Resort Diving

Updated August 13, 2022

This is the one hundred and tenth in a series of reviews of the best scuba diving destinations around the world.  In this post, the focus is on Anguilla. In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving locations and services are reviewed in their own series.  To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Have you ever been diving in Anguilla before?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What dive shop or liveaboard did you use?  Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.?  Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Scuba Diving in Anguilla

Background

The British overseas territory of Anguilla consists of the main island, which is 26 kilometers (16 miles) long and 4.8 kilometers (3 miles) wide, and a number of smaller islands.  It is situated just north of Saint Martin and east of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico.

The archeological record indicates that Amerindians from South America first settled there around 1,300 BC.  There is some controversy about exactly who from Europe and when contact and settlements occurred after that, but it seems fairly clear that the English arrived from St. Kitts in 1650.  It is likely the first of these settlers brought African slaves with them.  The English with a few hiccups maintained control in one form or another until 1980 when Anguilla became a separate UK dependency.

Today the population of 15,000 is 90% black and the national language is English with Anguillian Creole, based on English, the language of the street.  The main island is flat and low lying, the highest point being Crocus Hill at 65 meters (213 feet).  With few natural resources, the economy is based on tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants.

For more demographic, historical, and cultural information on Anguilla, please go here:  Wikipedia – Anguilla

Undersea World

Anguilla has beautiful clear blue water and white coral sands with dozens of dive sites under the protection of 7 marine parks.  The double reef is close to shore and includes mini-walls with marine life typical of Eastern Caribbean reefs.

There is excellent visibility on a healthy reef with a nice variety of hard and soft corals, gorgonians, and sponges.  Marine life includes conchs, lobster, eels, stingrays, eagle rays, tarpon, sharks, turtles, barracuda, pelagics, and an abundance of reef tropicals like angelfish, and grunts.  Migrating whales are also a possibility.

A major attraction is 9 big shipwrecks, many scuttled to become artificial reefs, and some historic, like the 960-ton El Buen Consejo, a Spanish Galleon that rests on the seabed with 29 cannons and 3 anchors,

Seasons and Conditions 

Diving is possible all year in Anguilla.

• Air temperature is always warm with daily averages between 26-29°C (78-84°F) all year.
• Water temperature hits lows in winter of 26°C (79°F) and highs in summer of 29.5°C (85°F).  A 3mm wetsuit is probably the most thermal protection needed when the water is at its coolest.
• The wettest months are September through November.  The possibility of Hurricanes and tropical storms is greatest during that time frame.  The driest month is February.
• Current – Generally the currents are pretty mild but it is possible for stronger currents on some sites.
• Visibility is normally quite good with a range of 10-30 meters (35-100 feet).
• There are sites suitable for all levels of diver. A number of dive shops are located in hotels and others that are separate operations.  Between them, you can find a full range of diving coursework, equipment rental, guiding, and boat cruises.

Caribbean Liveaboard Diving

None of the major liveaboard yachts dive on Anguilla.  There is a liveaboard that cruises nearby St. Kitts.  Here is my review that covers several Caribbean liveaboard locations, and links to the St. Kitts liveaboard:

• Best Caribbean Liveaboard Dive Trips

MV Caribbean Explorer II, St. Kitts Liveaboard – Check the Price

Here are my reviews of eastern Florida and other Caribbean dive locations and liveaboards:

• Scuba Diving in Islamorada Florida
• Scuba Diving on Key West Florida
• Best Scuba Diving Key Largo Florida
• Scuba Diving West Palm Beach Florida
• Ft. Lauderdale Scuba Diving
• Scuba Diving St. Barts
• Scuba Diving St. Eustatius
• Scuba Diving in Saba
• Scuba Diving St Kitts and Nevis
• Best Scuba Diving St. Martin
• Scuba Diving Ambergris Caye Belize
• Best Guadeloupe Scuba Diving
• Anguilla Scuba Diving
• Scuba Diving in Antigua and Barbuda
• Scuba Diving Cuba Best Dive Sites Cuba
• Best Cuba Scuba Diving Liveaboard Jardines de la Reina
• Scuba Diving the Dominican Republic
• Best Scuba Diving Panama
• Banco Chinchorro Diving Mexico
• Scuba Diving Playa Del Carmen
• Scuba Diving Tulum Mexico
• Cozumel Scuba Diving Review
• Scuba Diving Cancun Mexico
• Best Scuba Diving Puerto Rico
• Scuba Diving St Vincent and the Grenadines Review
• St. Lucia Scuba Diving Review
• Turks and Caicos Scuba Diving Review
• Best US Virgin Islands Vacations Scuba Diving
• Best Trinidad and Tobago Vacations Scuba Diving
• Best Caribbean Beach Vacations Curacao Scuba Diving
• Best Caribbean Diving Destinations Aruba
• Best Caribbean Dive Vacations Bonaire
• Best Tropical Island Vacations Dominica Scuba Diving
• Best Caribbean Scuba Diving Los Roques Venezuela
• Barbados Scuba Dive Vacations
• Grenada Scuba Diving Review
• Best Scuba Diving Caribbean – Martinique
• Best British Virgin Island Diving Liveaboard
• Best Bahamas Liveaboard Scuba Vacations
• Best Belize Dive Trips & Cocos Island Diving

