Best time to dive Dauin & Apo Island

Diveable year-round. Best weather roughly November/December–May (wetter July–mid-November, milder than northern Philippines). October–November is prime cephalopod season; February–May brings new life on the sand slopes.

Peak season: year-round

Best upcoming months:6.5March 2027 6.4November 2026 6.4December 2026

Overall diving, month by month

Balanced scoring · forecasts include the 2026/27 El Niño outlook

Confidence: Nov medium · Dec medium · Jan medium · Feb medium · Mar medium · Apr medium · May medium · Jun medium · Jul medium · Aug medium · Sep medium · Oct low · Nov medium · Dec medium

What's good when

Each attribute scored 0–10 for every month

	Nov2026	Dec	Jan2027	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Pelagic & big animals	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	5
Macro life	10	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	9	10	10	9
Coral & reef health	7	7	7	7	7	5	5	5	5	5	5	5	7	7
Visibility	5	6	6	6	7	8	8	8	6	6	6	5	5	6
Water temperature	10	9	9	9	9	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	9
Weather & sea state	8	9	9	8	9	9	9	8	7	6	6	6	7	7
Operations & access	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10	10

Climate outlook

How this year's forecast differs from a typical year

Weather & sea state +1 · El Niño suppresses typhoons and rain; La Niña brings more storms (Nov 2026 – February 2027)
Coral & reef health -1.3 · Heat stress in the months after a strong El Niño (widespread bleaching in 1998) (Apr 2027 – October 2027)

Water temperature & visibility

Month	Water	Visibility
November 2026	28.5 °C (83 °F)	10–15 m
December 2026	27.5 °C (82 °F)	15–20 m
January 2027	27.0 °C (81 °F)	15–20 m
February 2027	27.0 °C (81 °F)	15–20 m
March 2027	27.5 °C (82 °F)	15–25 m
April 2027	28.0 °C (82 °F)	20–30 m
May 2027	29.0 °C (84 °F)	20–30 m
June 2027	29.0 °C (84 °F)	20–30 m
July 2027	29.0 °C (84 °F)	15–20 m
August 2027	28.5 °C (83 °F)	15–20 m
September 2027	28.5 °C (83 °F)	12–20 m
October 2027	28.5 °C (83 °F)	10–15 m
November 2027	28.5 °C (83 °F)	10–15 m
December 2027	27.5 °C (82 °F)	15–20 m

Marine life calendar

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
flamboyant cuttlefish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak	●
octopuses (mimic, blue-ringed)	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	Peak	Peak	●
seahorses	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
frogfish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
green turtle (Apo)	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
ribbon eels	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
nudibranchs	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
ghost pipefish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
mandarinfish	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

Peak = best odds · ● = regularly seen · blank = unlikely. Calendar months, every year.

About the diving

Difficulty: Beginner
Current strength: 2 / 5
Luxury level: 4 / 5
Typical depth: 3–25 m
Max depth of interest: 30 m
Dive styles: Shore, Day boat, Resort
Suggested certification: Open Water
Nearest airport: DGT
Snorkelling: Good
Known for: flamboyant cuttlefish, mimic octopus, seahorses, frogfish, green turtle

Famous sites: Car Wreck · Ginama-an · Apo Island – Coconut Point · Masaplod Norte

Season notes & sources

Diveable year-round. Best weather roughly November/December–May (wetter July–mid-November, milder than northern Philippines). October–November is prime cephalopod season; February–May brings new life on the sand slopes.
Atmosphere documents ribbon eels, nudibranchs, ornate/velvet ghost pipefish and mandarinfish along the Dauin coast. Its house reef has nudibranchs and ghost pipefish, with mandarinfish viewed in late afternoon. These resident-group calendars have no established monthly peak; individual rare critters vary with recent local finds.