Bohol Island Diving Review

Bohol is now becoming increasingly famous in the scuba diving community. Indeed, the diving there is really interesting and varied. This destination is great for many things like the Coral, the numerous Pelagic fishes and Reef Sharks you can encounter as well as for superb wall dives.

If you are lucky, you can even observe schooling Hammerheads Sharks!

Most of the dive sites are located within a short boat distance of Bohol on the nearby Islands. The main and best spots are:

Cabilao Island

As it is located about 2 hours away from Bohol, This is a full day trip. This place is really great for wall diving with great chances to spot many pelagic fishes like Barracudas, Dogtooth Tunas and Giant Trevallies! You can also stay on the island in basic accommodation, perfect to plan a few night dives for great underwater macro pictures opportunities ;-).

From December to June, you may have the chance to see schools of hundreds of Hammerheads Sharks! The best time to spot them is just after sunrise or just before sunset.

Balicasag

Balicasag is a really beautiful small Island now declared as a Marine Sanctuary. It features superb Coral, healthy Reefs with a teeming reef life. There is also a resort on the island if you want to stay on it. It is also a very good snorkelling spot!

Pamilacan

The visibility is usually excellent around Pamilacan. The hard and soft Coral is really beautiful. It is a great place to see the gentle giants Manta Rays! You can also spot there lots of Pelagic fishes such as Barracudas, Dogtooth Tunas and Jacks. Pamilacan is famous to see Dolphins and Whales too ;-).

Panglao Island (Alona Beach)

It is a great place for critters and underwater macro photography. You can see there Ghost pipefishes and the weird looking Frogfish.

In this page you will find more detailed information about scuba diving in Bohol Island.

Dive Summary

Water Temperature: 27°C on average. Ranging between 25°C and 30°C.

Currents: Very gentle in most of the local dive sites making it ideal for training. It can be very strong in the channels between the Islands.

Visibility: Average around 10m to 20m. The visibility can go up to 30m on offshore dive sites.

Best time to Dive in Bohol Island

Diving Season

You can dive around Bohol all year round. The visibility is usually reduced during the rainy season that runs from July to September. There are usually short heavy rains but these don’t prevent any diving.

The Best time to see the Hammerhead Sharks around Cabilao Island is from December to June.

Snorkelling in Bohol Island

There are excellent snorkelling possibilities around the archipelago. You can easily snorkel just in front of the main beaches but be careful of the boats. The best way is to charter a boat for a Snorkelling day tour which will take you to best Snorkelling spots around Bohol ;-).

Travel Guide

Now that you know all about the underwater world, you might want to start planning your scuba holiday! Check out our Bohol Island Travel Review for information about how to get there, activities and excursions, where to stay, and more.