Selected Anguilla Dive Sites

Blowing Rock: 12 meters (40 feet) maximum depth, great visibility, rich corals, eels, lobsters, and reef tropicals, barracuda, and reef sharks often sighted, suitable for all levels of diver

Dog Island: 27 meters (90 feet), a couple of sites, Devil’s Wall and West Cay, rich hard and soft corals, interesting macro life in the nooks and crannies, tarpon, sharks, and barracuda often sited, suitable for experienced level divers

MV Catheley H: 15 meters (50 feet), 33-meter (110-foot) boat scuttled to become an artificial reef in 1993, marine life includes encrusting corals and invertebrates, lobster, octopus, eels, stingrays, and bar jacks, suitable for all levels of diver

MV Oosterdiep: 23 meters (75 feet), 150-foot (46-meter) ship built in the Netherlands in 1957, ran aground in Road Bay Harbour, was salvaged then scuttled to become an artificial reef northwest of Meads Bay in 1990, rests on a sandy bottom in a bed of garden eels, lots of Pederson cleaner shrimps, banded coral shrimps, and arrow crabs, other attractions include fireworms, snappers, jacks, and blue tangs, suitable for all levels of diver

Anguillita: 18 meters (60 feet), a small island west of Anguilla, undersea terrain of small walls, marine life includes moray eels, lobsters, and cleaner shrimp, a sandy area has other possibilities like big tarpon, southern stingrays, and eagle rays, suitable for all levels of diver

Sarah: 24 meters (80 feet), 76-meter (250-foot) steel shipwrecked in 1984 during Hurricane Klaus, scuttled to become an artificial reef in 1990, rests upright on a sandy bottom, mostly intact, accessible at 12 meters (40 feet), suitable for all levels of diver

Frenchman Reef: 15 meters (50 feet), a large reef of rock formations, and hard and soft corals in Bedham Bay, attractions include nurse sharks, stingrays, lobster, and barracuda, suitable for all levels of diver

Commerce: 18-24 meters (60-80 feet), 150-foot (46-meter) cargo ship damaged in Hurricane Klaus in 1984 and subsequently scuttled to become an artificial reef, rests on a slope, cargo of old cars, machine parts, and a broken crane remain on the deck, the propeller is intact, the bow rests on the original coral reef, lots of schooling fish and lobsters, suitable for all levels of diver

Things to Do in Anguilla (aside from scuba diving)

The following video is a nice introduction to the relaxed seaside atmosphere, scenic beauty, and culture of Anguilla:

Anguilla Transportation, Hotels, and Diving Services

Transportation

• Air – Clayton J. Lloyd International Airport (AXA) serves this island nation.  Regional carriers connect to Anguilla from San Juan, Puerto Rico.  No direct flights come from Europe or mainland USA.  There are a number of direct flights to nearby St. Martin from the US and Europe.
• Ferries from Marigot in St. Martin to Blowing Point, Anguilla run every 45 minutes starting at 7 am and take 25 minutes
• Fast boats between Blowing Point and Princess Juliana Airport (Sint Maarten) run on a regular schedule and take 30 minutes.
• Taxi service on Anguilla is unmetered with set rates.  Island tours are also offered.
• Rentals – Cars are available to rent from major and local agencies.  Mopeds and bicycles are also for rent.

For more complete details of tourist information, please go here:  Wikivoyage – Anguilla

Hotels and Diving

Lodging options around Anguilla start at $80 and run to $1,250 per night.  There are a number of dive shops in operation with services that include equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides, and boat tours.  Some of the hotels also offer diving.

The website linked below has the details and can arrange a booking for the lodging.  You can easily find the location on the map provided on this site.  Their rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Anguilla Hotels and Resorts

Photography in Anguilla

With the beautiful coral reefs, a variety of fish, macro critters, historic wrecks, and scenic shoreside targets, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed
• Best Waterproof Cameras

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation.  I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and give scuba divers quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Anguilla scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  I’d love to know of any experience you have.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

 
“Archi e Grotte” – Catania, Sicily (courtesy of TripAdvisor)

Updated November 15, 2022

This is the one hundred and twenty-third in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations worldwide.  In this post, the focus is on Sicily. In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard diving locations and services are reviewed in their own series.  To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Have you been diving in Sicily before?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What dive shop or liveaboard did you use?  Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.?  Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Scuba Diving in Sicily

Background

Separated from the boot of Italy by the narrow Strait of Messina, Sicily, along with the minor islands around it, is an autonomous region of Italy with a population of over 5 million.

Settled by humans around 12,000 BC, it has a rich cultural heritage as demonstrated by the many artifacts and historical sites.

Hilly and largely deforested by man, with a Mediterranean climate, it is cultivated where possible and has diverse natural fauna on its 25,711 km2 (9,927 square miles).

There are a number of rivers and several active volcanoes including 3,329-meter (10,922-foot) Mount Etna.

The economy is mixed and diversified featuring industry, agriculture, service, and tourism sectors.

Today the people are bilingual speaking both Sicilian and Italian.

For more demographic, historical, and cultural information, check here:  Wikipedia – Sicily

Undersea World

There is a lot of good diving around the main island and at many of the surrounding islands, as well.

The diversified marine life includes hard and soft corals and large colorful gorgonians and sponges more like what you would expect in tropical areas.

