Long celebrated by divers “in the know”, the Philippines is one of the world’s premier scuba diving destinations.
The Philippines was just named the World’s Leading Dive Destination 2025 at the World Travel Awards — its seventh consecutive victory. Beating out heavyweights like Fiji, the Azores, Belize, and the Seychelles, the 7,600-island Philippine archipelago sits unchallenged at the apex of the Coral Triangle — the planet’s undisputed epicenter of marine biodiversity
The Coral Triangle is an area that spans about 6 million square kilometers across six countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands, and Timor-Leste.
The Triangle is home to more than 76 percent of the world’s coral species and more than 2,000 reef fish varieties, making it a hotspot for scuba enthusiasts.
The Philippines itself offers an extraordinary concentration of marine biodiversity, dramatic underwater topography, and an unrivaled variety of dive experiences.
From shark encounters and wartime wrecks to kaleidoscopic coral gardens and muck diving that rivals the best in Indonesia, the Philippines has something for every level of diver.
But beyond the famous diving spots lies a quieter story. It’s a story about fresh, little known destinations still largely untouched by mass tourism. Among them is Catanduanes Island, a rugged, wave-lashed island east of southern Luzon, better known for surfing and typhoons than scuba diving.
Broadly speaking, the Philippines’ reputation as a dive destination rests on both diversity and accessibility. Few places on Earth allow divers to experience thresher sharks at dawn, World War II shipwrecks by noon, and macro critter hunting by dusk — all within a single trip.
Sites like Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site accessible only by liveaboard vessel, showcase pristine reefs and pelagic action on a scale rarely seen anywhere.
Tubbataha is located in the Sulu Sea about 150 kilometers southeast of Puerto Princesa in Palawan. It spans roughly 97,000 hectares, encompassing the North Atoll, South Atoll, and Jessie Beazley Reef, forming a unique atoll system with pristine coral reefs, lagoons, and steep drop-offs.
Coron Bay’s Japanese wrecks attract technical and recreational divers alike, while Anilao, Dauin, and Puerto Galera are globally recognized centers for underwater photography and muck diving, or diving on the ocean bottom rather than on reefs.
Dive tourism is no longer a niche industry. It has become a pillar of the Philippine tourism economy, contributing tens of billions of pesos annually and supporting coastal communities through dive resorts, boat operators, instructors, and marine conservation programs.
Yet even with this growth, large swaths of the archipelago remain unexplored.
Catanduanes Island, renowned for its natural beauty, is one of these. The island is also one of the most biodiverse places on earth. (See “Isle of Abundance: The Biodiversity Jewel of Catanduanes”, Catanduanes Tribune, April 2, 2025.)
Catanduanes Island is located on the Pacific seaboard and is defined by dramatic coastlines, strong currents, and nutrient-rich waters — conditions that often translate into healthy reefs and abundant marine life.
While formal dive tourism on the island is still minimal, local reports and exploratory dives reveal vibrant coral formations, reef fish diversity, and promising macro life, particularly around Virac, San Andres, and less-developed coastal areas.
What Catanduanes lacks in infrastructure, it compensates for with an absence of tourism pressure. Unlike heavily dived destinations, its reefs have not been subjected to decades of daily boat traffic. For adventurous divers, underwater photographers, and operators seeking new frontiers, Catanduanes offers the rare chance to explore reefs that feel genuinely undiscovered and see jackfish swimming together in tight formations for protection and hunting.
Local operators like Catan Divers have mapped more than 20 sites of sprawling hard-coral gardens, lush soft corals, and schools of jacks so thick they blot out the sun. Catan Divers and Fisheye Divers, based in Boracay, reportedly offers PADI — professional diving — courses in Catanduanes.
Divers who visited Catanduanes in 2024 and 2025 came back wide-eyed, comparing certain walls to “Melissa’s Garden in Raja Ampat before Instagram discovered it.”
Melissa’s Garden is a well known dive site in Indonesia.
In Catanduanes, divers often have the entire site to themselves — no bubbles, no fins, just a reef that feels brand-new.
Seasons matter — the island’s exposure to Pacific weather makes timing crucial — but this same exposure also supports pelagic species and dynamic underwater conditions attractive to experienced divers.
In a country recognized as one of the world’s best places to dive, Catanduanes does not need to compete with established giants like Tubbataha or Coron. Instead, it stands as a reminder that one of the Philippines’ greatest strengths lies waiting beneath the surface.
Bryce McIntyre, PhD, resides in San Andres. He holds a doctoral degree from Stanford University in Palo Alto, California,
and obtained his Open Water Diver certification in Hong Kong.