Top 10 Reefs in the Philippines
The Philippines occupies the western edge of the Coral Triangle and has approximately 25,000 square kilometres of reef, more than almost any other nation. Its reef diving ranges from the world's most biodiverse remote wilderness — Tubbataha, accessible only by liveaboard — to internationally known sites for specific encounters: thresher sharks at Malapascua, sardine tornadoes at Moalboal, whale sharks at Donsol, and the macro diving benchmark at Anilao. All sites are on the interactive map.
1. Tubbataha Reef, Sulu Sea
Tubbataha is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the middle of the Sulu Sea, 180 kilometres southeast of Puerto Princesa in Palawan, and accessible only by liveaboard during a limited season. The reef system — two separated atolls surrounded by deep ocean — has escaped commercial fishing pressure and hosts sharks, rays, and large fish in numbers rarely seen at accessible sites. Scalloped hammerheads Sphyrna lewini, whale sharks Rhincodon typus, Napoleon wrasse Cheilinus undulatus, and schooling grey reef sharks are resident. Best season: March to June (liveaboard only).
2. Apo Reef Natural Park, Mindoro Strait
Apo Reef is the second-largest contiguous coral reef in the world and the largest in the Philippines, a surface atoll in the Mindoro Strait accessible from Sablayan on Mindoro's west coast. Its remote position and national park protection have preserved reef condition well above Philippine averages. Whale sharks, hammerheads, and large grouper populations are resident. The atoll includes a lighthouse island where camping is permitted for live-aboard and ranger operations. Best season: March to June.
3. Moalboal, Cebu
Moalboal on Cebu's southwestern coast has two well-known diving phenomena: the sardine run at Panagsama Beach, where a tornado of millions of Sardinella lemuru sardines moves constantly through the water column metres from shore, and the population of sea turtles on the house reef. The sardines are accessible by snorkel or scuba. Thresher sharks Alopias pelagicus appear at the nearby Tongo Point wall in early mornings. Best season: Year-round for sardines; December to June for threshers.
4. Anilao, Batangas
Anilao on the Batangas coast south of Manila is considered the birthplace of Philippine scuba diving and is the country's primary destination for macro photography. The volcanic substrate supports extraordinary invertebrate diversity: multiple pygmy seahorse species, frogfish Antennarius sp. in various colour phases, nudibranchs of exceptional variety, and the flamboyant cuttlefish Metasepia pfefferi. More than 60 dive sites are accessible by banca boat from the cluster of resorts on Mabua Point. Best season: January to June.
5. Balicasag Island, Bohol
Balicasag is a small island off Panglao in Bohol, surrounded by a wall that drops sharply from three metres to over forty. The wall is densely colonised by soft corals and sea fans and has some of the strongest populations of Napoleon wrasse and bumphead parrotfish Bolbometopon muricatum in the central Philippines. A marine sanctuary covers the reef around the island. Spinner dolphins Stenella longirostris circle the island regularly. Best season: March to November.
6. Donsol Whale Sharks, Sorsogon
Donsol in Sorsogon Province is the best site in the world for consistent encounters with whale sharks Rhincodon typus in their natural feeding behaviour. The whale sharks — locally known as butanding — aggregate offshore of Donsol from November to June to feed on the plankton bloom produced by river outflow into Oslob Bay. The encounters are managed by the national tourism authority: snorkeling only, no touching, no flash photography. Best season: December to May.
7. Coron Wrecks, Palawan
Coron Bay holds the remnants of a Japanese supply fleet sunk by US Navy aircraft in September 1944 — approximately twelve major vessels lying at depths from seven to forty metres. The wrecks have become artificial reefs colonised by hard and soft corals, with resident populations of lionfish, grouper, and barracuda. The most accessible is the Okikawa Maru at about ten metres on top. The adjacent Coron Bay reef system has healthy coral in several locations. Best season: November to May.
8. El Nido, Palawan
El Nido is primarily known for its dramatic limestone karst scenery but the adjacent reef systems — in the Bacuit Archipelago Marine Reserve — have exceptional hard coral cover in protected lagoons and on the outer reef faces. Dugong Dugong dugon appear on seagrass beds in several lagoons. The muck diving at certain sand-bottom areas produces blue-ringed octopus Hapalochlaena sp. and various rare crustaceans. Best season: November to April.
9. Cabilao, Bohol
Cabilao Island north of Balicasag has a lighthouse reef and several walls with excellent soft coral growth. The primary distinction is its population of thresher sharks Alopias pelagicus that appear at a cleaning station on the northeastern wall in the early morning. The site is less visited than Malapascua and offers a more intimate encounter when conditions align. Hammerhead sharks appear offshore in season. Best season: December to June for threshers.
10. Malapascua, Cebu
Malapascua is a small island north of Cebu and the Philippines' most reliable site for thresher shark Alopias pelagicus encounters. Threshers come to a seamount called Monad Shoal each morning before dawn to be cleaned by cleaner wrasse, rising from deep water to the shoal top at around twenty to thirty metres. The sharks are visible at first light, typically departing by eight a.m. Mantis shrimp Odontodactylus scyllarus and rare seahorse species are found on the sandy bottom of the surrounding area. Best season: November to May for threshers.