Scuba diving in Mactan

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Diving in Mactan

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When to go to Mactan

Diving in Mactan isavailable all year-round. The warm season lasts from April to June. The cold season lasts from December to February. The air temperature typically varies from 24-33C/75-91F. The water temperature ranges from 27-30C/80-86F. The average underwater visibility is 20m/66ft. Currents can be strong in some areas.

 

What to see

The marine life on Mactan and the surrounding islands, including the marine sanctuaries, is very colorful and diverse. On all dives divers have a good chance to see groupers, sea snakes, frog fish, barracudas, leaf fish, mandarin fish, scorpion fish, stone fish, blue ribbon eels, nudibranchs, squids, octopus, rainbow runners, puffer fish, clown fish, sweet lips, moray eels, snappers, drummers, harlequin fish, butterfly fish, fusiliers, pipe fish and many others. In the bigger marine sanctuaries there are schooling mackerel and jacks, turtles, sting rays and occasionally big eye trevallies. Some dive spots are home to thresher sharks and hammerhead sharks.

Scuba diving in Mactan

Mactan Island is one of the most popular diving destinations in the Philippines. Mactan-Cebu Airport is located there. Mactan is a coral island, that lies just off the coast of Cebu. Because of its proximity to Cebu City and its international airport, the diving infrastructure of Mactan Island is well developed. The only aquarium attraction in the Visayas is also located on the island. Divers can explore in Mactan drop-offs, deep walls, steep slopes, coral mounts and plateaus, sea grass beds, caves and caverns and even two wrecks.

 

Most popular dive sites

Mactan and the surrounding islands offer excellent shore-based diving and a rich variety of dive sites such as Tambuli, Agus, Marigondon Cave, Talima Marine Sanctuary, The Kontiki Reef, and quite a few more. The depth ranges from 20m/66ft to 60m/197ft depending of the area. Currents can be strong, so not every dive site is suitable for beginners.

Dive centers in Mactan

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