In 2005, two ichthyologists, Kent Carpenter and Victor Springer, overlapped the distribution areas of 2,983 coastal fish species. Their diversity peak was in the center of the Philippines. Anilao, on the coast of Mabini, in the province of Batangas, faces this area.
Our old page promised whale sharks, manta rays, and even a school of thirty whale sharks at sunrise. No serious source describes Anilao this way. So we redid everything with our usual framework: level, current, season, supervision, and fallback plan.
Why does Anilao attract macro divers?
Anilao mainly attracts photographers of small fauna. The centers in Mabini emphasize macro diving and muck diving, which involves slowly searching sandy or muddy bottoms for nudibranchs, shrimps, and other organisms a few centimeters in size. Large pelagics are not the site’s selling point.
The Philippine press cites nudibranchs among the riches of the Verde Island Passage, which borders the coast of Mabini. But a species list guarantees no encounter. Muck diving requires fine buoyancy control, because a fin kick stirs up the mud and erases the scene for the entire dive group. You spend long minutes almost motionless, just a few centimeters from the bottom. If this adjustment still gives you trouble, reread our guide on diving weights and buoyancy balance before you go. The photographer next to you will thank you.
Anilao is chosen to look small and slow.
Also keep your hands away from the bottom and animals, even to steady your camera, for the reasons detailed in our article on why you should never touch marine life.
What do studies say about the Verde Island Passage?
They place the region at the global top for coastal fish diversity. The study by Carpenter and Springer, published in 2005 in Environmental Biology of Fishes, situates a marine biodiversity peak in the center of the Philippine archipelago, with more species per unit area than in Indonesia, including Wallacea.
The Verde Island Passage separates Luzon from Mindoro. According to the Inquirer (2018), it covers 1.14 million hectares spread over five provinces, including Batangas, more than 100 kilometers south of Manila. Mongabay, in December 2023, reported 1,736 marine species recorded in a single 10-kilometer square. This figure is cited cautiously. It comes from scientific surveys and says nothing about what you will see in a week of vacation.
Yet this richness is on a very busy maritime route.
At the end of February 2023, the tanker MT Princess Empress sank in this passage with about 900,000 liters of industrial fuel oil on board, according to Mongabay. The shipwreck affected the area itself. For a diver, the lesson is simple: a reef rich on paper still needs to be verified at the time of your trip, with the center that dives there weekly.
If corals interest you as much as small fauna, our file on black coral explains why some colonies grow so slowly.
What level and current to expect in Anilao?
No official source consulted sets a minimum level for Anilao. The level depends on the site, and especially on the current. The Verde Island Passage is a strait between Luzon and Mindoro, and a strait concentrates tidal currents, which can make a calm site in the morning much more demanding in the afternoon.
For what level? The question changes your decision here. A Level 1 or beginner Open Water can find things to do on gentle slopes and sandy bottoms, provided the center adapts the site to the announced current. However, a drift dive on an exposed wall requires autonomy, a surface buoy, and a boat following the group. So ask the center which sites they reserve for beginners and from what current they change the program.
And clear water says nothing about the current.
Regarding supervision, no center is recommended, due to lack of official registry consulted for Mabini. Ask the same questions everywhere: number of divers per guide, support boat, oxygen on board, and procedure in case of drift. If you have never deployed a safety sausage, practice before the trip.
| Criterion | What is known (sourced) | What you ask the center |
|---|---|---|
| Level | No official minimum found | Sites reserved for beginners, number of divers per guide |
| Current | Strait between Luzon and Mindoro | Current from which the site changes |
| Season | 20 cyclones per year on average in the PAGASA area, peak from July to October | Cancellation and rescheduling conditions for weather |
| Supervision | No official register consulted | Guide, support boat, oxygen on board |
| Fallback plan | Impossible to decide from here | Emergency sheltered site, nearest chamber, evacuation |
The same framework is used for Sipadan, in Malaysia, or for Padang Bai, in Bali, if you compare several Asian destinations. And if you stay in the Philippines, our file on diving in Palawan, between Coron and Tubbataha applies the same framework to wrecks and cruises.
Which season to choose facing typhoons?
No season eliminates the risk, but PAGASA statistics, the Philippine weather service, help reduce it. It counts on average 20 tropical cyclones per year in its monitoring area, of which 8 or 9 cross the country, and places the peak from July to October, when nearly 70% of typhoons form.
In short, from July to October, allow for some margin.
Our old page announced maximum visibility from March to June and whale sharks during this period. We removed these two statements due to lack of source. Visibility varies with rain, plankton, and tides, and no dated range was found for Anilao. Impossible to decide from here. Yet a cyclone passing offshore can be enough to cancel outings, and the decision is up to the center on the day. So keep at least one buffer day before your return flight, which also serves to respect the no-fly time after your last dives.
This buffer costs a hotel night. It prevents you from boarding a plane just after a series of dives or missing your flight because the road to Manila is cut off.
What formalities and fees to expect before leaving?
Plan for eTravel registration and local fees. The eTravel registration is free and must be done within 72 hours before your arrival in the Philippines, according to the official FAQ consulted on October 3, 2026. For Mabini fees, the last published amount found dates back to 2018.
In September 2018, the Inquirer reported a tax of 200 pesos per diver, of which 50 were returned to the neighboring municipality of Tingloy. The town hall had just added 50 pesos of environmental fees per visitor to finance waste management and resource restoration. The resort owners’ association opposed this. These amounts may have changed. Ask the center, in writing, the total of site and municipality fees included or not in your package.
There remains the hyperbaric chamber, the point we could not verify.
No official source consulted provides an up-to-date list of recompression chambers accessible from Anilao. So, before booking, ask the center where the nearest chamber is, how long evacuation takes, if oxygen is on board, and if your insurance covers the transfer. A vague answer weighs more than a nice nudibranch photo.
A stay in August, without a buffer day, without an answer on the chamber, and with a package with unclear fees costs little to book and much to catch up. Would you book it like that?
FAQ
Can you see whale sharks in Anilao?
No serious source consulted presents Anilao as a whale shark site. Our old page claimed it, we removed it. Anilao is chosen for macro and muck diving.
When to avoid Anilao because of typhoons?
PAGASA places the typhoon peak from July to October, the period when nearly 70% of them form. The risk exists the rest of the year. If you go during this period, plan buffer days.
Is eTravel registration required to dive in the Philippines?
Yes, travelers entering the Philippines must register on eTravel. The process is free and must be done within 72 hours before arrival, according to the official FAQ consulted on October 3, 2026. Beware of sites that charge for it.
Can a beginner dive in Anilao?
No official minimum level has been found. The center chooses the site according to your level and the current of the day. Ask them which sites they reserve for beginners and what they plan if the current strengthens.
Sources
- The center of the center of marine shore fish biodiversity: the Philippine Islands (Carpenter and Springer, Environmental Biology of Fishes, 2005)
- Tropical Cyclone Information (PAGASA, accessed in 2026)
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