Scuba Diving in Dumaguete
The Ultimate Guide
Dumaguete on the southeast coast of Negros is the jumping‑off point for some of the Philippines’ most diverse diving. Along the nearby town of Dauin, a series of shallow marine sanctuaries and black‑sand slopes hide critters galore: frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, mimic octopus, ghost pipefish, seahorses, pipefish and nudibranchs. Artificial reefs made from car tyres and pyramids provide extra habitat. Offshore, Apo Island’s walls and plateaus burst with hard and soft corals, schooling jacks and barracudas, and friendly green turtles. With day trips to Oslob’s whale sharks or Bais’ dolphin‑watching, and excursions to nearby Siquijor, Dumaguete offers a perfect mix of macro muck diving and classic coral reefs.
Difficulty
Easy
Temperature
26-29°C
Visibility
10-30m
Diving Highlights
Best Months to Dive
Getting to Dumaguete for Diving
✈️Transportation
Fly to Dumaguete’s Sibulan Airport (DGT) via Manila or Cebu; daily flights take about 1½ hours.
From the airport, it’s a 20‑minute taxi ride to Dauin where most dive resorts and shops are located.
Alternatively, take a ferry from Cebu’s Liloan or Bato ports across the Tañon Strait to Sibulan or Dumaguete ports, then drive to Dauin.
Many dive resorts offer transfers and day‑trip boats to Apo Island (about 45 minutes by banca).
Country
Philippines
Currency
Philippine Peso
Electricity
220V, 60Hz, Type A/B plugs
Cost of a Dive Trip in Dumaguete
Day Trip
Dive Resort
Meal
Accommodation
Best Dive Sites in Dumaguete
🐠Apo Island (Chapel & Coconut Point)
Apo Island lies about 25 km off Dauin and is a marine sanctuary famed for its coral walls and abundant marine life. Chapel and Katipanan on the eastern side offer colourful soft corals and lots of turtles, plus schooling jacks and occasional reef sharks. Coconut Point on the northwest is a thrilling drift dive; the reef slope channels strong currents that attract large schools of big‑eye jacks and barracudas, with snappers, groupers and sometimes manta or thresher sharks patrolling in the blue. Shallow areas are perfect for snorkelling and macro photography.
🐢Dauin Sanctuary & Pyramids
The Dauin coastline is dotted with small marine sanctuaries that offer easy shore entries and exceptional macro life. Sites like Poblacion, San Miguel and Masaplod feature gently sloping black‑sand bottoms covered with coral patches, seagrass and artificial structures. The famous “Pyramids” are stacks of concrete blocks and tyres seeded with soft corals; frogfish of all sizes, ornate ghost pipefish, mimic octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish and dozens of nudibranch species call these reefs home. Night dives reveal bobtail squid, stargazers and rare crustaceans. Currents are minimal and depth rarely exceeds 25 m.
🦈Cars Wreck & Ginama
South of Dauin proper, an old jeep and a car were deliberately sunk to create a unique artificial reef. The Cars Wreck sits at around 26 m and attracts batfish, lionfish, schooling snappers and dogtooth tuna. Colourful soft corals and sponges have colonised the vehicles, and macro lovers will find ornate ghost pipefish, frogfish and seahorses hiding among the tyres. Nearby Ginama is a muck dive with sandy slopes, small coral heads and plenty of critters – think wonderpus, mantis shrimp and pygmy squid.
🐙Mainit Hot Springs & Poblacion
Mainit is a unique site where geothermal vents bubble up from the sand at 18 m, warming the surrounding water. It’s a magnet for garden eels, shrimp gobies and sand divers, and the surrounding rubble hosts Coleman shrimp, hairy squat lobsters and tiny frogfish. In contrast, the nearby Poblacion sanctuary (Dauin 1) combines a sloping reef with anemone gardens and seagrass; expect clownfish, pipefish and juvenile batfish among the corals and, in season, juvenile whale sharks cruising the shallows.
🐚Oslob Whale Shark & Sumilon Island (day trip)
Although not strictly in Dumaguete, many dive centres offer day trips across the channel to Oslob on Cebu Island to snorkel or dive with resident whale sharks. After the whale shark encounter, boats often continue to nearby Sumilon Island, where a marine sanctuary features clear turquoise water, steep walls and healthy corals with schools of trevally and occasional blacktip reef sharks.
What Divers Say About Diving in Dumaguete
Alex Thompson
Marine Biologis / DivemasterDumaguete manages to please both critter geeks and reef lovers. The shore diving along Dauin is simply addictive – you shuffle into the warm shallows and immediately find frogfish the size of a fingernail, blue‑ring octopus, harlequin shrimp and flamboyant cuttlefish hiding in the black sand. Even the man‑made tyre pyramids are now thick with life. On the other hand, Apo Island’s drop‑offs look like they’ve been lifted from a BBC documentary: walls covered in gorgonians, schools of big‑eye jacks swirling like tornadoes, and turtles snoozing under ledges. Between dives you can lounge in a hammock with a fresh coconut or take a quick trip to swim with whale sharks in nearby Oslob. Dumaguete combines easy shore entries and chilled island vibes with truly world‑class diving – it’s no wonder many people come for a week and end up staying a month.
Frequently Asked Questions About Diving in Dumaguete
When is the best time to dive in Dumaguete?
The best conditions are during the dry season from May to June when seas are calm and visibility is highest. Other seasons have fewer tourists and can bring cooler water and occasional whale shark sightings.
What marine life can I expect around Dumaguete and Apo Island?
Dauin is famous for macro critters like frogfish, seahorses, mimic octopus, blue‑ring octopus, flamboyant cuttlefish and ghost pipefish. Apo Island adds turtles, schooling jacks, barracudas, reef sharks and colourful coral walls. Whale sharks can be seen seasonally at nearby Oslob and thresher sharks sometimes visit deeper waters.
Is Dumaguete suitable for beginner divers?
Yes. Many of the Dauin shore sites have gentle slopes and little current, perfect for new divers and underwater photographers. Apo Island has shallow reefs but also drift dives like Coconut Point for more experienced divers. Dive guides can choose appropriate sites.
How many dive sites are there around Dumaguete?
There are more than 30 named sites along the Dauin coast plus over a dozen around Apo Island and a handful around nearby Siquijor and Sumilon. Most resorts offer unlimited shore diving on their house reefs and daily boat trips to other sites.
Can I dive with whale sharks in Dumaguete?
Whale sharks are not common in Dauin itself but day trips from Dumaguete to Oslob on Cebu Island (about 90 minutes by boat and road) offer reliable encounters. March to May is the peak season.
What are the water temperatures and visibility like?
Water temperatures are typically 26–29 °C and can drop to 25 °C in January/February. Visibility at Dauin varies from 10–20 m, while Apo Island usually offers 15–30 m.
What else can I do in Dumaguete besides diving?
Visit the colonial boulevard and cafés of Dumaguete City, tour the waterfalls and hot springs of Valencia, take a boat to Siquijor’s white‑sand beaches, or explore the famous sandbar of Manjuyod. Don’t miss tasting local delicacies like silvanas and budbud.