The largely volcanic underwater terrain with black sand in places supports rich macro and fish life that includes a variety of nudibranchs and Spanish dancers, crabs, shrimps, lobster, octopuses, scorpionfish, flying gurnards, conger, and moray eels poking their heads out of nooks and crannies, colorful Mediterranean parrotfish, wrasses, schools of anthias and sea breams, huge 1.2-meter groupers, amberjacks, and vast schools of barracuda.

In most areas, there are not a lot of large pelagics but if you can get to Lampedusa there are sharks, turtles, dolphins, and manta rays possible.

The undersea topography is a special feature of interest. Starting in the southeast, Catania has intriguing volcanic caves.  Moving up the coast to Taormina there is a Marine Protected Area, caves, and a Roman cargo vessel, the Wreck of Columns.  The Messina area has a number of shipwrecks.  On the Aeolian Islands off the northeast coast, the active volcano Stromboli has provided interesting walls and formations.  Moving toward Palermo to the northwest is San Vito Lo Capo with its caves and walls.

The island to the north from there, Ustica, also has interesting walls and formations with masses of fish and huge red gorgonians and colorful sponges. Those are just some of the highlight locations.

There are also interesting sites off the Aegadian Islands to the west, Pantelleria to the south, and in areas along the southern coast and south of Catania in the southeast to Syracuse and further on.

The visibility is great and conditions are suitable for all levels.

Seasons and Conditions

It is possible to dive all year in Sicily.

• Air temperature average daily highs reach 26°C (79°F) in July and August, the warmest months, and only get up to 12°C (54°F) in January and February, the coolest months.
• The water temperature follows the seasons with a range of 15-26°C (59-79°F).  At the warmest, a 3mm wetsuit will likely be sufficient.  In winter a 7mm wetsuit with hood and gloves or drysuit may be suitable.
• The dry season runs from May through August.
• Currents are usually weak to non-existent.
• Visibility is great in the 10-40 meter (35-130 foot) range.

There are sites suitable for all levels of diver.  Dozens of dive shops operate around Sicily, some in or associated with hotels, that offer a full range of diving coursework, equipment rental, guiding, and boat cruises.

For information about cold water gear, please check out my review:

• Best Cold Water Scuba Diving Equipment

Mediterranean Liveaboards

There are no major liveaboard yachts cruising Sicily but there are some to other great Mediterranean sites:

Sadri Usta, Montenegro Liveaboard Adventure Cruise – Check the Price

MV Futura, Croatia Liveaboard Adventure Cruise – Check the Price

Norseman, Tuscan Archipelago Scuba Diving Liveaboard – Check the Price

Fethiye Diving Expeditions, Turkey Scuba Diving Liveaboard – Check the Price

For my reviews of other Mediterranean and Adriatic diving, please check out these posts:

• Scuba Diving Sardinia
• Best Scuba Diving Greece
• Best Scuba Diving Holidays Cyprus
• Montenegro Scuba Diving
• Scuba Diving Croatia
• Best Scuba Diving Malta
• Best Scuba Diving on Crete
• Best Mediterranean Vacations Tuscan Archipelago Liveaboard

Things to Do in Sicily (aside from scuba diving)

Sicily is such a large island with a huge number of historical sites, museums, theaters, and galleries, natural features like volcanoes, islands, and beaches, and fabulous cuisine and food culture, there are just too many things to list.  This video provides a nice glimpse of these to give you a feel for what is in store for you in Sicily.

Sicily Transportation, Hotels, & Diving Services

Transportation

• Air – Sicily’s main airports in Catania (CTA) and Palermo (PMO) both have domestic flights to many locations in Italy and many international flights, as well.  There are also airports in Trapani (TPS), Ragusa/Comiso (CIY), and two minor islands Pantelleria (PNL), and Lampedusa (LMP) that connect to Italy.
• Train – Long-distance trains from Rome, Naples, and Milano cross the Straits of Messina by rail/ferry and continue to Palermo and Catania.  The train network in Sicily is cheap and good.
•  Bus – Long-distance buses link Catania and Palermo with Rome and Naples.  The bus network in Sicily is cheap and extensive.
• Taxis are available at airports, stations, and elsewhere for short-term and longer-term hires.
• Car Rental is an option from a number of agencies.  There are four motorways and the main roads are good.

For further details on transportation and other tourist tips, please go to Wikitravel – Sicily

Hotels and Diving

There are thousands of lodging options in Sicily starting at $13 per night.  Dozens of dive shops are in operation, some within or associated with hotels, offering a full range of services that include equipment rental, diving certification classes, dive guides, and boat tours.

The website linked below has the details and can arrange a booking for the lodging.  You can easily find the location on the map provided on this site.  Their rates are guaranteed to be the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Sicily Lodging

Photography in Sicily

With the colorful gorgonians, sponges, and coral, a variety of fish, macro critters, caves, grouper, wrecks, and scenic shoreside targets, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed
• Best Waterproof Cameras

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation.  I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and give scuba divers quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Sicily scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  I’d love to know of any experience you have.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

Updated August 3, 2022

This is the thirty-first in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations around the world.  In this post, the focus is the San Juan Islands in the U.S. state of Washington.

