Macro Magic: Diving at Boracay’s Photographic Paradise

Diving at Boracay offers the opportunity to capture some beautiful macro photography. The dive locations on the island typically offer little current, making it easy to navigate as beginner divers.

The vast and colorful hard and soft coral holds a treasure trove of juvenile and macro life – making Boracay a dream location for those interested in photographing macro life.

Quick Trip Overview

• Location: Boracay, Philippines
• Closest Airport:  Godofredo P. Ramos Airport
• Time of Year of Trip: May

Diving at Boracay Quick Information

• Wet Suit: 3mm / Shortie / Skin
• Water Temperature: Average 30 surface, 28 bottom
• Current: Majority of dive sites do not have a current
• Average Depths: 20m

Dive Season in Boracay

The best period to visit the Philippines in general is during the dry season which runs approximately from December to May. Starting in May you will start to have some late afternoon thunderstorms – while there is not as much rain yet it will start being overcast on most days. For diving at Boracay the best period will be during this time to maximize the best weather conditions.

While you can visit from June to November this time period is the wet season or monsoon season. You will likely run into more rain and thunderstorms. Water will be rough potentially due to wind, and there is an increased probability of dive trips being cancelled.

The New Rules at Boracay

Boracay temporarily closed in April of 2018 due to over-tourism. The location had become an overpacked tourist party location. With beach parties occurring all night long, with trash left strewn across the popular white beach.

With the closure, and clean up, new rules were established on the reopening the rules include:

• Do not litter
• Do no smoke on the beach, public areas and public utility vehicles
• Do not urinate or defecate on the beach
• Do not extract white sand and pebbles
• Do not eat or drink liquor on the beach
• Do not bring your pets at the beachfront
• No sand castle making
• No fire dancing
• No illegal tour guiding
• No vendors, peddlers, ambulant masseurs, manicurist
• No entry and no parking of motor vehicles on the beachfront
• No flyering, streamer, or posters at beachfront

While I still saw a couple of these items still occurring like the sandcastle making (sandcastles that you then pay to take photos behind), and then peddling. However, speaking to some others who have travelled to Boracay on numerous occasions previously say that overall the island is a lot tamer than it used to be.

Bars and clubs used to be open until the break of dawn, but a majority will start closing the doors at midnight now. I arrived at 2 in the morning, and the beach front and streets were pretty dead and quiet.

Additionally, they are limiting the amount of people that come to Boracay. In order to take the ferry or speedboat over to Boracay now you have to have an already confirmed reservation at a hotel and present it at the terminal before being able to purchase a ticket.

Recommended Certifications for Diving in Boracay

Boracay offers a large variety of dives meaning that those arriving with just open water or basic certifications will be able to partake in numerous dives. However, if you want to fully enjoy the diving at Boracay then I recommend having:

• Advance Water Certification (or certification to dive up to 30m)
• Wreck Dive Certification

There are a couple of wreck dives at Boracay which can be found at deeper depths than what is allowed for open water certification. Additionally, you are not supposed to penetrate a wreck unless you have wreck dive certification (however some dive shops are a lot more lenient on this than others.. but do not expect to be able to penetrate a wreck without the certification).

Fish to Spot at Boracay

Boracay is a macro photographer dream come true. While diving at Boracay you will discover that the reefs surrounding the island are teaming with such a variety of reef life that an underwater photography could potentially spend an entire dive at one reef.

Some of the reef life that you can spot:

• Nudibranch – I saw about seven different types of nudibranch. Additionally, I saw some of the largest nudibranchs I have ever seen diving.
• Pygmy seahorses – while difficult to spot, check the large fans for these little seahorses.
• Variety of anemone fish
• Juvenile boxfish – bright yellow and black spotted, these skittish fish can be seen hiding around coral formations and will awkwardly swim away when you swim close
• Banded pipefish – from the same family as seahorses, but are long and can be found hiding under coral overhangs
• Ribbon eels – spot colorful female ribbon eels, or the black male eels peeking out.
• Moray eels – a variety of moral eels can be also spotted
• Frogfish – hidden on reef walls or under coral formations these fish blend in with their surroundings – spotting one is challenging but an award!

Dive Spots at Boracay

There are numerous dive locations to visi while diving at Boracay, but here are some that are the best locations to visit during a dive trip to Boracay:

• Angol Point – this dive site is located close to the main beach, and is sometimes referred to as the “House Reef” the shallow depths of this reef mean it is great for check dives or beginner divers. The reef is colorful and can offer a lot of reef fish to identify.
• Coral Garden – similar to Angol Point this dive site is located close to the main beach – the max depth at the coral garden is only at about 14m. This is a great dive for check dives and beginning divers. Additionally, if you are an underwater photographer this is a great location to photograph anemone fish, and ribbon eels in the shallow natural light.
• Crocodile Island – the name of this dive site is based off of the island located next to it, the island is in the shape of a crocodile popping its head to the water surface. This reef is healthy, and vast with a large colorful variety of soft and hard coral, and sea fans. Diving here is a treat and if available then a highly recommended diving spot for the macro enthusiasts.
• Camia Wreck II – a dive that requires an advance certification as the depth of this dive is 30m. This wreck was purposely sunk in 2011. The wreck is now covered in coral. You can find some of the largest nudibranchs on the wreck.
• Yapak 2 – there are actually numerous Yapak dive spots, but this one is one of the most popular due to this wall appears to go on indefinitely. Starting at a depth of 30m, this dive location requires an advance water certification. This spot is a great location for those interested in seeing a variety of soft and hard coral life, with the possibility of spotting white tip and grey reef sharks in the blue.
• Santos Place – Another wall dive, this dive starts at around 9m and can reach depths of 30m. A variety of hard and soft coral can be found at Santos place. Additionally, this location offers an opportunity to see blue spotted rays hiding in the sand.

