Question Where to Dive in the Philippines That's NOT Focused on Muck Diving

[living4experiences]

I'm diving at El Galleon in Puerto Galera in March 2025 and would like to continue from there and dive somewhere else in the Philippines that is not a muck-centric location. I don't mind doing a muck dive on occasion, but I don't want to go somewhere that that's the focus of the diving. Any recommendations for locations and resorts? A/C is a requirement.

Thanks!

 

[chillyinCanada]

Having been both north and south, the average vis in Raja Ampat is (at best), 15-20 meters. Tubbatah is usually in 20-30+ meters (during the diving season).

Raja Ampat offers great diving, but it's not known for Palau-like viz.

I've been to Raja Ampat on 4 different trips, north and south.

 

[Dan]

But you did see a few more grey reefies vs. what you would have seen in Raja Ampat, and the vis was definitely better.

Raja Ampat is definitely more diverse, however Tubbataha is a unique place.

I did not see many kinds of big animals in Tubbataha. Yes, there are more close encounters with Whitetip Reef Sharks and Grey Reef Sharks, Hawksbill & Green Turtles, but I saw no Mantas, no Hammerheads, no Whalesharks. I just came at the wrong time of the year perhaps.

As far as visibility, there are about the same. See Table 1 of Tubbataha and that of Raja Ampat, below (V means visibility).

 

[cetacean]

I did not see many kinds of big animals in Tubbataha. Yes, there are more close encounters with Whitetip Reef Sharks and Grey Reef Sharks, Hawksbill & Green Turtles, but I saw no Mantas, no Hammerheads, no Whalesharks. I just came at the wrong time of the year perhaps.

As far as visibility, there are about the same. See Table 1 of Tubbataha and that of Raja Ampat, below (V means visibility).


View attachment 854201View attachment 854202

Once you dive Cocos or Socorro white tip reefsharks become more nuisance than anything else (getting in the way of other subjects), so those aren't that interesting. Grey reefies are more interesting subjects (and much rarer to find in Raja Ampat).

Misool has better vis than the Dampier Strait, your observations suggest similar. Tubbataha is usually closer to Palau-like vis...

 

[Dan]

Once you dive Cocos or Socorro white tip reefsharks become more nuisance than anything else (getting in the way of other subjects), so those aren't that interesting. Grey reefies are more interesting subjects (and much rarer to find in Raja Ampat).

Have been there a few times. They are in eastern pacific. I’m comparing the ones in the coral triangle.

Here are my latest trip videos of Cocos & Socorro:

 

[cetacean]

Have been there a few times. They are in eastern pacific. I’m comparing the ones in the coral triangle.

Here are my latest trip videos of Cocos & Socorro:

@Dan

I've been to both Cocos and Socorro multiple times, very aware of where they are

My point was simple - white tip reef sharks are everpresent in several locations, easily seen, and easily photographed. Grey reefies can still be found in large numbers in several places (Fakarava, the Solomons, the less visited Pohnpei, etc), but that frequency is down even from ~15 years ago.

Tubbataha has grey reefies in good numbers, Raja Ampat (and most of Indonesia) does not. If I really want to see scalloped hammerheads I would choose Cocos (when the water is cooler), Malpelo, or Galapagos - not the Philippines.

 

[Dan]

@Dan

I've been to both Cocos and Socorro multiple times, very aware of where they are

My point was simple - white tip reef sharks are everpresent in several locations, easily seen, and easily photographed. Grey reefies can still be found in large numbers in several places (Fakarava, the Solomons, the less visited Pohnpei, etc), but that frequency is down even from ~15 years ago.

Tubbataha has grey reefies in good numbers, Raja Ampat (and most of Indonesia) does not. If I really want to see scalloped hammerheads I would choose Cocos (when the water is cooler), Malpelo, or Galapagos - not the Philippines.

Yes, the numbers of Grey Reef Sharks in Tubbataha are certainly good, much better than that of in Raja Ampat. A good sign of healthy underwater ecosystem.

Yes, Eastern Pacific is still a good place to see Scalloped Hammerheads, where you can get close encounter with them.

 

[living4experiences]

Just a gentle nudge to get this thread back to my original question. Any other places I should be thinking about that's not muck diving?

 

[Centrals]

Just a gentle nudge to get this thread back to my original question. Any other places I should be thinking about that's not muck diving?

LOL.
The MOD is too busy watching the Olympic!
In Philippines, Anilao and Dauin are the exception otherwise ALL other places are NOT dominated by macro.
You will need to travel from PG to NAIA for the connection to your next destination.
Southern Leyte is my first choice.
Malapascua is the close second.
Both places do require a bit of travelling. Unfortunately, travelling in the country can be quite expensive if insist on private transfer.

 

[diveUAE]

Muck diving or small critters means the same: no colorfull coralreefs, but a bottom full of sand on a place where you normally won't dive, only biologists and photographers will come there. In my opinion it is just something commercial. But if you are not photographer and no biologist, muck diving and small critters were you cannot see any details with your own eye are not that interesting. Most divers want to see reefs and colorfull fish.
This said, I am also a photographer, means that 1-2 dives out of 30-40 it can be interesting, but I totally agree that not everybody will like it.

But in Anilao there are also reefs, like in puerto Galera, like in Moalboal etc. So you have to tell the divecenter you don't want to do a muckdive and you don't want to look for small critters. You want to see reefs. Remember, you pay for a dive, they have to organise a dive you want.

Guess I'm not most divers then ... For beautiful reefs and "fish" one of the best and most affordable places is Red Sea - take a north + wreck and you'll see extremely vibrant reefs and millions of small fish - after 2 days I was done - very boring (to me).

OP: Balicasag (from Bohol) has stunning reef and actually the "wall" diving closer to Bohol was not that bad (although not the best we've seen).
Also from Dauin/Dumaguette you can dive Apo Island and that was beautiful reef/wall like. Problem is finding an operator, who will go there every day and the dives closer to the coast is very much muck.
From Moalboal you can do Pescador, which is also beautiful, but with so many divers it just felt like waiting in line at the super market. Sardine school I found mesmerising (and crowded).
Our favourite in Phils so far was Malapascua - our dives with the threshers were nothing short of amazing (only few other people around, so they came very close). Don't remember any really nice corals and big schools of fish - but we asked for nudies, sea horses, frog fish, ghost pipe fish, blue ringed octo and sharks (Gato island), so that's what we paid attention to and not the reef. Other than the Thresher shark and Gato dives we rarely saw others at the dive sites our guide picked - this was back in 2019. Dive center did not survive Wuhan

 

[Blackcrusader]

That's my attitude as well.

I too am looking for epic-level diving in SE Asia that isn't focused on small-stuff.

I dived with Jay and his wife. You want epic, hope you like real adventure dives in 3 m- 4m swells and 2 or 3 knot currents that go sideways down and up...

Wild Scuba Indonesia

www.wildscubaindonesia.com