In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard dive locations and services are reviewed in their own series.  To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards / Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Have you ever been diving on the San Juan Islands before?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What dive shop or liveaboard did you use?  Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.?  Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Scuba Diving San Juan Islands Washington

Location

Situated between the Pacific Northwest (USA) and Vancouver Island (Canada) are the picturesque and serene San Juan Islands.  The archipelago is made up of 172 named islands with a population of 17,000 mostly living on the 4 largest, San Juan, Orcas, Lopez, and Shaw Islands, where the majority of accommodations, services, and activities are located.

Undersea World

The underwater terrain is made up of volcanic and sedimentary materials with a lot of variety in topography.  Large boulders, steep walls, pinnacles, caves, rocks, and ledges are there to explore.

Some areas have a substantial amount of kelp or eelgrass and there are a few man-made areas of interest like pilings and artificial reefs.

The wildlife is equally diverse.  Invertebrate life is rich and includes encrusting corals, hydroids, sponges, barnacles, plumose anemones, sea cucumbers, tube worms, scallops, snails, urchins, shrimp, king crabs, nudibranchs, octopus, squid, and many others displaying in a particularly colorful way.  Lingcod, sea bass, many varieties of rockfish, wolf eels, and greenlings reside near the seabed with sea lions, dolphins, orcas, Dahl’s porpoises, and grey whales often appearing from above.

For my reviews of other Pacific Northwest scuba diving areas, please check out these posts:

• Great Vancouver Island Diving Nanaimo
• Scuba Diving British Columbia – Howe Sound

For more information about Pacific Northwest marine life, please check out my book review:

• Best Scuba Diving Books – Pacific Northwest Marine Life

Seasons and Conditions

The region’s reputation for rain, drizzle, fog, and cloudiness is deserved making an umbrella useful to have on hand.

There are basically two seasons with temperatures moderate year-round.  Summer temperatures reach highs of 79°F (26°C) and lows in winter don’t often go below 46°F (8°C).

Water temperatures have a range of 43-56°F (6-13°C).  Most divers are comfortable in a dry suit and heavy hood.

There is frequently a lot of plankton that nurtures the wildlife but can affect the visibility, which is usually 15 feet (5 meters) or better but can be as good as 80-100 feet (24-30 meters).

For my reviews and information about cold water gear please click on the following post:

• Best Cold Water Scuba Diving Equipment

Selected San Juan Islands Scuba Dive Sites

There are dozens of dive sites that are explored regularly and conditions, underwater terrain, and wildlife are well known.  In such a large area, there are also many locations where there are some gaps in knowledge.  Some sites are prone to strong currents and care needs to be taken to enter at the best time related to tidal flow.  An experienced dive guide is quite valuable and helps ensure safety.  Below is a very small sample of what sites are available for different levels of skill.

Keystone Jetty: shallow, very rich invertebrate site, plumose anemones, octopus, lingcod, kelp greenlings, marine preserve, all levels

Smallpox Bay: sandy bottom to 20 feet (6 meters), with purple starfish, orange sea cucumbers, pink anemones, bull kelp starts just outside the bay, boulders start at 20 feet (6 meters), ledges and caves at 50 feet (15 meters), shrimp, lingcod, swimming scallops, all levels

Sucia Island: rocky walls, boulders, ledges, kelp forests, large schools of rockfish, lingcod, kelp greenling, several varieties of nudibranchs, scallops, starfish, all levels

Turn Island (near San Juan Island): 30 feet (9 meters) near shore with boulders, shelves, brown and bull kelp, descending to 70 feet (21 meters), orange sea cucumbers, Christmas anemones, red urchins, moon jellyfish, lingcod, experienced level

Reuben Tarte Park: white rocky wall close to shore, crevices to a shelf at 35 feet (10 meters), sloping to 60 feet (18 meters), kelp forest, blue starfish, red urchins, giant barnacles, big sea cucumbers, white sponges, yellow striped sea perch, Puget Sound king crabs, Irish lords, lots of small fish, experienced level

Lime Kiln Point: to 100 feet (30 meters), kelp forest, wall, mauve algae, dense invertebrate life, abalones, red urchins, giant barnacles, swimming scallops, giant octopus, rockfish, strong current, advanced level

Turn Point Wall (NW tip of Stuart Island): steep wall to 300 feet (90 meters) at the point, shelf at 60 feet (18 meters), current possible, safest on slack tide, very rich invertebrate life with plumose anemones, colonial sea squirts, nudibranchs, yellow bryozoa, rock scallops, Puget Sound king crabs, Irish lads, decorated warbonnets, longfin sculpins, several varieties of rockfish, advanced level

San Juan Islands Resorts

Getting There

There are several return ferries daily from Anacortes to Friday Harbor that take a little over an hour.  Many ferries run from other locations around Puget Sound to Anacortes and the San Juan Islands.

Anacortes is about 80 miles from both Vancouver, B.C., and Seattle, by the highway.

