The Philippines

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DR RICHARD SMITH | WWW.OCEANREALMIMAGES.COM

For many years the diving scene in the Philippines played second fiddle to Indonesia, but with many great all-rounder destinations throughout the archipelago, the Philippines is fast becoming the big Asian dive destination of the moment. The diving is extremely varied across the country, attracting divers in search of animals both little and large, stunning coral reefs and great wreck diving. Here I’ll share my four favourite destinations, which are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the Philippines has to offer.

ANILAO, SOUTHWEST LUZON ISLAND Anilao is the Philippines’ answer to Lembeh Strait, where multitudes of fascinating muck diving critters await the sharpest of eyes. There are a plethora of accommodation options all along the richly forested headland, which is just a few hours’ drive from Manila on the island of Luzon. Due to its proximity to the capital, and international airline gateway, it is a great add-on destination for another dive location in the country. Or, of course, it’s a great dive spot in its own right. The dive sites include intriguing soft coral and sponge reefs, black sand and rubble slopes. For the non-initiated diver, this might sound like a terrible collection of sites. In fact, for muck dive aficionados these are some of the richest substrates.

Anilao accommodates many of the usual muck dive suspects such as hairy frogfish, seahorses, mandarinfish and even the rarer Rhinopias scorpionfish, Coleman shrimps, mimic octopus and other treats. Anilao and Lembeh Strait are, however, rather different. I have been to Lembeh Strait many times, but in Anilao I saw quite a number of species I had never seen before. One group that seem particularly well represented in Anilao are nudibranchs. I saw many species I had never even heard of beforehand, and many that I’d only seen in pictures. One, Allen’s Ceratosoma (Ceratosoma alleni), I had been hunting for years but never had the fortune of finding. On one dive in Anilao I saw three chomping their way through a glade of the soft corals that they mimic and feed upon.

Dives are generally made from local-style outrigger boats, which quickly and easily navigate the waters between the mainland and some of the other sites on neighbouring islands. Night dives are great in the area and offer various highlights, from mandarinfish on the resort’s doorstep to black sand and silty sites that have resident bobbit worms and the like. Muck divers will undoubtedly love Anilao.

PUERTO GALERA, MINDORO ISLAND Puerto Galera is another location that is easily accessed from Manila. It is just a couple of hours by car to the port of Batangas, where you meet a boat to take you the last hour of the journey over to Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro. I stayed at Atlantis Resort and was shown the great variety of local sites, while being based at their lovely, ocean-fronted resort in the heart of the main town.

Puerto Galera is quite a bustling place and has many shops, dive resorts and bars. It is quite a contrast to some other dive areas, but fun and full of energy.

The diving is extremely varied, with stunning reefs in the Verde Passage, wrecks, muck dives and everything in between. Verde is a spectacular dive area, where strong currents bring nutrient-rich water to feed clouds of anthias and all manner of magnificent soft and hard corals. Dives are entirely manageable, however, and local guides consider tides and currents when planning the dive schedule. There are lots of turtles and passing pelagic fishes here too, so it’s worth keeping an eye into the blue.

On the other end of the scale, there is muck diving here as well. Just around the corner from the resorts is Secret Bay, where rare gurnard lionfish, black hairy frogfish and flamboyant cuttlefish can be found. The white sand muck diving makes a nice contrast to the black sand sites at

The Philippines is a photographer’s heaven Coral-encrusted anchor

Thresher sharks relatively nearby Anilao. The other side of the headland has a muck dive of sorts, but with much more of a reef influence. Here, the occasional whip corals have shrimps, xeno crabs and cowries, plus you’re likely to find a pygmy seahorse on a gorgonian if you look closely. Puerto Galera is a great all-round destination that is easily accessible from Manila and offers stunning reefs, plus many of the top critters on any wish list in southeast Asia.

Harlequin shrimp

Shrimp hitching a ride on a nudibranch MALAPASCUA, NORTHERN CEBU Malapascua Island, off the northern tip of Cebu Island, has become world famous for being the only site on the planet where thresher sharks can reliably be sighted. The dive to find them involves a very early morning entry onto a deep reef, where the sharks come each morning to be cleaned. The best sightings take place while knelt calmly on a small natural platform at 30m. Even on nitrox, the depth doesn’t allow you to spend a great deal of time waiting for the sharks to arrive. The three mornings I went, I saw the sharks but the best day was the last, when two sharks gave me quite a close pass. The tail on these animals is something to behold. Scientists had guessed that the function of the ridiculously long tail was to whip and stun schooling fish, due to them often being caught on long-line hooks by their tails. Only recently was their hunting method confirmed on camera.

The top of Monad Shoal, where the threshers go to be cleaned, is around 15m deep, but there are nice sightings of other pelagics here while you slowly ascend. A group of adolescent eagle rays were resident during my visit and would make quite close passes. It’s actually lovely, after an adrenaline-filled descent into the dark waters of dawn, to spend some time watching the reef wake up.

Other than the morning dives in search of threshers, there are plenty of other local sites to keep you occupied for the rest of the diving day. The reefs are interesting, and dominated by invertebrates such as soft corals and sponges, rather than hard corals. We saw unexpected beasts, such as algae octopus, unusual nudibranchs and of course pygmy seahorses. There is certainly plenty to keep you occupied aside from the thresher sharks around Malapascua.

The kalesa is a horse-drawn calash that was introduced to the islands by the Spanish in the 18th century, making it one of the oldest modes of transport in the Philippines

If you fancy ‘being local’, then try the 21-day balut egg, a street food where you are eating said dish just before the duckling inside is almost ready to hatch.

The Philippines is nudi central

DUMAGUETE, NEGROS ISLAND Dumaguete is another great all-round destination, but is more biased towards muck diving than some of the others. The Dauin coast, where Dumaguete is located, runs along the south east of Negros island. The coastline is dotted with resorts and many have their own house reefs. Here, black sand slopes are par for the course. Some rubble slopes are exceedingly good for octopuses, while one site ‘Tyres’ is well known for an abundance of frogfish. I have been to Dumaguete several times and each time there has been an abundance of a certain animal. The first time I saw nearly 50 ghost pipefish, then the next trip I counted as many frogfish during my ten-day stay. There are other interesting indigenous creatures that piqued my interest too, including the yellow dottyback and rare fairy/flasher wrasses.

Apo Island is a popular day trip from Dumaguete. The island is a marine park, and surrounded by rich coral reefs. Among the fields of hard corals there are the usual coral reef fish species, plus turtles and some pelagics such as trevallies. It’s the only place I have ever seen the big-lipped damselfish, which looks like a fish version of Angelina Jolie. Currents can be strong at some sites and visibility is variable. Siquijor Island is another day trip option with reef walls, should you wish for a distraction from muck diving.

Some of the resorts in the Dumaguete area are really raising the bar regarding the services they offer. They have brilliant spas with great massages, amazing dining options, various tours and activities plus you can even take a yoga course at one. Well-equipped camera rooms are becoming commonplace, as are excellent guides who really cater to their client’s requests. I was glad to see that the guides were careful not to disturb and manipulate the animals, although it’s always worth mentioning to your guide if they are more hands on than is good for the critter. The Philippines has quickly become one of the mostpopular dive destinations in the world, and for good reason. Whether you enjoy diving for critters, or a healthy bustling reef this is the place for you. Easy international access and flights also help, and the Philippines can be reached relatively cheaply. There is definitely something for everyone in the Philippines. n Blenny putting on a display

Healthy reefs teeming with life