Magic Oceans Resort

The island of Bohol offers options to explore both above and below the water. The western side of the island is known for its steep wall dives and is home to the dive sites of Alona Beach and the islands of Panglao, Balicasag and Pamilacan. In recent years, the south-eastern region of Anda has come to prominence amongst discerning divers, offering exceptional biodiversity and quality dive sites away from the more touristed eastern region.

Diving Experience

Learning to dive

Bohol’s warm waters make a pleasant destination to learn to dive, with a full range of courses available.  

Qualified divers

Bohol's impressive hard and soft coral gardens create an excellent underwater world for divers. The region also offers dive sites more open to currents. This combination of coral gardens, walls and drift dives therefore offers something to divers of all experience. The eastern side of Bohol in particular is known for its exceptional biodiversity, notably smaller, rarer marine life, with whale shark encounters also possible. 

Diving Highlights

Anda

Anda, on the eastern side of Bohol, is something of a hidden gem for divers. The area is less crowded than other parts of Bohol, making it a perfect place to escape the crowds and enjoy the amazing biodiversity of the local reef life.  Anda’s coastline stretches for around 17 kilometres and offers 28 local dive sites to enjoy. Habitats include muck diving sites, coral covered walls, sandy slopes, small caves and mangroves. Day trips to dive sites farther afield are also possible. 

Divers in Anda can expect to see a wide variety of marine life, including frogfish, ghost pipefish, sea snakes, black corals, turtles, barracuda, and eagle rays. Pygmy seahorse can be found on a number of the local dive sites, while a wide range of nudibranchs are also regularly encountered. The area sees the occasional manta ray, with whale sharks also seen reasonably regularly.  

For those not lucky enough to see a whale shark on a local dive, half day excursions are offered to dive or snorkel with whale sharks at a hotspot around one hours’ drive from Anda. 

Balicasag Island & Marine Sanctuary

Balicasag lies to the west of Bohol Island and has become a famous dive site, renowned for its dramatic coral walls. The island is most famous for encounters with turtles, however jacks, mackerel and barracudas are also seen in abundance. To manage visitor numbers, this area is a marine protected area, allowing two dives per day only with valid permits.

Pamilacan Island

Lying a 40-minute boat ride from Panglao in eastern Bohol, this area can offer amazing diving with thrilling drift dives and offers a good chance to encounter larger, current-loving pelagic species. There's a chance of spotting manta rays and whale shark between November to April with some luck as you cruise across the beautiful coral gardens. 

Things to do in Bohol

Topside

The Chocolate Hills are an unusual geological phenomena of grass covered limestone conical hills that turn brown in the dry season, hence the name, but can of course be visited year-round. Hundreds of them are scattered across Bohol, and they've become a signature attraction of the Philippines. 

Terrestrial wildlife

At only seven centimetres tall, if you spot a tarsier monkey in the wild, ensure you take a picture and let us know! This species is indigenous to the Philippines and mostly sighted nocturnally in Bohol's lush forests. For those with less patience or time, trips to a sanctuary may also be arranged.

Getting there

The island of Bohol can be reached by fast ferry from Cebu, or via a domestic flight from the Philippine's capital, Manila. The fast ferry from Cebu City takes you to Tagbilaran in around two hours, with the onward transfer to your resort by road. 

Flight connections to Cebu are offered by Singapore Airlines, Emirates and Cathay Pacific, with numerous airlines offering flights to Manila. 

Depending on flight arrival times, it may be advisable to overnight in either Cebu or Manila before continuing your journey. Please speak to the Regaldive team to plan your adventure. 

Diving Seasons

The Visayas area of the Philippines, including the island of Bohol, can be dived all year. The most pleasant months for diving are from December through to April, with less humidity and consistent sunny days. Outside these months, the area tends to have higher humidity and more changeable weather, but the diving experience remains exceptional. 

Twin-centre diving

Diving in Bohol combines wonderfully with other areas in the Visayas region. Regaldive recommends pairing the Anda region of Bohol with Moalboal for an outstanding twin centre experience, while a ferry connection to Dumaguete makes for a highly enjoyable island-hopping adventure.  

Extended island hopping itineraries involving three or more locations can also be arranged. Please speak to the friendly Regaldive team to create your perfect Philippines’s diving holiday. 

Dive Packs

We recommend that you book your dive packs with Regaldive prior to departure, in order to secure your diving or course and so that the dive centre is expecting you. Magic Oceans Resort provides two morning boat dives each day, and an optional third dive in the afternoon. Night dives can be arranged with the dive centre upon request, while guided house reef diving is also available. Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your requirements. 

Both DIN and INT 12L tanks are available, as well as Nitrox. 

Dive Courses

A full range of courses, daily boat and shore diving are available at Magic Oceans Dive Centre. The 30+ dive sites along the Anda coastline and beyond are varied and suitable for divers of all abilities. Snorkellers are also welcome. 

Extras in Resort

Prices listed below are an indication only, and subject to change. 

• Marine Park Fees
• Full equipment including computer
• Divers with DIN regulators should take their own adaptor 
• Nitrox fills

You will be requested to fill out a dive medical questionnaire. If you have any pre-existing condition that may affect your diving, please ensure you travel with a fit-to-dive certificate, valid within the last 12 months. Please note that not all localities will have access to a specialist diving medic close by for you to be assessed before diving. 

