TRAVELSPECIAL
Above : Bearded scorpionfish on plate coral
PHOTO : ALEX TATTERSALL
Below : Triplefin on bubble coral
PHOTO : SIMON ROGERSON
While the worldwide dive industry has started to open up in the Caribbean , the Red Sea and the Maldives , travel has been slower to return to South East Asia . In common with its neighbouring island nations , the Philippines has maintained a strict policy of quarantining that was sufficiently long and expensive to deter the tourist market .
That quarantine requirement was lifted in mid-February . At the time of publication [ because we all know how quickly these things can change ] the requirement for entry was proof of vaccination status and a negative PCR taken no more than 48 hours before your departure . In addition , you should have travel insurance for Covid-19 treatment costs with a minimum coverage of $ 35,000 during your stay in the Philippines .
So that ' s the current situation - a country with its borders open , no quarantine and a gateway to the coral Triangle itself , that biological hot zone where there is more marine biodiversity than anywhere else on the planet . Over the past few million years , rising and falling sea levels across the region isolated and then reintroduced marine creatures , fast-forwarding evolution and creating what biologists term a ' diversity pump '. The triangle extends from Sulawesi in the west to New Guinea on the far east , with the Philippines representing its northern corner .
There ' s a longstanding tradition of affordable diving in the Philippines , dating back to the 1980s when entrepreneurial Europeans set up basic resorts around enclaves in Puerto Galera and Moalboal . Today , Philippine diving is also the preserve of a rising middle class from the cities . Local money has built some top-end boutique resorts and flashy dive centres , though you can still get better value here than anywhere else in the region .
The Philippine archipelago is extensive , with more than 7,000 islands across a vast expanse of ocean . You can dive almost anywhere , but this feature will focus on key dive spots that each offer a different perspective of this beautiful country . From wrecks to coral walls and muck dives bristling with weird critters , the Philippines offers seemingly endless variety for warm water divers .
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