Diving

There are 3 dive shops in the San Juan Islands area providing diving services and charters:

• Island Dive And Water Sports – Friday Harbor
• Nak Nek Charters & Diving – Friday Harbor
• Anacortes Diving & Supply – Anacortes

For diving operations to the south, these shops  can organize diving charters to the San Juan Islands:

• Washington Divers – Bellingham
• Gone Diving – Bellingham
• Whidbey Island Dive Center – Oak Harbor
• Top To Bottom Inc – Bellingham
• Scuba Supplies – Port Angeles

Housing

There are a few dozen hotels available in Anacortes and Friday Harbor starting at $80/night.  This website can introduce them and arrange a booking:

• Anacortes Hotels Motels
• Friday Harbor Hotels

San Juan Islands Things To Do (aside from scuba diving)

Visitors can take advantage of the natural assets by visiting the forests, pastures, beaches, and the 2,400 foot (727-meter) Mt. Constitution.  Wildlife includes foxes, deer, swans, ducks, hawks, and eagles with grey whales, porpoises, dolphins, and orcas at sea.  Perhaps boating, kayaking, fishing, biking, beachcombing, or a trip to an alpaca farm or lighthouse suits your fancy.

In the quaint small towns are shops, museums, spas, yoga, and restaurants, ranging from fine dining to brewpubs.  If you are on Orcas Island in October, there is the Doe Bay Festival.  There’s quite a lot to do in such an idyllic and relaxing setting.

San Juan Islands Photos

With the dozens of dive sites, macro life, colorful, diverse reef life, lots of fish, and scenic shore-side environment, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of diving cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation.  I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers a quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on San Juan Islands scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  I’d love to know of any experience you have diving there.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

Updated November 18, 2022

This is the sixtieth in a series of reviews of the best dive resort locations worldwide.  In this post, the focus is on Dumaguete, Negros, Philippines.

In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard dive locations and services are reviewed in their own series.  To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Have you ever been diving in Dumaguete before?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What dive shop or liveaboard did you use?  Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.?  Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Best Diving in Dumaguete Philippines

Background

Dumaguete is the capital and with a population of 132,000 the largest city in Negros Oriental Province in the Visayas region of the Philippines.  It has easy access to Cebu and is known for its education, with four universities, and for having a large number of foreign tourists.

Dauin, with 28,000 residents is 19 kilometers (12 miles) to the south along the highway, includes Apo Island, and is where most of the best dive sites and resorts are located.

Undersea World

The dive sites of Dauin and Apo Island are quite distinct from each other.

The Dauin sites mostly run from shore on long sandy slopes and are not classically rich coral reefs.  There are examples of the normal Visayas reef fish including surgeonfish, triggerfish, parrotfish, morays, blennies, gobies, lionfish, trumpetfish, pufferfish, filefish, wrasses, snapper, grouper, and jacks.  What Dauin is known for is muck diving in the sand and debris and among the many artificial reefs.  Divers are interested to find critters like seahorses, ghost pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, nudibranchs, crustaceans, and the like, which are not often seen in other areas.

Apo Island, which is about an hour away by boat, is known for pristine healthy coral reefs rich in hard and soft corals, sponges, and other encrusting invertebrates on a diverse terrain that changes as you go around the island, with steep walls, rocks, and sandy areas.  You can expect to see the same reef fish listed for Dauin, but with a lot more of them.  There are big schools of anthias, fusiliers, jacks, and barracuda, to go along with turtles, reef sharks, the occasional manta ray, and a number of critters finding habitat in the nooks and crannies including big morays, ribbon eels, sea kraits, and nudibranchs.

Dumaguete Liveaboard Diving

These liveaboard yachts also cruise to Dauin and Apo Island.  Check them out here:

• Visayas Liveaboards

For other posts about Philippines diving, please check out these reviews:

• Scuba Diving Romblon Philippines
• Scuba Diving Camiguin Philippines Review
• Scuba Diving Siquijor Island Philippines Review
• Puerto Princesa Scuba Diving Review
• Best Diving Philippines Visayas Liveaboards
• Philippines Moalboal Scuba Diving Review
• Best Liveaboard Scuba Diving Philippines (Malapascua and the Visayas)
• Best Diving Bohol Philippines – Panglao Island Resorts
• Best Liveaboard Diving – Tubbataha Reefs National Park
• Best Coron Wrecks & Apo Reef Liveaboards
• Best Scuba Diving Philippines Subic Bay Wrecks 
• Best Scuba Diving Puerto Galera Philippines
• Best Scuba Diving Holidays Boracay Philippines
• Best Scuba Diving Philippines Sogod Bay
• Philippines Best Diving Mactan Island
• Best Philippines Diving Bacuit Bay El Nido
• Best Scuba Diving Reviews Anda Bohol
• Best Diving Philippines Anilao Batangas
• Best Scuba Diving Resorts Malapascua

Seasons and Conditions

It is always warm with good diving year-round.

Air temperature ranges from 23-35°C (73-95°F).

Water temperatures may hit lows of 25°C (77°F) during the coolest weather in January and February and highs of 30°C (86°F) in the summer.  Most people won’t need any thicker than a 3 mm wetsuit.

The rainiest time is from July to September, but it doesn’t often interrupt diving significantly.

Visibility is usually from 9-12 meters (30-40 feet) in Dauin and 18-30 meters (60-100 feet) around Apo Island. When it rains, visibility decreases some.

Current generally is mild at many sites but can get strong on some.

Diving is available that is suitable for all levels.

There are a number of dive shops providing equipment rental, guiding, boat tours, and coursework for beginners and the already technically proficient. Most dive shops along the Dauin seaside are part of a resort.

