Reef
down to 25 m
Agahuta
A gentle reef slope with low current, averaging around 10 m, listed for marine biology and photography.
- Open Water
Anilao
Diving in Philippines
22 documented dive sites, 13 of them for Open Water divers. Known for turtles, crustaceans and cuttlefish.
- Best months
- Nov–Dec, Apr–May
- Water
- 22–30 °C
- Levels
- Open Water, Advanced, Experienced, Technical
When to go
Pick a month: the diving season, from published sources, and the typical weather.
Pick a month
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Anilao in October
Good season- Sea
- 29 °C
- at the surface
- Air
- 30 °C
- 26 °C at night
- Rain
- 390 mm
- one of the wettest months
- Wind
- 10 km/h
- on average
Typical weather, not a forecast: averages for 2021–2025 (air, rain, wind) and 2023–2025 (sea), data from Open-Meteo (ERA5 / Copernicus, Météo-France). Covers an area of roughly 10 to 25 km around the destination.
Diveable year-round. Main season Oct to early June; best Nov/Dec and Apr/May (Bluewater). Jan–Mar cooler but considered great for critters. Jul–Sep monsoon/wet season: sites stay accessible, shown as possible. underwaterasia.info gives Feb–May as best; Zublu says best Oct–May.
Dive sites in Anilao
From the easiest to the most demanding. Levels with a dashed outline are estimates we are still verifying.
Open Water friendly
usual dive down to 18 m13 sitesMacro
down to 5 m
Anilao Pier
A classic Anilao night dive under pilings covered in sea squirts and sponges, with frogfish, seahorses, cuttlefish and the odd mimic octopus.
- Open Water
- Cuttlefish
Wall
down to 18 m
Batalan Rock
A wall and reef dive with low current and a maximum depth of 18 m.
- Open Water
Wall
down to 20 m
Mato Point
A critter-rich slope and rock at the tip of Anilao bay with octopus, frogfish, crustaceans, nudibranchs and ghost pipefish.
- Open Water
- Frogfish
Pinnacle
down to 18 m
Arthur's Rock
A submerged pinnacle surrounded by sand, draped in soft corals and gorgonians, where jacks, trevally and barracuda gather.
- Open Water
- Barracuda
Reef
down to 40 m
Twin Rocks
Well-preserved reef with large corals and sponges, schooling snapper and a resident school of trevally.
- Open Water
- Trevally
Macro
down to 11 m
Blue Ribbon House Reef
An 11 m house reef just in front of the resort with nudibranchs, clownfish and cleaner shrimp, good for practising macro photography.
- Open Water
- Nudibranchs
Muck
down to 18 m
Koala
A sandy rubble slope nicknamed Critter Capital, where photographers look for wonderpus, harlequin shrimp and rhinopias.
- Open Water
- Harlequin shrimp
Muck
down to 18 m
Basura
- Open Water
- Frogfish
For Advanced divers
usual dive down to 30 m6 sitesWall
down to 30 m
Sombrero Island
Hat-shaped island of valleys and pillars mixing macro life and reef fish, with turtles and eagle rays passing by.
- Advanced
- Manta rays
Pinnacle
down to 30 m
Beatrice Rock
- Advanced
- Anthias
Pinnacle
down to 25 m
Cathedral Rock
- Advanced
- Bamboo sharks
Wreck
down to 30 m
Dari-Laut
A sunken wreck at about 25-30 m surrounded by Anilao macro life, with nudibranchs almost everywhere.
- Advanced
- Nudibranchs
Muck
down to 22 m
Secret Bay
- Advanced
- Blue-ringed octopus
For experienced divers
usual dive down to 40 m2 sitesReef
down to 60 m
Mainit Point
- Experienced
- Whitetip reef sharks
Technical and specialty dives
1 siteMarine life
When the big encounters happen, month by month.
| Species | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CuttlefishSource: blueribbondivers.com | ||||||||||||
| FrogfishSource: blueribbondivers.com | ||||||||||||
| NudibranchsSource: blueribbondivers.com |
- Peak season
- Seen
Cuttlefish: All year. Frogfish: All year. Nudibranchs: All year
Also reported here, season not documented yet:
- Turtles
- Crustaceans
- Ghost pipefish
- Mandarinfish
- Pygmy seahorses
- Seahorses
- Squid
- Whitetip reef sharks
- Barracuda
- Blue-ringed octopus
- Mimic octopus
- Scorpionfish
Where is Anilao?
Anilao: frequently asked questions
- When is the best time to dive Anilao?
- The best months to dive Anilao are Nov–Dec, Apr–May. Diveable year-round. Main season Oct to early June; best Nov/Dec and Apr/May (Bluewater). Jan–Mar cooler but considered great for critters. Jul–Sep monsoon/wet season: sites stay accessible, shown as possible. underwaterasia.info gives Feb–May as best; Zublu says best Oct–May.
- Is Anilao good for beginner divers?
- Yes, partly: 13 of the 22 dive sites we document are suited to Open Water divers, including Agahuta, Anilao Pier and Aquaventure House Reef. The others need more experience or a higher certification.
- What is the water temperature in Anilao?
- The water is usually between 22 °C and 30 °C over the year.
- What marine life can you see in Anilao?
- Divers regularly see turtles, crustaceans, cuttlefish (all year), frogfish (all year), ghost pipefish and mandarinfish.
About this page
Seasons and marine life come from the sources below. Site levels and depths marked as estimated come from our original catalogue and are being checked one by one. Conditions change: always confirm with a local dive centre.
Your next dive is somewhere out there.
Find my next dive tripPhoto credits
- Sunlight and bubbles in deep blue water, Sarah Lee, Unsplash License, on Unsplash