BEST OF · SCUBA DIVING IN THE PHILIPPINES
The 15 best scuba diving in the Philippines you can book right now, with the price per head, how long you are actually in the water and who each one suits. Number one is first for a reason.
Join Nalu Dive for one or two guided underwater sessions from its Mactan Island beachside shop. Instructors such as Kenji, Oniel, and Romeo teach each skill patiently, then lead you among sardines, tropical fish, coral, and possible sea turtles. Equipment, transport, showers, and GoPro photos are included.
“Had such a great time. Thank you guys for clear instructions and awesome experience.”
Start at WaterColors near Willy’s Rock for a PADI-led introduction, shallow-water practice, and a second open-water session reached by boat. Jimmy and Ronald may lead the lesson, with gear supplied and groups capped at six. It is an experience program, not a certification course.
“Excellent instructor, Jimmy was great very calm and easy going would love to come back and dive more. I'm already certified but my son wanted to try it was outstanding.”
Meet at Astoria Station 1, learn the basics with a PADI instructor, practice in shallow water, then take a boat to a beginner-friendly reef. Your guide stays close at up to 6 meters, with photos, videos, and a certificate included.
“Such an amazing experience. Worth every dollar! Super helpful and nice guides!”
Meet Submariner Diving Center in El Nido at 7:30 am for three scuba sessions around Bacuit Bay. Certified divers get equipment, lunch, fruit, drinks, and a small-group ratio of four divers per dive-master. You can skip the final session and snorkel or rest aboard.
“A most qualified team that works together easily to make your tour an unforgettable one.”
From Mobula Divers Sibaltan, you’ll take a 30-minute speedboat ride to a manta cleaning station for one shallow skills session and one open-water session. Instructors such as Alex, John, and Simone guide beginners in English or Tagalog. Mantas are possible, not guaranteed.
“It was amazing, special thanks to Simone for amazing guidance, teaching, kind approach and patience!”
Meet near Astoria Boracay, learn basic scuba skills, then enter the sea with an English-speaking instructor beside you. The two-hour session includes equipment, wetsuit, photos and video, changing facilities, and a local guide. It is aimed at first-timers, not independent swimmers.
“highly recommend this experience to anyone trying scuba diving for the first time. The instructors clearly explained all the details needed to complete the activity safely and were very patient during the practice portion. They made sure that you could 100% perform the basic skills to complete the activity comfortably and safely before moving on to the open water dive, showing how much they prioritize safety while still making the experience enjoyable.”
Leave Cebu City at 5:00 AM in a private car for Oslob. After a safety briefing and gear setup, an English-speaking instructor guides you through a 30 to 40 minute scuba session beside whale sharks. The trip suits first-timers and licensed divers, with hotel or airport pickup included.
“Whale shark watching in Oslob starts early at 3am, but you should definitely go. There are many snorkeling tours, but there are a lot of people lined up to board the boat that goes out to sea, so you have to wait quite a while. And the surface of the sea is also full of people. However, with diving, you can enter directly from the beach without having to wait to enter, and the water is empty so you can move freely and see well. It's a little more expensive than snorkeling, but diving is definitely recommended. At Sumilon Island, we didn't dive, we went snorkeling. The drivers are very…”
Join Mobula Divers Sibaltan for a six-hour outing to Binulbulan Island, about an hour from El Nido. Certified scuba participants get two boat-based sessions, including the Manta Cleaning Station and a coral reef site, with equipment, snacks, drinks, towels, and an English or Tagalog guide.
“Unvergessliches Erlebnis. Wir haben mehrere Mantas sehen dürfen. Der Guide übt seinen Job mit viel Passion aus. Wir hatten wirklich einen tollen Tag. Danke viel mals”
Spend 11 hours traveling from Cebu to Moalboal for a guided scuba session with millions of sardines, turtle snorkeling, and reef viewing. Certified instructors welcome first-time and licensed divers. Pickup, equipment, transport, and fees are included, but meals are not.
“The sardines dive was such a magical experience! The crew was great, very helpful and intuitive. It was a little windy when we went to the coral reefs in Pescador Island but the drift dive with the sardines I’d say for me was fulfilling enough lol Moalboal looked like a fun little island too, lots of cute little coffee shops and dive shops. Definitely a must see when in Cebu.”
Join an English-speaking instructor for a three-hour Moalboal water session with scuba time among the sardines and snorkeling near Pescador Island. Raul is noted as a friendly host. Equipment, entrance fees, and hotel transfers are included, but meals, insurance, and GoPro rental cost extra.
“I almost died on this tour with Amo Dive Centre. Shortly after surfacing from my dive, I became extremely unwell and was hospitalised with decompression sickness. The treatment cost over £1,500/117,000 pesos and required several days in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. Doctors confirmed nitrogen had entered my bloodstream, heart and brain, and said that if I had delayed seeking help, I could have suffered paralysis or death. During the dive, I asked my guide for a dive computer watch and he said I didn't need one. My guide then instructed me to ascend up and follow the sardines near the surface (under 5m) for photos, which skipped a proper safety…”
Meet whale sharks underwater off Oslob, then take a short boat ride to Sumilon Sanctuary for a second scuba session among coral gardens, reef fish, and possible turtles. Hotel pickup, equipment, guides, and entry are included. Bring swimwear, a towel, and biodegradable sunscreen.
“Très bon guide voiture. Plongée avec les requins baleines à faire absolument en plongée bouteille même si très touristique. Club plongée Oslob très bof, île de sumillon 2 eme plongée guide de palanquée très sympa mais plongée très banale Prix total je pense beaucoup trop cher”
Join Nalu Dive for two guided scuba sessions around Olango Island, only 10 minutes from Mactan by speedboat. Choose a 9:00 or 13:00 start, learn basic skills in shallow water, then head deeper with an instructor. Equipment, insurance, and GoPro photos and videos are included.
“Diving with Nalu in Mactan was epic! Cool team, great gear, and awesome marine life. Highly recommend for a fun time underwater! 🐠🌊”
Head from Malapascua to Monad or Kimud Shoal with a PADI Divemaster to seek thresher sharks, rays, frogfish, and reef sharks. This advanced scuba outing usually includes two or three descents. You must arrive the day before, and equipment, park, and fuel fees cost extra.
Learn basic scuba skills in Panglao, practice in shallow water, then spend about 30 minutes at sea with an English, Korean, or Tagalog-speaking instructor close by. The small group is limited to 10, and underwater photos and videos are included.
“This was a very nice experience with guides that really helped us as beginners. They will tell you although you should equalize your nose when going down often. They took photos and videos for us while diving which was also very nice.”
You’ll learn scuba basics with certified instructors, practice in shallow water, then spend about 45 minutes at a Boracay coral reef. Butch is noted for calm, clear instruction. Pickup from Stations 1 to 3, gear, snacks, drinks, and underwater photos are included.
“Notre expérience avec le centre Fisheye Divers s’est très bien passée sur tous les points. Notre instructeur Butch a été clair et pédagogue dans ses explications lors du cours ainsi que pendant la plongée. Il a été rassurant tout au long de la matinée, prenant le temps de tout nous expliquer et de répondre à nos questions. En tant que français nous avions une légère appréhension de ne pas comprendre certaines notions importantes, mais grâce à lui nous n’avons eu aucun problème de communication. Le reste du staff a aussi été très gentil et à l’écoute, on sent que ce sont de vrais passionnés de plongée et surtout des professionnels.…”
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