Aside from the liveaboards mentioned above, several shops also arrange day trips to locations a little further away like Sumilon, Balicasag, and Siquijor.

A Sampling of Dumaguete Dive Sites

Mainit: 20 meters (65 feet), mainit means hot, a description of the sandy areas too hot to walk on, boulders with coral, anemones, sea stars, schools of fusiliers, surgeonfish, snappers and barracuda, Moorish idols, porcupinefish, scorpionfish, snake eels, stingrays, whitetip reef sharks, dogtooth tuna, strong current possible, all levels

San Miguel Tires: 18 meters (60 feet), a pile of tires placed to create an artificial reef, great macro site, lots of fish, scorpionfish, moray eels, lionfish, pygmy squid, shrimps, crabs, stargazers, nudibranchs, anemones, and clownfish, striated frogfish, all levels

El Dorado Deep: 30 meters (100 feet), shipwrecks and car parts placed to create an artificial reef, muck diving site, frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, ghost pipefish, pygmy seahorses, garden eels, emperor angelfish, also coral reef area with peacock razorfish, soft coral crabs, porcelain crabs, experienced level

Dauin North: 24 meters (80 feet), gentle slope has many macro critters like frogfish, crabs, shrimp, and ghost pipefish, descending to a rich coral reef with barrel sponges, squat lobsters, golden gobies,  anthias, damselfish, blue-ringed octopus, leaf scorpionfish, snappers, barracuda, hawksbill and green turtles, all levels

Masaplod Norte: 24 meters (80 feet), coral reef site with a variety of reef fish, trumpetfish, snappers, garden eels, batfish, flasher wrasse, barracuda, bluefin trevally, green turtles, all levels

Pyramids: 25 meters (81 feet), metal materials placed in a pyramid-like shape to form an artificial reef from 5-24 meters (16-80 feet), grassy area at 5 meters (16 feet), sponges, black corals, many macro critters, variety of shrimps and crabs, thorny seahorses, nudibranchs, experienced level

Apo Island Marine Sanctuary: 25 meters (81 feet), a sloping reef with rich, colorful hard and soft corals and sponges, giant clams, lots of reef fish, angelfish, flounder, black and white snappers, juvenile big eye jacks, turtles, manta rays, all levels

Mamsa Point: mamsa means jack in the local language, reef fish, lionfish, scorpionfish, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, grouper, schools of jacks, tuna and other pelagics possible, possible strong currents, experienced level

Coconut Point: 25 meters (81 feet), large slope with many soft corals, schooling anthias, snappers, jacks and barracuda, bumphead parrotfish, unicornfish, whitetip reef sharks, turtles, called the “washing machine” due to normally strong current, experienced level

Largahan: 20 meters (65 feet), a good macro site with flatworms, nudibranchs, frogfish, scorpionfish, and eels hiding in the coral bommies, geothermal bubbles stream from the black sand, all levels

Chapel: 30 meters (100 feet), gentle slope with coral bommies and a variety of corals, sponges, and sea fans, the slope becomes steeper with overhangs and caverns, butterflyfish, wrasses, damselfish, snappers, barracuda  and tuna, experienced level

Rock Point West: 20 meters (65 feet), slope from 5 meters (16 feet), lots of soft corals in the shallow areas with flatworms and nudibranchs, more hard corals and sponges deeper, groupers, snappers, big schools of jacks, hawksbill turtles, manta and devil rays possible, current possible, all levels

Dumaguete Photos

With the interesting underwater terrain, colorful anemones, sponges, corals, and encrusting invertebrates, nudibranchs, crabs, octopus, cuttlefish, seahorses, and other macro critters, colorful reef fish, schools of jacks and barracuda, turtles, sharks, and fascinating scenery and historical sites on land, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed

Dumaguete Transportation, Dive Shops, & Lodging

Transportation

Dumaguete domestic airport (Sibulan Airport) has daily flights from Manila and Cebu.

Ferries also connect to the nearby islands daily.

Around town very affordable, if not necessarily comfortable tricycles, jeepneys and buses are the primary means of transportation.

Most of the diving is done from the resorts in Dauin about 19 kilometers (12 miles) to the west along the coast out of town.  Your most convenient bet is to arrange a pick-up with your hotel. Rental cars booked online are also an option.

Dive Shops & Lodging

A number of dive shops operate in the Dumaguete area, particularly in or associated with resorts in Dauin.  They are in operation year-round and offer a full range of services including equipment rental, dive courses, guiding, and boat dive cruises.

There are at least 97 accommodations of every level available in Dumaguete and Dauin from $6 to $281 with a number having in-house dive services.  Those that don’t will know who to contact to get you set up.

The website linked below is a good source for the available options and can arrange a booking.  Their rates are the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Dumaguete Resorts

Things to Do in Dumaguete (aside from scuba diving)

Tourists to Dumaguete for scuba diving will likely spend most if not all day around the seaside in Dauin.  If you find the time you can enjoy a walk around Dumaguete to meet some people, do some shopping, or tour Silliman University.  There are scenic locations to visit on day trips that include a volcano, a couple of attractive forest lakes, two scenic waterfalls, and a cave suitable for beginning spelunkers. . . . . . .  Check out the video below for a glimpse.

