Open Water Courses
Lying in the heart of the Visayas, Bohol offers its visitors a chance to explore its culture, amazing nature and lots of interesting historical spots. Bohol is a home to the exotic Chocolate Hills, pristine beaches, hidden coves, friendly people and fantastic dive sites. The most popular diving destinations of Bohol are Balicasag Island, Pamilacan Island, Panglao Island and Cabilao Island, all are superb diving spots of the province are rated among the best in the world. Furthermore, the crystal clear waters provide good water visibility and the white sandy beaches attract lots of snorkelers. To the north of Bohol located the only double barrier reef in the Philippines that is a home to a great variety of marine creatures.
Bohol Islands offer some of the richest diversity of dive sites in the Philippines boasting some great walls and nice caves. The sites that are among the best in the area include South Point, Black Forest, Dap Dap, Rudy's Rock, Gorgonia Wall, Cambaquiz.
Diving in Bohol is possible year-round. The rainy season is typically marked by short heavy rains but they don’t prevent any diving. The water temperature stays around 27C/33F on average. The average visibility is around 10-20m/32-65ft although it can go up to 30m/98ft on offshore dive sites. The visibility is usually reduced during the rainy season that runs from July to September. Currents are very gentle in most of the local dive sites making it ideal for training. Divers should keep in mind that currents can become very strong in the channels between the Islands.
What to see
The diverse marine life here includes hard coral, sponges and gorgonians as well as jacks, mackerel, barracudas, sea fans, lionfish, scorpion fish and other colored reef fish. It is also possible to see dolphins and pilot whales from the distance. Whale watching season runs during the months of March through June. December and January is when it is possible to find hammerhead sharks and sometimes even whale sharks.