute boat rides in a small "outrigger" style boat is the norm.
October to early June is the main diving season in Anilao. The best months are November / December and April/May, with April and May being the most crowded months at the resorts.
Monsoon occurs in July through August, but the dive sites remain accessible.
The critters and rich marine life are found year-round. If you don't mind slightly cooler temps, then Jan - March is great too, and often has more critters underwater.
Anilao is relatively limited in terms of non-dive activities. Snorkeling, kayaking and various excursions can be arranged at the resort of your choice. If you're traveling with non-diving friends, partners, or family members, destinations like Puerto Galera or Dumaguete might be more suitable.
Explore Anilao
