The Fantastic
FOUR The Philippines offers a wealth of diving opportunities, Richard Smith shares some of his favourites
PHOTOGRAPHS BY DR RICHARD SMITH | WWW.OCEANREALMIMAGES.COM
F
or many years the diving scene in the Philippines played second fiddle to Indonesia, but with many great all-rounder destinations throughout the archipelago, the Philippines is fast becoming the big Asian dive destination of the moment. The diving is extremely varied across the country, attracting divers in search of animals both little and large, stunning coral reefs and great wreck diving. Here I’ll share my four favourite destinations, which are just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what the Philippines has to offer.
ANILAO, SOUTHWEST LUZON ISLAND
Anilao is the Philippines’ answer to Lembeh Strait, where multitudes of fascinating muck diving critters await the sharpest of eyes. There are a plethora of accommodation options all along the richly forested headland, which is just a few hours’ drive from Manila on the island of Luzon. Due to its proximity to the capital, and international airline gateway, it is a great add-on destination for another dive location in the country. Or, of course, it’s a great dive spot in its own right. The dive sites include intriguing soft coral and sponge reefs, black sand and rubble slopes. For the non-initiated diver, this might sound like a terrible collection of sites. In fact, for muck dive aficionados these are some of the richest substrates. Anilao accommodates many of the usual muck dive suspects such as hairy frogfish, seahorses, mandarinfish and even the rarer Rhinopias scorpionfish, Coleman shrimps, mimic octopus and other treats. Anilao and Lembeh Strait are, however, rather different. I have been to Lembeh Strait many times, but in Anilao I saw quite a number of species I had never seen before. One group that seem particularly well represented in Anilao are nudibranchs. I saw many species I had never even heard of beforehand, and many that I’d only seen in pictures. One, Allen’s Ceratosoma (Ceratosoma alleni), I had been hunting for years but never had the fortune of finding. On one dive in Anilao I saw three chomping their way through a glade of the soft corals that they mimic and feed upon. Dives are generally made from local-style outrigger boats, which quickly and easily navigate the waters between the mainland and some of the other sites on neighbouring islands. Night dives are great in the area and offer various highlights, from mandarinfish on the resort’s doorstep to black sand and silty sites that have resident bobbit worms and the like. Muck divers will undoubtedly love Anilao.
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