More than macro at Anilao?

I am thinking of taking a large group of 40 or so to Anilao. It offers several advantages, not the least being that we don't need additional domestic flights and we can get there the day we arrive in Manila from Melbourne. My group is only about 1/4 photographers though, and the others are either recreational divers or families with snorkellers. While we do like some critter dives, I would need at least half of our dives to be on blue water coral reefs or walls with nice fish life, sea fans, crinoids, etc. Does Anilao have many sites other than macro/muck diving? For example, I wouldn't take my group to Lembeh as they are not full on into muck as such. Dumaguete proved a good balance for our last two trips to the Philippines, with the mixture of macro and coral bommies and Apo Island. After something a little similar as regards the mix. Many thanks.

The resorts can arrange trips to Puerto Galera and Verde Island.

Here's a link to my photos from a day of diving (3 dives) in Anilao a few months ago: anilao
I didn't see much muck, but for divers who like stark, muddy, colourless areas, I think they have some there too.

There are some great dive sites around Anilao. Scuba Bro and Anilao Beach Club both have 'meh' house reefs but the night diving is excellent. Loads of cuttle fish, puffers, squid, crab, etc.

I think my favorite dive site I've done there is Dive and Trek, it's about 10 minutes from Anilao Beach Club by boat, or you can stay at the Dive and Trek resort. They have a great vibrant reef and there's a rift in it that goes straight down to 40+ meters, we stopped at 40 and headed the other direction. There are some small cavern like dive through sites, saw a sea turtle, loads of fish, some sunken crosses and a virgin mary statue, no shortage of nudibranches either.

I still prefer Puerto Galera (Sabang) which you can also hit by boat, but Anilao is decent and conveniently located.

Those are outstanding, MaxBottomTime.

I don't think you will have any trouble finding what you are looking for. There really is not that much "muck" diving at Anilao (with a few notable exceptions!) but there is a wide variety of dive sites to interest all tastes. The entire west side of the Calumpang peninsula (the area generally known as Anilao, although the town of Anilao with it's harbor is near the top edge of this area, and that's where the best muck diving is) has a number of good dive sites, including Twin Rocks, one of my favorites, and the weird area known as Bubbles near Manit point, which has thousands of streams of volcanic gas being released from the bottom over a wide area. There is better diving right across the local channel off the northeast end of Maracaban island, including the very well known Beatrice Rock and Sombrero Island, and much more. There is a nice map of the area and dive sites on the web site for Eagle Point resort. I don't think you will have any problems whatsoever in finding what you want, from very nice walls, to dazzling coral gardens, to unusual critters, (there were more frogfish around this area than I have ever seen, and in several color variations, and did I mention the live giant clams off Twin Rocks?) and more. There are a few nice wrecks also, including an old barge off Twin Rocks. I think you should be fine. Woody

MaxBottomtime:

Click to expand...

Yep, that's Bubbles, all right!

At what site did you see the Rhinopias, Phil (PM me)? We had one that I saw several times until a group of divers pulled it out of its hiding place in the algae and placed it in shallower water in the open (grrr).

The majority of the sites we went to over 44 dives in Anilao were muck, but there were a few with great coral reefs as well.