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When to dive Dauin

Dauin is a year-round dive destination, and every season brings something different. Here's what to expect month by month, from water temperature and weather to sea conditions and what you might see, so you can choose the best time for your trip.

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Diving in Dauin all year round

Dauin is good to dive all year, and our shore dives run every day. For frogfish, come between February and May, when there are lots of tiny ones growing up. For octopus and cuttlefish, come between September and November.

The water is coolest from late December to March, at around 25–26°C, when most divers wear a 3 mm or 5 mm wetsuit. It warms up in April, and from May to early December it's usually around 29°C, when many of our divers don't wear a wetsuit at all.

February to May are usually the driest months. From June to September most of the rain tends to fall at night, and the days are normally fine for diving. We're in the tropics, so the weather changes from year to year, and El Niño and La Niña years can be wetter or drier than usual.

The wind changes with the seasons, but we always have somewhere flat to dive. During the northeast monsoon (Amihan, usually from around November to March), our house reef is the sheltered side. During the southwest monsoon (Habagat, usually from around June to September), the El Dorado side is sheltered.

Month by month

Typical water temperatures on our dives, what the weather is usually like, and notes from our team.

The year at a glance

Dauin's seasons for the water, the wind, the rain and the critters, plus when Apo Island's current sites are at their best. Every year is a little different, so treat this as a guide.

Water and weather

Cooler water Late December to March, about 25–26°C: bring a 3 mm or 5 mm wetsuit. It warms up in April, and from May to early December it's around 29°C.

Rain February to May is usually the driest time of year. From June to September, most of the rain tends to fall in the evening and at night, and the days are normally fine for diving. With no big rivers along our coast, there’s very little run-off after rain, so the visibility usually stays good.

Wind and the sheltered side During the northeast monsoon (Amihan, usually from around November to March) our house reef is the sheltered side. During the southwest monsoon (Habagat, usually from around June to September) the El Dorado side is sheltered. In the months between, the wind changes, but there is always somewhere flat to dive.

Storms Negros Oriental can be affected by tropical storms, more often in the second half of the year. If the Coast Guard issues a warning, Apo Island trips wait for a calmer day. Whatever the month, there is almost always somewhere sheltered to dive on the Dauin coast.

Dauin's critters

Frogfish We see them all year round, and most of all from March to June (darker band). From February, numbers start to build, with tiny juveniles growing bigger by the week.

Ghost pipefish In season from February to May, when some of our dive sites have more than 20 of them.

Flamboyant cuttlefish Seen all year round. They come and go: they disappear for a while, then suddenly they’re back. When they’re mating, it’s not unusual to see six or seven together.

Octopus Seen all year round, and most of all from September to November (darker band). They are often active again around May and June.

Blue-ringed octopus All year round. They don’t seem to be seasonal, or at least we haven’t worked out their season yet.

Nudibranchs Seen all year round, and most of all from January to March (darker band).

Shrimps Harlequin shrimp, mantis shrimp, sexy shrimp and the rest: all year round.

The big ones

Turtles Green and hawksbill turtles all year round, in Dauin and at Apo Island. Turtle photo-ID work in Dauin (Project Pawikan) has registered more turtles here than at Apo. At Apo you will see them on most dives, especially at Katipanan, Rock Point and Largahan.

Whale sharks Possible all year round, and we tend to see more of them around March and April (darker band). Never guaranteed, but always worth a look into the blue.

Jacks and giant trevally All year round at Apo Island, as long as the current is running: Mamsa Point and Cogon are the places.

Planning

Apo Island’s current sites Apo day trips run all year. Mamsa Point and Coconut Point are normally best from around April to October or November, when they sit on the lee of the island. In Amihan they are exposed to big waves, so we choose other Apo sites.

Busy times Christmas and New Year, and Holy Week (Easter, in March or April), are among the busiest times in Dauin, so book your room early for those dates.

  1. January

    Water25–26°C
    WeatherSome showers

    Nudibranch peakFrogfishCooler water

    One of the best months for nudibranchs. It’s also one of the cooler months, so bring a 3 mm or 5 mm wetsuit. In the northeast monsoon, our house reef is the sheltered side.

  2. February

    Water25–26°C
    WeatherMostly dry

    Nudibranch peakFrogfishGhost pipefishCooler water

    Lots of nudibranchs, and frogfish numbers start to build, with tiny frogfish growing bigger by the week. Ghost pipefish season begins. Cooler water: 3 mm or 5 mm wetsuit.

  3. March

    Water25–26°C
    WeatherMostly dry

    Nudibranch peakFrogfish peakGhost pipefishWhale sharksCooler water

    The start of the best frogfish months, with plenty of juveniles on the sand, still lots of nudibranchs, and ghost pipefish in season. March and April are also when we tend to see the most whale sharks. Cooler water: 3 mm or 5 mm wetsuit.