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation.  I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Dumaguete scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  I’d love to know of any experience you have diving there.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<

Updated August 9, 2022

This is the fifty-third in a series of reviews of the best diving destinations around the world.  In this post, the focus is on Cozumel, Mexico.

In addition to this series on dive resort locations, the best worldwide liveaboard dive locations and services are reviewed in their own series.  To check them out, or others in this series, click on Liveaboards/Resorts on the menu at the top and choose a title from the list.

Have you ever been diving in Cozumel?  If so, I’d love to know about your experience.  What dive shop or liveaboard did you use?  Which dive spots are the best and what are the conditions there regarding the visibility, current, water temperature, sealife attractions, etc.?  Please post your response in the comments section at the bottom and we’ll all learn something we can use.

Best Scuba Diving in Cozumel Mexico

Background

Situated in the Caribbean Sea 19 kilometers (12 miles) off the eastern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico is the 48-kilometer (30-mile) long island of Cozumel.  With a limestone foundation and flat terrain, it has white sand beaches, cenotes (sinkholes), a mangrove forest, and a number of endemic birds and mammals.

Settled in the first century by the Mayas, when the Spanish arrived in 1518 the population was around 10,000.  After a bout with smallpox, that number was reduced to about 350.  Today there are 100,000 living there with 77,000 in the town of San Miguel.

The thriving economy is based on tourism and charter fishing with dozens of hotels and dive shops and over 300 restaurants.

Undersea World

Cozumel has rich colorful reefs with 500 species of fish and 26 coral species.  Most of the diving is done on the west side of the island between the southern tip and San Miguel.  There are sites on the east side that are generally not as rich and some to the north of the island that are not often dived.

85% of the sites are protected by the Cozumel Reefs Marine Park.  Most are easily accessible beginning in shallow water less than 9 meters (30 feet) deep.

The underwater terrain features crevices, swim-throughs, caverns, and some very deep walls that often have drift that can be thrillingly swift.

Brightly colored hard and soft corals, barrel sponges, gorgonians, and coral ribbons provide habitat for lobster, crabs, golden tail eels, spotted morays, damselfish, batfish, seahorses, splendid toads, octopus, and banded cleaner shrimp on the macro side.

Other highlights include yellowtails, angelfish, pufferfish, flounder, sergeant majors, parrotfish, southern stingrays, triggerfish, tangs, snapper, eagle rays, nurse and Caribbean reef sharks and on occasion whale sharks, bull sharks, and hammerheads, along with green and loggerhead turtles that nest from May through September.  Also, there are a number of old wrecks including Spanish galleons.

For reviews of diving in eastern Florida and other Caribbean locations, please check out these posts:

• Scuba Diving in Islamorada Florida
• Scuba Diving on Key West Florida
• Best Scuba Diving Key Largo Florida
• Scuba Diving West Palm Beach Florida
• Ft. Lauderdale Scuba Diving
• Scuba Diving St. Barts
• Scuba Diving St. Eustatius
• Scuba Diving in Saba
• Scuba Diving St Kitts and Nevis
• Best Scuba Diving St. Martin
• Scuba Diving Ambergris Caye Belize
• Best Guadeloupe Scuba Diving
• Anguilla Scuba Diving
• Scuba Diving in Antigua and Barbuda
• Best Scuba Diving Jamaica
• Scuba Diving Cuba Best Dive Sites Cuba
• Best Cuba Scuba Diving Liveaboard Jardines de la Reina
• Scuba Diving the Dominican Republic
• Best Scuba Diving Panama
• Best Cenote Diving Mexico
• Banco Chinchorro Diving Mexico
• Scuba Diving Playa Del Carmen
• Scuba Diving Tulum Mexico
• Scuba Diving Cancun Mexico
• Best Scuba Diving Puerto Rico
• Scuba Diving St Vincent and the Grenadines Review
• St. Lucia Scuba Diving Review
• Turks and Caicos Scuba Diving Review
• Best US Virgin Islands Vacations Scuba Diving
• Best Trinidad and Tobago Vacations Scuba Diving
• Best Caribbean Beach Vacations Curacao Scuba Diving
• Best Caribbean Diving Destinations Aruba
• Best Caribbean Dive Vacations Bonaire
• Best Tropical Island Vacations Dominica Scuba Diving
• Best Caribbean Scuba Diving Los Roques Venezuela
• Barbados Scuba Dive Vacations
• Grenada Scuba Diving Review
• Best Scuba Diving Caribbean – Martinique
• Best British Virgin Island Diving Liveaboard
• Best Bahamas Liveaboard Scuba Vacations
• Best Belize Dive Trips & Cocos Island Diving

Seasons and Conditions

With its tropical savanna climate, diving is possible year-round in Cozumel.

Average daily high temperatures are in the range of 28-33°C (83-91°F).

Water temperatures get up to 32C° (89°F) in the summer months and down to 25°C (78°C) in the winter.  Most divers will only need a 3 mm wetsuit when the water is at its coolest.

It rains quite a bit all year with the driest months from February to April and the wettest in September and October.  Hurricanes are more likely from August through November.

The water is typically quite clear in the 30-meter (100-foot) visibility range.

Currents are variable site to site and season to season, sometimes becoming strong.

