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Anilao, Philippines

A GUIDE TO ALL THINGS ANILAO 


WHY DIVE ANILAO? 


Credited with popularizing diving in the Philippines, Anilao is a haven for photographers and fans of macro life, critters, and blackwater dives. Anilao is on Luzon Island, three hours south of the capital, Manila. The municipality is covered in sprawling jungle and surrounding resorts with plenty of stunning greenery. Known for its diverse reefs, fish, critters, and nudibranchs, Anilao attracts divers to its crystal blue waters year-round. 


ARRIVING AT ANILAO - HOW TO GET THERE


Visitors arrive at the Filipino- and English-speaking destination by first landing at Manila International Airport (MNL) and are usually met with a resort shuttle. The two- to three-hour ride from the airport brings guests to their resorts, liveaboards, and dive centers. Trips to Anilao are often combined with trips to Puerto Galera, Cebu, or Dumaguete.


DIVING IN ANILAO 


A typical day in Anilao includes two morning dives before returning to the resort for lunch. Then, guests spend their afternoon at their resort relaxing poolside or exploring the jungle. After, there is an option for two late afternoon dives and one night dive. Night dives are considered a must in Anilao as they do not have strict time constraints and usually take place from house reefs. For guests looking for adventure, resorts can arrange blackwater dives. 


    

Diving is made easy in the Filipino municipality—dive sites range from a 10- to 20-minute boat ride from most resorts. The healthy, colorful reefs keep divers in a state of awe, and the muck, blackwater, and night diving opportunities make them ready for more. Dives take place from bankgas, which are small boats that seat up to four divers and two to three crew members. The highly experienced crews keep divers safe while pointing out the vast marine life. Popular sightings include shrimp, crabs, nudibranchs, squid, cuttlefish, frogfish, pipefish, seahorses, wonderpus, blue-ringed octopus, and bobbit worms. With such unique experiences, Anilao is also beginner-friendly due to the often calm currents and shallow dive sites. 


While Anilao is known for its small marine life, larger beings like jacks, turtles, and giant seahorses can be spotted. Sites like Manitit Point have strong currents that bring in larger life like reef sharks, hunting barracudas, and giant and bluefin trevally. In deep waters, there are rare sightings of small whale sharks.


With stunning jungles on land, guests also flock to the soft coral forests, which range from 70 to 130 feet deep. The untouched corals feature rare critters like seahorses and rhinopias.


TOP DIVE SITES 


One of Anilao’s iconic dive sites is Twin Rocks, with vibrant life as shallow as 10 feet and as deep as 130. Photographers love this site for the macro life and wide-angle opportunities. Soft corals, jacks, jawfish, and more are just a few of the creatures spotted here.


Beatrice is popular with experienced divers who can brave the strong currents. With more wide-angle shots, Beatrice is known for swarms of anthias and stunning corals. Kirby’s Rock is another macro life mecca with a stunning wall and incredible visibility. For the muck diving fanatic, Secret Bay is a hot spot for mimic octopus, wonderpus, pipefish, and seahorses. Blackwater dive sites vary but spotting one-of-a-kind jellies, larvae, and invertebrates is a guarantee. 



DIVE CONDITIONS AND WHEN TO VISIT  


Waters are calm and warm year-round, ranging from 77°F to 81°F (25°C to 27°C) and a visibility of 40 feet to 50 feet (10m to 15m). The main season is from October to early June, with November and December as the peak. April and May tend to be the most crowded months for resorts. Monsoon season is in July and August, but dive sites can still be accessed.


WHERE TO STAY

Crystal Blue Anilao

Crystal Blue Anilao is set in the bay area and features accommodations for families, groups, and couples. Guests praise the resort for their dive facilities, which include a covered dive deck, rinse tanks, showers, camera rinse tanks, and a camera room. 


Buceo Anilao
      

Buceo Anilao features a PADI-certified dive shop with Nitrox and air fills. The camera room includes eighteen workstations with air guns, rinse tanks, lockers, matted desks, and shelves. In addition to the iconic muck and macro diving Anilao is known for, Buceo brings guests to wreck and cave dives as well as weekly dive trips to Verde Island. 


While Anilao itself doesn’t have much outside of diving and watersports, the resorts keep guests busy with karaoke, bars, spa treatments, and pools. 


Ready for your Anilao adventure? Book with us today!

7 Awesome Reasons to Dive Curacao

7 Awesome Reasons to Dive Curacao 

85 Superb Dive Sites

Curaçao is a small Caribbean island that neighbours Bonaire and Aruba and forms part of the ABC Islands in the Dutch Caribbean. Here divers can enjoy magnificent healthy reefs, great topography, walls and shipwrecks.




Hurricane Free Zone - Curaçao sits below the hurricane belt making it appealing for travelers who can do without potential weather delays during the Atlantic hurricane season.


85 Dive Sites - Most of the 85 or so dive sites here are located on the southwest of the island, but there are some in the northern parts, which are more suited for advanced divers. There’s a wealth of variety in Curaçao’s dive sites, despite its size. Offering amazing walls, reefs and wrecks accessible by shore or boat, there’s something for everyone no matter your level of experience.




Clear Blue Water - Teeming underwater life is best enjoyed with great visibility, which is huge bonus to diving Curaçao. Visibility is often 70 feet and on calm days, of which there are many, the visibility can be up to 100 feet. Visibility is excellent thanks to minimal river runoff from the island.




Marine Biodiversity - Curaçao’s reefs are among the healthiest in the region, especially the reefs of Eastern Curaçao. The absence of substantial hills and year-round rainfall likely contributes to the healthy reefs. Large schools of tarpons, sharks, eagle rays, large barracuda, eels, and turtles all populate the healthy and pristine reefs.


Easy Shore Access - The majority of the diving can be done from the shore, and to top it off, the dive sites are mostly protected from strong currents, meaning diving is very easy and relaxing, and perfect for beginner divers. Boat diving is also an option here, with most dive operators choosing to do so. Most all oceanfront resorts have amazing house reefs right at their doorsteps. Photo courtesy of oceanencounters.com




Dive All Year - Diving in Curaçao is great all year thanks to good weather and a warm ocean averaging around 25°C (78°F) in winter and 27°C (82°F) in summer. Marine life is mostly unaffected by the slight seasonal changes, so divers can benefit from fantastic dives no matter the season. April to November is the dry season, during which April to June experiences the calmest weather. The island has minimal rain and enjoys plenty of sun during this season. December to March is the rainy season, when the island experiences a slight drop in temperature, with air temperatures lowering to 29°C (85°F) and water temperatures dropping to 26°C (79°F). Rain occurs more, however, showers are only brief and quite refreshing. And this is the low season when deals on diving and hotels can be found. There’s a brief windy period in Curaçao due to trade winds, which occur from January to April.


After-Dive Activities – Curaçao offers a myriad of activities after you day of diving. The island offers arts and culture, beautiful beaches, unique restaurants, museums, nature parks, and great night life clubs for your wild side.





                                                                                     

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