Anilao Secret Bay

Verified2026-09-11 checkedMuckMacro

Black sand muck diving three hours from Manila — the site people fly in for, in water shallow enough to spend an hour in.

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Depth: 2–18 m7–59 ft
Difficulty: Beginner
Entry: Shore · Boat
Typical current: None
Coordinates: 13°40.998′N 120°52.998′E
Activities: Scuba

Secret Bay looks like nothing: a shallow bay of black volcanic sand with scattered debris. That is the point. Mimic octopus, blue-ringed octopus, frogfish and every kind of nudibranch live on the open sand, and a guide who knows the bay will find in one dive what an unguided diver would miss in ten. Depths stay under 18 m, so bottom time is limited by cold rather than by air. Night dives here are better than day dives.

Roughly three hours by road south from Manila to Anilao, then a short banca ride.

Best season

ExcellentNov–Mar
GoodApr–Jun
GoodOct

Conditions

Water temperature: 30.3°C87°F
Wave height: 0.3 m1 ft
Air temperature: 28.6°C83°F
Wind speed: 19.1 km/h11.9 mph

Updated 2026-10-07 16:15 UTC · Source: Open-Meteo

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Conditions are reported for information only. Assess the site yourself and follow your guide and your training.

No live conditions for this site yet.

We only show numbers we can attribute to a source.

Sea state and tide

On a date

Tide · 10/8

Low00:500.68 m
High07:381.16 m
Low15:070.26 m
High21:400.81 m

Forecast heights against mean sea level. Real tides in a bay, a harbour or over a flat can differ — check an official tide table before you get in.

Pick a day to see its tide

Only wave height and wind are scored, because those are what close a boat ramp or a shore entry. Water temperature is reported and never scored: 12°C is an ordinary dive in a drysuit and punishing in a 3 mm, and a number that cannot see your suit has no business marking it down. Stars do not decide whether you get in — you and your guide do, on the day.

Weather data by Open-Meteo.com (CC BY 4.0)

Marine life you may see

Broadclub cuttlefishSepia latimanusCommon
Leaf scorpionfishTaenianotus triacanthusCommon
Ribbon eelRhinomuraena quaesitaCommon
Flamboyant cuttlefishMetasepia pfefferiRare
Porcelain anemone crabNeopetrolisthes maculatusCommon
Mimic octopusThaumoctopus mimicusSeasonal
Blue-ringed octopusHapalochlaena spp.Rare
FrogfishAntennarius spp.Common
NudibranchNudibranchiaCommon
Ornate ghost pipefishSolenostomus paradoxusSeasonal
FlatwormPseudoceros spp.Common
Decorator crabCamposcia retusaCommon
Shrimp gobyAmblyeleotris spp.Common
Reef stonefishSynanceia verrucosaCommon
Common seahorseHippocampus kudaCommon
Ringed pipefishDoryrhamphus dactyliophorusCommon
RazorfishAeoliscus strigatusCommon
Whitemargin stargazerUranoscopus sulphureusRare
Peacock mantis shrimpOdontodactylus scyllarusCommon
Coconut octopusAmphioctopus marginatusCommon
Spanish dancerHexabranchus sanguineusRare
Feather starCrinoideaCommon
Long-spined sea urchinDiadema setosumCommon
Geography coneConus geographusRare

From divers

What people who were in the water reported. Not a forecast, and not a judgement about whether the site is safe to dive.

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