From October to the end of May is the main scuba diving season in Anilao. July and August can get wicked monsoons. The average temperature ranges between 25C/77F and 32C/90F year-round. The water temperature cools down from December to March and stays between 24C/75-27C/81F and between 28C/82F-29C/84F during the rest of the year. The average visibility is good, around 20m/68ft, and the opportunities for photography are excellent.
What to see
Anilao has a large number of species of hard and soft corals, perhaps more than anywhere else in the world. Reef sharks and barracudas are seen down deep, at dive sites with stronger currents. On very rare occasions divers can see small whale sharks. Most species on the muck and macro diving critter list can be found in Anilao. Shrimp, crabs, nudibranchs, small squid, cuttlefish, frogfish, pipefish, seahorse, mimic and blue-ringed octopus and large schools of Jacks can be seen here. Night dives are especially nice and often reveal unusual creatures like sea hares, sea goblins, catfish, eels, ghost pipe fish, mandarin fish and snake eels.