Dauin, Apo Island & Bohol – Philippines

This region joins two Visayan dive areas. On the Negros Oriental coast, Dauin offers shore-accessible black-sand muck diving with frogfish, octopus and other critters, and is the usual base for day trips to Apo Island, a volcanic island with a community-run marine sanctuary created in 1982, known for turtles and drift walls. Across the Bohol Sea, Bohol is dived from Panglao (Alona Beach): Balicasag Island is a marine sanctuary with walls, turtles and big jack schools, Pamilacan is more pelagic and current-swept, Doljo Point is a deep wall, and Cabilao on the west coast has gorgonian walls and macro. Apo Island and Balicasag charge conservation fees that dive operators usually collect, often in cash; amounts differ by source and over time, so confirm before you go.

Facts

• Best season: Dry season roughly November/December–May: calm seas, visibility to 25–40 m offshore. Frogfish juveniles peak February–May in Dauin; whale sharks transit the Bohol Sea December–March; mantas at Pamilacan April–June (not guaranteed).
• Water temperature: About 26–30 °C (typically 27–29 °C); 3 mm wetsuit is usually enough
• Visibility: Muck sites typically 8–15 m (up to 25 m on Dauin reefs); Apo and Balicasag 15–35 m in the dry season, 10–20 m in the wet
• Currents: Dauin muck: none to mild. Apo Island: strong and unpredictable at the north (Coconut Point, Mamsa), gentler in the southeast sanctuary. Balicasag north/northwest and Pamilacan South Point can be strong; Doljo and Cabilao Current View Point can run.
• Getting there: Dauin: fly to Dumaguete (airport about 20–30 min away); Apo: 30–45 min boat from Dauin or Malatapay. Bohol: Tagbilaran or Panglao airport; Alona Beach is the hub, Balicasag 30–45 min and Pamilacan 45–60 min by boat; Cabilao via Loon plus a short boat.
• Permit & fees: Apo Island: entrance/conservation fee and a diver/camera fee (reports vary, roughly PHP 300 range) and a mandatory guide for the turtle sanctuary (about PHP 300 per group). Balicasag: environmental user fee about PHP 250 per diver per day; daily diver caps apply. Dauin: conservation/ticket fee, often PHP 100–200. Pamilacan about PHP 250, Panglao local dives about PHP 100 (Alona Divers price sheet). Pay in cash.
• Training level: Dauin muck and Apo sanctuary: Open Water. Apo north points, Balicasag Black Forest, Doljo, Pamilacan: Advanced/drift experience. Cars (24–28 m) and deep walls: Advanced or deep-diver training.
• Hazards: Drift and boat pick-up at Apo, Balicasag and Pamilacan; titan triggerfish nesting in May–July at Black Forest; blue-ringed octopus and venomous macro critters in Dauin; nearest chamber is in Cebu City

Season

• Best months: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May
• Acceptable: Oct, Nov
• Poor: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
• Water temperature: 26–30 °C

The dry season from November/December to May is calmest and clearest; June to September brings the southwest monsoon with lower visibility and occasional cancelled boats. Dauin's frogfish juveniles peak February to May; whale sharks transit past Bohol December to March and mantas visit Pamilacan April to June (not guaranteed).

Dive sites (11)

Apo Island

• Apo Island – Coconut Point – 15–30 m, advanced
• Apo Island – Marine Sanctuary – 5–25 m, beginner
• Apo Island – Rock Point East – 5–35 m, advanced

Balicasag Island

• Balicasag – Black Forest – 8–40 m, advanced
• Balicasag – Cathedral – 3–30 m, intermediate
• Balicasag – Turtle Point – 5–25 m, intermediate

Cabilao Island

• Cabilao – Lighthouse – 5–25 m, intermediate

Panglao & Pamilacan

• Doljo Point (Panglao) – 15–40 m, advanced
• Pamilacan Island walls – 12–40 m, advanced

Dauin coast (muck)

• Masaplod Sur / Masaplod Sanctuary – 5–21 m, beginner
• Sahara (Dauin) – 12–26 m, beginner

Operators (3)

• Sea Explorers Dauin (and Cabilao) – dive centre, Washington St., District 3 Poblacion, Dauin, Negros Oriental
• Atlantis Dive Resort Dumaguete (Dauin) – resort, Dauin, Negros Oriental
• Alona Divers – dive centre, Alona Beach, Tawala, Panglao, Bohol

Compiled from public operator and dive-guide pages (checked 27 Oct 2026). Positions are approximate and many depths differ by source. Marine sanctuary fees change: confirm with the operator or the island authority before travel.