The Philippines is an island nation located in South East Asia with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine archipelago comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. These islands are home to spectacular scenery, pristine beaches, incredible sights and lively cities. Dramatic drop offs, wrecks, caves and a richly varied marine life also guarantee fabulous diving. Combined with the renowned Philippine hospitality and warmth, an unforgettable dive holiday awaits.

You will find a true blend of cultures; the people are generally of Malay descent, but Philippine history has introduced Chinese, Spanish and American elements as well. The Philippines is a predominantly Christian country where eight out of ten Filipinos are practising Catholics. Filipino hospitality is legendary and the Philippines is the fiesta nation of Asia. Fiestas celebrate harvests, births and victories, as well as religious events. The Filipinos like to party and celebrations are found in every ethnic group and may be large regional events or small local happenings.

Resorts have been hand picked, not only for their comfort and surrounding scenery but most importantly, for their proximity to incredible dives sites. Whilst out of the water guests can relax on some of the best beaches in the world, enjoy the local markets, festivals and sights or even spend a night in the exciting and bustling Manila or more laid back Cebu.

As the Philippines is a strong Catholic nation, festive holidays such as Easter are very busy. Either book well in advance, or avoid the main religious holiday periods where possible.

Climate

The climate of The Philippines can broadly be described as hot and tropical. Most people visit The Philippines during the dry season. However, many regular visitors attest that the best time to visit is during the wet season and that the proliferation and variety of marine life is the best in June, July and August.

Dry season: December to May

Wet season: June to November

During the dry season, easterly winds prevail and air temperature is in high 20s to mid-30s°C. February to May are generally the hottest. Wet season winds are from the west, with air temperature in mid to high 20s°C. You can often strike lucky and have weeks of brilliant blue skies and unlimited sunshine. On the other hand, the rains, when they come, are impressive and prolonged. There are few rivers, so run off and its effect on water visibility is not generally a problem.

Please note that the Philippines is a large country and has many climatic variations from east to west and south to north.

Best underwater visibility: April to July

Water temperature average: 24–30°C

Time

8 hours ahead of GMT.

Language

Filipino is Officially the national language of The Philippines. This language is based on Tagalog which is the most widely used of the 70 plus dialects used within the country. English is also prevalent throughout the country, especially in tourist destinations. English is also widely used as the medium for education, communication and business. Eight major dialects spoken by majority of the Filipinos: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense.

Currency

The unit of currency is the Philippine Peso (PHP). The US dollar is the most widely recognised foreign currency. Euros & GBP are also readily exchanged.

The majority of larger towns have ATMs, however, facilities for money withdrawal or changing are far less widespread away from the main centres of population. There are bank machines at the airport.

Tipping

Tipping is expected for many services. The standard is 10% of the total bill or optional where there is a 10% service charge.

Flight Information

Regaldive can offer packages to the Philippines on a number of different airlines.

London - Manila: Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines and KLM all fly via their national hubs.

London - Cebu: Singapore Airlines via Singapore; Emirates via Dubai; Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong.

Carry-On Luggage Restriction:

Philippines Office for Transportation Security rules include 'Scuba Diving Equipment' (including regulators) on the list of blunt instruments that are not to be in carry-on/cabin baggage on flights originating within the Philippines. Please ensure that all scuba equipment is secured within checked-in baggage on all domestic flights and on all departing international flights.

Internal flights:
Manila - Cebu: Multiple daily flights
Manila - Busuanga: 2 flights daily
Manila - Dumaguete: 2 flights daily

Transfers

Whichever island you are staying on, you are met at the airport/ferry port and transferred to your resort. Whether by flight, jeepney or banca boat, there are fantastic sights to enjoy on your journey there and back. Although some transfer can take up to a whole day, most clients pass feedback that this was a very interesting part of their overall trip.

The below information is to give you a general idea of transfer times between regions; actual transfer times may differ slightly according to individual arrangements and ferry timetables, tides etc.:

Cebu - Bohol / Panglao / Cabilao: 3 to 4 hours by vehicle, ferry, vehicle

Dumaguete - Bohol / Panglao / Cabilao: 3 hours by hotel shuttle, ferry and vehicle or 3 to 4 hours by Outrigger conditions permitting.

Visas

Entry requirements vary from country to country, and it’s important to check the latest visa information well before you travel. Some destinations may allow visa-free entry for a limited period, while others require an eVisa or a visa obtained in advance. To ensure you have the correct documentation for your trip, we recommend checking the official advice from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or contacting the relevant country’s embassy or consulate. Other nationalities should check with their own consulate/embassy.

Passports

Before you travel, make sure your passport is valid for the full duration of your trip and meets the entry requirements of your destination. Many countries require at least six months’ validity beyond your planned return date, while others may have different rules. For the most reliable and up-to-date information, visit the UK Government’s passport guidance or the official travel advice pages for your destination. Other nationalities should check with their own consulate/embassy.

If you’re planning to travel to or via an EU country (with certain exceptions) your UK passport must meet two key requirements, it must be less than 10 years old on the day you enter the country and it must be valid for at least three months after your planned departure date.

Vaccinations & Health Advice

Health and vaccination requirements differ depending on where you're travelling. Some destinations may require proof of specific vaccinations or recommend certain precautions to protect your wellbeing.

We’re not qualified to provide you with specific advice on vaccinations and strongly recommend that you contact your healthcare professional before you travel to discuss the inoculations you may need to consider.

For trusted guidance on health and vaccination advice, refer to the NHS Travel Vaccination Advice, Masta Travel Health or Travel Health Pro websites.