Diving The Philippines

Diving in the Philippines is all year round however the best time is generally December to April. July to September is the

monsoon season. The hottest months are April, May and June with temperatures over 32 oC. The wind swings from NE to SW

for June, July, August and September and this opens up some places that are not so accessible for diving in the drier

months. Water temperatures are 27-31 oC all the year round

Using credit cards often attracts a surcharge of around 7% - 10%.

Why Dive in the Philippines?
 

Well... the great news is that the Philippines has more or less everything, and it’s all in warm waters. There are over 7,100

islands surrounded by clear seas and we have hundreds of coral species and even more species of fish.

Best of all, the Philippines offers incredibly good value diving in a series of high quality comfortable resorts.

For beginners, the Philippines provides the highest levels of Instructor care with teaching available in all the major global

languages. Just imagine doing your first dives on pristine coral reefs and seeing turtles, rays and a whole host of beautiful

marine life. The majority of all the resorts we feature even have swimming pools so much of your initial training will take place

in a comfortable and easy environment.

What to Bring for Diving

All our chosen resorts have good to excellent wet suits and equipment for hire. Unless specifically stated, equipment rental

is not included in our prices but do advise us of your requirements prior to departure and we will ensure that the resort is

aware of your needs.

Typically when renting, you will be provided with mask and snorkel, BCD, regulator, wetsuit and fins. Dive computers are

also available for rent and we would urge you to use them at all times. Flashlights are widely available as well. Some dive

centres will provide full foot fins and others the open heel type. The majority of shops will carry all equipment sizes from XS

through to XXL but if you have any size requirements that you think may not be carried by a centre here then you are advised

to consider bringing equipment with you.

Needless to say, weight belts and full tanks are included in the quoted prices. Unless stated the tank fills are with normal air.

The use of Nitrox is widespread throughout the country and the cost of fills varies from resort to resort but you can expect to

pay between $3 USD - $8 USD extra per dive for using Nitrox. All rental equipment is Nitrox compatible, should you have any

queries please discuss these with dive centre staff on arrival.

If you are bringing your own equipment then you will probably want to know what wet suit to bring. Really, it’s about what you

feel comfortable wearing. Most people wear 3mm – 5mm shorties or full suits and find them just right. The tougher ones

maintain they only need a rash vest and shorts and those that feel the cold will claim that hoods are important.

To be honest we would like to ask people to avoid wearing gloves as much as possible as this encourages some to rest

their hands on fragile surfaces. However, if you plan to do some wreck diving then you might ask your dive leader if gloves

are advisable and we would also recommend that you bring along a full suit for better skin protection.

If your equipment is DIN configured then we would urge you to pack your own adaptor.

Your dive leaders will carry everything with them that is expected but if you have your own computer, flashlight, compass,

knife, surface marker balloon (or other signalling device), whistle etc then do bring those with you as well.

Trips on the dive boats vary considerably in terms of time but it is a good plan to pack into a waterproof bag a towel or

sarong, sun block and sun glasses, a hat and something warm to wear and carry it on the boat with you. If non-divers are

coming as well they might also like to take books to read and snorkelling gear (use at the discretion of the resort staff).

The Philippines electrical supply runs on 220 volts / 60 hertz. Plugs and sockets are usually the two flat blade type but you

may occasionally find some sockets that take two round blades. Adaptors can be purchased here but if you are a bit short for

time then pack an adaptor in your bag prior to departure.

If you are planning to start any diving course you will be required to fill out a medical declaration prior to the commencement

of the course. If you have, or suspect that you have, a condition that may require medical clearance to allow you to dive then

we would urge you to have your personal Doctor or Physician complete a certificate for you prior to departure and bring the

hard copy with you. Not doing so may cause huge disappointment if you are not allowed to dive, equally, finding approval

and clearance from a local Doctor can be expensive and time consuming. The same advice applies to certified divers who

are simply planning fun dives.

Finally, please don’t forget your certification cards and logbook!