Best Diving Spots in Mactan

Mactan is easily hands down when it comes to diving destinations.  It has breathtaking marine life and sanctuaries. The under the sea life is very diverse and colourful and one of the best reason why divers keep coming back to this island. Mactan offers the best diving facilities and of course different dive sites like deep walls, steep slopes, abysmal drop-offs, beds of sea grass, coral plateaus and mounts, caverns and caves, and even shipwreck sites.

In terms of marine life, you will get an assortment of species such sea snakes, blue ribbon eels, harlequin fish, stone fish, scorpion fish, leaf fish, frog fish, and many others. So if you’re planning to dive in Mactan, here are diving sites where you can find interesting marine creatures:

• Shangri-La Marine Sanctuary – considered as the premier diving site in Mactan which is in the northern east part of the island.  This is the home of lion fish, barracuda, parrot fish, healthy corals, and schools of jacks and silver batfish.  Like many dive sites in Mactan, Shangri-La starts at a shallow depth of 5 meters then progresses up to a 40 meters mark.  It is ideal for all levels of divers. 
• Kontiki House Reef – the best diving site for beginners. You can dive either from the shore or by boat. This diving site is famous for shrimps and crabs which appear during night time. If you want to see reef and steep slopes, this is the dive site to be. 
• Tambuli Reef and Airplane Wreck – this dive site is home to pretty seagrass beds and coral mounts.  There is an artificial reef at the sandy bottom of the reef slope.  According to diving enthusiasts, this is an ideal dive site for photographers if they want spectacular shots. 
• Nalusuan Island Marine Sanctuary – if you want to see blue spotted sting rays, dive in this site and find this creature in the sandy area at a depth between 5-20 meters.  You have to pay a close attention though as this specie of stingray is quite swift and you might not get a glimpse of it under the water. Aside from it, you can also find a huge population of large groupers and tableland of hard corals in this site.  This diving spot is also good for all levels of divers from amateur beginners to expert professionals.  
• Marigondon Cave – this diving site is strictly for the most advanced divers only. Divers are usually dropped off by dive boat meters away from where the cave is situated and divers drift off towards the cave swimming against strong underwater current.  Divers will find lion fish at the cave entrance, and going further deep in the cave, you will see a school of flashlight fish blinking in the dark.  You will also find giant crabs in this diving site.  Nitrox is a highly recommended spot when you dive in the Marigondon Cave.  

Whether you are a novice or professional or with advanced diving skills, you will find different diving sites based on your skills and experience in Mactan. This is why this place is a popular diving destination; it has everything for everybody.