That being said, there is diving suitable for all levels.  There are 6 or 7 dozen dive shops in operation on Cozumel that are equipped with a full range of coursework, equipment rental, guiding, and boat cruises to the offshore sites.

Liveaboard Diving

There is not a liveaboard that directly cruises the Cozumel dive sites, but many Caribbean sites are supported by liveaboard diving.  Here is my review that covers a variety of locations and a link to a nearby liveaboard in the Caymans:

• Best Caribbean Liveaboard Dive Trips

 

Cayman Aggressor IV – Check the Price

 

A Sampling of Cozumel Diving Sites

Chankanaab Reef: 9-15 meters (30-50 feet), two sections divided by a sand channel, cracks, holes, and crevices with good macro critters including big lobsters and crabs, octopus, seahorses, moray eels, stonefish, scorpionfish and splendid toadfish, triggerfish, surgeonfish, excellent night dive, all levels

C-53 Wreck Xicotencatl: 24 meters (80 feet), 57-meter (184-foot) WWll era minesweeper, originally the USS Scuffle, sold to the Mexican Navy becoming the Felipe Xicotencatl, scuttled in 2000 to become an artificial reef, sitting upright, intact except for one rudder which sits on the bottom, superstructure reachable at about 8 meters (26 feet), fairly easy penetration, barrel and tube sponges, blennies, starfish, morays, cleaner shrimp, grouper, all levels

Santa Rosa Wall: 15-40 meters (50-130 feet), a steep wall starts at 15 meters (50 feet), ledges, caves, tunnels, huge sponges, fire coral, grouper, turtles, eagle rays, possible strong currents, experienced level

Palancar Gardens: 12-24 meters (40-80 feet), colorful corals, purple and orange sponges, strip reef with crevices and caverns, octopus, banded cleaner shrimp, lots of reef fish including yellow head wrasses, butterflyfish, parrotfish, damselfish, angelfish, current usually mild, all levels

Columbia Wall: 18-27 meters (60-90 feet), drop of from 18-24 meters (60-80 feet), huge coral pinnacles over 20-27 meters (65-90 feet) tall, tunnels, caverns and caves, nurse sharks, big barracuda, eagle rays and turtles, blue tangs, experienced level

Punta Sur: 27-40 meters (90-130 feet), location close to the southern tip exposes the site to winds, surface chop, and potentially strong current, the northern section has Devil’s Throat, a cave formation, the southern section has a cave chamber, The Cathedral, with huge sponges forming a cross in the ceiling of the cave, with light passing through, lots of life including toadfish, eagle rays, and barracuda, deep penetration is possible, advanced level

Maracaibo Wall: 27-48 meters (90-160 feet), southernmost dive site, potential strong current and surface chop, deep wall beginning at 30 meters (100 feet), schooling hammerheads, squadrons of eagle rays, good drift dive for looking at the big stuff, experienced level

 

Cozumel Photos

With the interesting wrecks, colorful corals and encrusting life, gorgonians, macro critters, schools of fish, southern stingrays, Caribbean reef sharks, whales, dolphins, turtles, and fascinating scenes and historical sites on land, as well, there are many excellent photo opportunities.  For information and reviews of dive cameras, click here:

• Best Underwater Cameras Compared and Reviewed
• Best Waterproof Cameras

Cozumel Transportation, Dive Shops, & Lodging

Transportation

Cozumel International Airport has many arrivals throughout the day.

From the airport, there are shuttles and taxi services.

Ferry service is frequent from Playa del Carmen and Cancun.

Bicycles, scooters, mopeds, cars, and jeeps are all for rent.

Cozumel is a major stop for the cruise lines, as well.

Dive Shops & Lodging

At least 65 dive shops are operating on Cozumel providing a full range of services including equipment rental, dive courses, guiding, and boat dive cruises.

Many dozens of hotels and resorts are available from $6 to $390 per night.  Many have in-house dive operations.

The website linked below is a good source for the available options and can arrange the booking.  Their rates are the lowest and it is free to cancel or change dates.

• Cozumel Hotels

Things to Do on Cozumel (aside from scuba diving)

Cozumel exists as a population center due to tourism and is well set up to meet the needs of guests.  If you are looking for something to do to occupy your time when not diving there are quite a few activities related not only to the water but also cultural and nature-oriented land-based recreations.  By sea you can consider dinner cruises, boat tours, sailing on a catamaran, Atlantis submarine tours, dolphin adventure shows, swimming with dolphins and manatees, parasailing, kite surfing, fishing, or a trip to a pearl farm.  By land, you can tour a cacao factory, eco-park, national park, lighthouses, Mayan ruins, or cenotes.  Jeep touring, scooters, bicycles, horseback, and trekking are ways to take in the sights.  Fans of baseball can go see a game in season.  More than 300 restaurants, city tours, shopping, and nightlife are good options for you to get in touch with the local social scene.  Check out the video below for a glimpse of life on Cozumel and a few additional leisure options.

Scuba Diving Trip Insurance

A cushion for emergencies provides peace of mind when on vacation.  I recommend this diving insurance as they have worldwide coverage and provide scuba divers quality insurance and medical assistance service.

Feedback and Comments

I hope you found this post on Cozumel scuba diving interesting and useful. If you have any questions or ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments section.  I’d love to know of any experience you have diving there.  If there is no comments section directly below, click here:  >>comments<<