  4. April

    Water26–28°C
    WeatherUsually the driest

    Frogfish peakGhost pipefishWhale sharks

    One of the best frogfish months, and usually the driest month. Ghost pipefish are still in season, and it is one of the better months for whale sharks. The water starts to warm up, but a 3 mm wetsuit is still a good idea.

  5. May

    Water28–29°C
    WeatherMostly dry

    Frogfish peakGhost pipefishOctopus

    Warm water again, lots of frogfish, the last of the ghost pipefish season, and octopus are often active again.

  6. June

    WaterAround 29°C
    WeatherRain mostly at night

    Frogfish peakOctopus

    The last of the best frogfish months, and octopus are often active. In the southwest monsoon, the El Dorado side is sheltered.

  7. July

    WaterAround 29°C
    WeatherRain mostly at night

    FrogfishWarm water

    Frogfish are still around, just not in the numbers of March to June. Many divers don't need a wetsuit now.

  8. August

    WaterAround 29°C
    WeatherRain mostly at night

    FrogfishWarm water

    Fewer frogfish than earlier in the year, but they’re still about. Warm water, so a thin wetsuit or none at all.

  9. September

    WaterAround 29°C
    WeatherRain mostly at night

    FrogfishOctopus peak

    The start of the best octopus months. From September to November, keep an eye out for them on every dive.

  10. October

    WaterAround 29°C
    WeatherSome showers

    FrogfishOctopus peak

    One of the best octopus months, and the water is still warm.

  11. November

    WaterAround 29°C
    WeatherSome showers

    FrogfishOctopus peak

    The last of the best octopus months.

  12. December

    Water29°C, cooling to about 26°C
    WeatherSome showers

    FrogfishCooler water laterBook early

    The water is still around 29°C early in the month and cools to about 26°C by the end, so bring a 3 mm or 5 mm wetsuit for late December. Christmas and New Year are busy, so book your room early.

Water temperatures are what we typically see on our dives. We're in the tropics, so the weather is never quite the same from one year to the next, and El Niño and La Niña years can be wetter or drier than usual. Whatever the month, there's almost always somewhere sheltered to dive.

What you might see, season by season

Frogfish, seahorses, nudibranchs and octopus live on Dauin’s sand all year, but some seasons are special. Frogfish season runs from February to around June to August, and from February to May there are lots of tiny frogfish growing bigger by the week. Octopus and cuttlefish are busiest from September to November, and octopus are often active again around May and June.

Apo Island days

Apo Island trips run all year and are rarely cancelled. When they are, it’s usually because a typhoon is sending big swells our way and the Coast Guard has issued a warning. Plan a few days in Dauin around your Apo day, so there’s room to move it if the weather changes.

Plan your Apo Island day

Storms, busy times and quiet times

Like the rest of the Philippines, Negros Oriental can be affected by tropical storms, more often in the second half of the year. Typhoon Odette crossed the province in December 2021, for example. If the Coast Guard issues a warning, Apo Island trips wait for a calmer day, and we’ll do our best to rebook you on the next available date.

Christmas and New Year and Holy Week (Easter) are among the busiest times in Dauin, so book your room early for those dates.

Biodiversity

More than 800 fish species on our doorstep

Our science officer, Bart Hazes of Biodives, led a survey of the fish of Dauin and Apo Island with our dive guides, funded by the PADI AWARE Foundation. It found two species new to science and added about two dozen species to FishBase’s list of Philippine fishes.

Two small yellow gobies resting on a sandy ledge in DauinClownfish sheltering in its anemone on a Philippine reefLizardfish holding a smaller fish in its jaws in DauinSnake eel emerging from the sand on a Dauin dive

825+

coastal fish species recorded in Dauin by November 2023

560+

of them on our own house reef, Dauin North

2

fish species new to science found during the survey

How Dauin compares

For comparison, FishBase’s regional checklists list 484 fish species for Tubbataha Reef, 498 for the Verde Island Passage and 674 for the Calamian Islands. You can browse every species found so far, with photos, in the Biodives survey.

Dauin’s fish have been surprising scientists for a long time. After the 1931 Herre Philippine Expedition, fish scientist Albert Herre wrote that although Dumaguete lacks the great coral reefs found elsewhere, “no other place in the Islands has yielded so many astonishing novelties and rare species.”

Protected by the community

Dauin’s reefs are rich partly because they are protected. The municipality set up a chain of marine protected areas along its shore, and the sanctuary fees that divers and snorkellers pay are shared between local fishers’ associations (40%), the municipality (40%) and the barangays that host the sanctuaries (20%). The fees help pay for the Bantay Dagat, the sea wardens who patrol them.

Protection has paid off on land too: between 2000 and 2009, the municipality’s yearly income from diving fees and resort taxes grew from about PHP 800,000 to PHP 22–35 million. Our dive prices include the standard sanctuary fees.

Sources: Biodives fish survey (figures as of November 2023); FishBase regional checklists; and the case study “Municipality of Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines: A Global Bright Spot for Marine Conservation”.

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