Cebu & Bohol Diving Holidays: What a Philippines Dive Package Includes

The Philippines is the best-value serious diving in Asia, and the Cebu–Bohol corridor is its most accessible slice: thresher sharks at dawn, sardine tornadoes off Moalboal, turtle-thick reefs around Balicasag — with short flights from Australia and New Zealand via Manila or direct to Cebu. Here’s what a packaged dive holiday there actually includes, and what to check before you book anywhere.

The sites that justify the flight

Malapascua. The world’s most reliable thresher shark encounter, at recreational depths, most mornings of the year. Moalboal. A resident sardine bait-ball metres off the beach — one of diving’s great free shows. Balicasag Island, Bohol. Protected walls dense with turtles and jacks. Apo Island. A community-run marine sanctuary that shows what thirty years of protection looks like.

What a proper dive package includes

• Boat dives with guides — typically two to three per day, small groups per divemaster.
• Accommodation that understands divers: rinse tanks, gear rooms, early breakfasts, camera tables.
• Transfers between islands — the part that unravels DIY trips; ferry-and-van logistics are exactly what you want pre-arranged.
• Marine park and sanctuary fees stated up front, not discovered on the boat.

Check the details that separate good operators from cheap ones: nitrox availability, gear age if renting, insurance requirements, and how they handle weather days.

Bring the non-divers — seriously

This is the corridor’s underrated strength. Bohol fills the surface days for everyone: the Chocolate Hills (pictured), tarsier sanctuaries, the Loboc River, white-sand beaches on Panglao. Snorkellers see plenty at Balicasag, and learn-to-dive courses run brilliantly here — warm water, calm bays, patient instructors.

June and July? Yes.

The wet season label scares people off unnecessarily. In practice, mornings dive clean, showers cluster in the afternoon, visibility stays generous, and resorts are quieter and better value — which happens to line up with Australian and New Zealand winter school holidays. We send families every June and July with very happy debriefs.

Your questions answered

Can beginners dive in the Philippines?

It’s one of the best places on earth to learn — warm, calm, cheap relative to Australia, and the marine life makes even training dives memorable. Open Water courses take three to four days.

Is June–July a good time for Cebu and Bohol?

Yes — expect afternoon showers, not washouts. Threshers at Malapascua and the Moalboal sardines run year-round.

How many days do I need?

Ten to eleven days covers two dive bases plus Bohol’s land highlights without rushing; a week works for one base done properly.

Browse our Scuba Diving collection or ask the Pack Ya Bags team about our Cebu and Bohol dive itineraries.

Image: Ray Aucott for Pack Ya Bags