What to do in Boracay

Even with the new rules, Boracay is still a large beach and party location. You will find loud music blasting up until around midnight with numerous bars and clubs along the beach.

Activities to do at Boracay

The majority of people visiting Boracay go to hang out at the white beach where you can try out:

• Stand up paddle boarding
• Discover SCUBA
• Parasailing
• Sunset boat cruises
• Sailing

You will find numerous people trying to sell you these activities along the beach, so it is not hard to sign up for any of the activities.

Where to Eat at Boracay

Along the white beach there is not only numerous bars, but also numerous restaurants. While diving at Boracay you will work up quite the appetite! You can find just about anything your heart desires to eat along he beach front: pizza, Thai food, Moroccan food, Italian, if you want it, there is probably somewhere selling it.

Check out the D’Mall for not only shopping but a long line of restaurants. Additionally, there is the Marketplace where there are little cafes offering a sampling of food.

Where to stay in Boracay

For where to stay while diving at Boracay there are numerous options. Boracay white beach area is broken into stations. These three stations divide up the beach strip. Station three is known as the area for hostels, and budget. Station 2, like its location, is the middle ground for hotels. Finally, Station 1 is where the more expensive hotels are. Ultimately, most offer the same views therefore it is what you are willing to spend. The walk from Station 2 to either end of the beach is approximately 30 minutes.

If you are looking for a dive inclusive hotel them check out Calypso Beach and Dive Resort, this hotel has an onsite dive shop meaning you can book at the hotel and receive a discount for your dives. It is great to be able to roll out of bed and make it down to the dive shop in less than two minutes.

Dive Shops in Boracay

• Calypso Dive Shop – located at station 2, the most highly rated dive shop on Boracay. I personally used this one and enjoyed my experience diving with them – they cater to their dive guests well and if you dive with them multiple days you can request particular dive spots!
• DiveGurus Boracay – this dive shop is located down by station 3, and is the next highly rated dive shop.

How to Get to Boracay

Airport Options

There are two airport options for arriving in Boracay, you can fly into either of these airports:

• Godofredo P. Ramos Airport – the closet airport to Boracay, great if you are doing island hopping in the Philippines, however, if you are flying from out of the country this one will require a layover somewhere.
• Kalibo Airport – the “international” airport that is located about two hours away from the ferry port to Boracay. This airport offers some international flights. Some notes to keep in mind for this airport:
  • The airport does not allow guests in until 2 hours before the flight departure – there is limited seating and you will be stuck outside until that time.
  • There is a P700 airport terminal fee which has to be paid in cash
  • Everything inside the airport (mainly just some cafes) will only accept cash
  • The ATM outside the airport does not accept Visa or Mastercard, therefore, you will have to pull cash out prior to arriving at the airport if this is your primary debit card branch.

Ferry Port to Boracay

You will have to go to Caticlan Jetty Port in order to catch a boat ride over to Boracay. The port is not very large, however, the ferry’s run 24/7, therefore, you can easily catch a ride over to the island no matter the time of night.

Just ensure that you have your hotel reservations ready as the port authority will check it prior to being able to purchase a ticket.

The Boracay Port: the port at Boracay is additionally small but offers some free WIFI. My only annoyance with this port is that there are porters who will take your bag (without you asking) and then demand a tip after they have taken it. I mainly found this annoying as I only had enough cash for the airport terminal tax at the end of the trip and I wanted to take my bag myself (since I also only have a backpack) and the porter grabbed it from me, carried it the 30ms from the bus drop off to the waiting area, and then demanded a tip from me. I saw them hounding most of the tourist this way – grabbing the bags and then standing between the bags and the guest until they were tipped.

Transportation to Boracay

Transportation from the airport to the where you will be diving at Borcay can be challenging. You can arrange transportation to Boracay with Southwest Travels. This company offers door to door, airport to ferry port, and a couple of other options. I personally opted for the door to door, so the company took me from the airport to the port, across the channel on their boat, and then drove me to my hotel and dropped me off there.

The company was timely, my only displeasure with this company is that they allow the guests to be hounded by people at the ports. As previously mentioned, I tried to take my own bag as I did not have cash to tip and the company handed my bag to a porter instead of me (even though I was standing right there). Additionally, the driver at one point was indifferent as a man at the port bother me trying to get my social media information when he realized I was traveling solo despite me telling him numerous times loudly that I did not have social media.

Check Out This Other Philippine Dive Post

• Bohol Dive Trip – Learning Sidemount Along Reef Walls