Diving in Panglao: sites, seasons and what your experience changes

01

Panglao diving at a glance

The essentials, checked on 28 September 2026. Prices and fees change, so confirm them before you pay.

Main base

Alona Beach, Barangay Tawala

Balicasag

About 30 minutes by boat (Valm Divers); about 150 divers a day, two dives each, booked in advance (Philippine Fun Divers)

Calmest months

November to May (Panglao Tourism); diving continues year-round

Water temperature

About 26–30°C through the year, according to one Alona dive center's season guide

Environmental fees

₱250 per diver per day at Balicasag, ₱100 at other Panglao sites (Genesis Divers)

Recompression chamber

Panglao's was not yet operating in August 2026; the nearest reported working chambers are in Cebu and in Dauin, Negros Oriental

02

The main dive sites, and who they suit

The municipal list gives each site a level and a type (shore or boat, reef, wall or drift) and repeats one instruction throughout: follow your dive operator's guidance on the day. Dive centers add depths, travel times and what they tend to see. Treat their marine-life notes as reports from the people selling the trip, not a promise.

Napaling has had a hard two years. Reef rangers found damaged table corals there in January 2025 (Bohol Island News), a table coral carved with graffiti was found there on 31 October 2025 (Inquirer), and a sardine die-off was reported at Tangnan on 1–2 December 2025, cause then unknown (Bohol Tribune). The sardines are wild fish; no trip can promise them.

03

What your certification changes

Start with the card in your wallet, not the site name. PADI trains Open Water Divers to a maximum of 18 m and Advanced Open Water Divers to 30 m, and treats 40 m as the recreational limit (PADI). Panglao centers also teach through SSI and SDI, so ask how your own card compares.

• Never dived: book an introductory program such as Discover Scuba, listed at ₱3,500 by Alona Divers and Tropical Divers. Our first scuba dive guide explains what a good one includes.
• Newly certified or out of practice: ask for a check dive first; Genesis Divers lists a check-up dive as a ₱250 add-on. The house reef, Kalipayan and Arco Point are among the listed beginner options.
• Open Water only: Balicasag is open to you, but only the shallower parts of its walls. At least one center names Open Water as the minimum for Balicasag (Valm Divers).
• Advanced and experienced: Napaling, Doljo Point and Balicasag's Rico's Wall add drift and depth.

Sources do not always agree. The tourism office rates Black Forest beginner to intermediate, while two dive centers put its black coral between 25 and 45 m and describe drift or strong current there (Sierra Madre Divers, Philippine Fun Divers). Ask at the briefing how deep the group will go and what happens if the current picks up.

04

Balicasag: the quota, the fees and the rules

Balicasag is the reason many divers come to Panglao. Its sanctuary dates back to a Silliman University marine conservation program in the mid-1980s (CCEF), and dive centers describe schooling jacks, turtles and sea fans along its walls. Dive centers such as Alona Divers run Balicasag trips in the morning only, weather permitting.

Scuba here is rationed. According to dive centers that book it, the municipality allows about 300 dives a day, roughly 150 divers, shared among all operators; each diver may make two dives, and centers reserve places up to three months ahead with every diver's name, level and certification card (Philippine Fun Divers). In high season, Tropical Divers advises booking at least two weeks ahead.

Fees are often charged on top of the dive price. Dive centers list an environmental user fee of ₱250 per diver per day at Balicasag and ₱100 at other Panglao sites, plus a ₱300 daily mooring fee per boat at Balicasag, shared by everyone aboard (checked 28 September 2026; Philippine Fun Divers, Genesis Divers, which dates its schedule to October 2016). Pamilacan's fee goes to Baclayon; centers list it at ₱100 or ₱250.

The rules underwater are backed by law. Bohol's 2026 marine-wildlife ordinance prohibits feeding, touching and harassing marine wildlife, with fines, possible imprisonment and permit revocation for violations (Province of Bohol). Keep off the coral and give turtles room; our sea turtle guide explains how. The Panglao Island Protected Seascape, listed in national law at 2,445 hectares (RA 11038), also came under new marine tourism guidelines announced in January 2026 (Province of Bohol).

Traveling with non-divers? Our Balicasag guide covers the snorkeling stop and our island-hopping guide the classic boat day.

05

When to dive: the calm months and the rest

Panglao's tourism office says diving is possible all year, with November to May generally bringing the calmest seas and best visibility (Panglao Tourism). That broadly matches the Philippines' December-to-May dry season (PAGASA), though Bohol can get rain in any month.

Dive centers describe the year by monsoon. The northeast amihan, roughly November to April, usually brings calmer water; the southwest habagat, June to October, can make Panglao's exposed side choppy, and guides move to sheltered sites. September to November is the least predictable stretch, at the height of the typhoon season (Sierra Madre Divers, Valm Divers). One center's site notes list visibility of roughly 10 to 30 m around Panglao and up to 40 m at Balicasag (Tropical Divers).

Offshore trips depend on the weather, so a spare day protects the dive you most want. Check our Panglao weather guide and when the sea changes the plan before paying a deposit; when to visit Panglao covers crowds by season.

06

What diving in Panglao costs

These prices come from dive centers' own websites, checked on 28 September 2026. They are examples to calibrate a quote, not a ranking, and at least one center shows different Balicasag prices on different pages. Ask for one written total.

• Single fun dive: about ₱1,150 to ₱1,900, before fees and equipment (Genesis Divers, Alona Divers, Tropical Divers).
• Two-dive Balicasag trip: about ₱2,900 to ₱4,500, usually plus the ₱250 environmental fee (same sources).
• Open Water course: ₱19,500 at The Scuba Tribe (SDI, with equipment, environmental fees and transport during the course included), ₱21,000 at Alona Divers and ₱25,000 at Tropical Divers (both PADI).
• Advanced course: ₱19,500 at Alona Divers to ₱21,000 at Tropical Divers.
• Equipment rental: listed at ₱800 to ₱1,000 a day for a full set at the same two centers, though one shows different rental prices on different pages, so confirm what the quote includes.

The cheapest headline is not always the cheapest day. Compare the number of dives, the boat and guide, equipment and dive computer, the fees above, transfers, and what happens to your money if weather stops the trip.

07

How to choose a dive center

The Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD), attached to the Department of Tourism, regulates scuba diving and the dive establishments it accredits (RA 9593, Sec. 31). Its website had no searchable list of accredited centers on 28 September 2026, so ask to see the center's current PCSSD accreditation and, if in doubt, email the commission at pcssd@tourism.gov.ph. The provincial Department of Tourism list has no category for dive operations; dive resorts and shops on it are accredited as accommodation, resorts or water transport.

Then check the people: PADI's Pro Chek shows whether a PADI professional is in current status. Before paying, ask:

• Which sites, how deep, and who decides if the plan changes?
• How many divers per guide, and are newer divers grouped separately?
• Is emergency oxygen on the boat, and which recompression chamber would you use today?
• Has the Balicasag slot been reserved, and in whose name?
• What is included in writing: boat, equipment, computer, fees, lunch and transfers?

None of these centers was tested for this guide. Put the same questions to each.

08

Safety: the chamber, the flight home and insurance

The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) has built a Hyperbaric Chamber Center in Panglao, but when the governor inspected it on 18 August 2026, officials were still pressing for it to open with trained staff (SunStar, The Freeman). A February 2025 report listed TIEZA's chamber in Mandaue City, Cebu, as one of three operating in the country (The Freeman), and Cebu Doctors' University Hospital announced a multi-person chamber in 2019 (SunStar). In June 2026, TIEZA said its new chamber center in Dauin, Negros Oriental, was fully operational (Philippine News Agency, via Digicast Negros). All are a sea or air crossing away, so ask your dive center how it would move an injured diver.

Divers Alert Network (DAN) runs a round-the-clock emergency hotline on +1-919-684-9111 (DAN World). For hospitals and everyday care, see our healthcare guide.

The flight home comes quickly, because Bohol–Panglao airport is about 3 km from Alona (Municipality of Panglao). DAN recommends at least 12 hours on the surface after a single no-decompression dive and 18 hours after several dives in a day or several days of diving; waiting longer lowers the risk further (DAN). Our airport guide covers the transfer.

Travel insurance and dive-accident cover are different products. DAN's short-term dive accident cover, sold through participating dive shops, includes hyperbaric treatment and emergency evacuation (DAN World). Whatever you buy, confirm it covers the depths you plan to dive and evacuation from Bohol.

09

Common questions