Top 8 Scuba Diving Trips in Cebu

1.Cebu: Scuba Diving Experience beach entry in Mactan

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 45 reviews · from $45Our pick

Join Kenji and the Nalu Dive team for a two-hour beginner scuba session in Mactan. After a gear briefing and shallow-water practice, you’ll work gradually toward the reef, where sardines, colorful fish, starfish, and sometimes sea turtles appear. Equipment, local transport, towels, hot shower, lockers, and underwater photos are included.

“Beautiful dive spots and health sea life. Kenji was excellent in service before, during and after to make the experience very memorable.”

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2.Scuba Diver Course (PADI)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $270

Learn core scuba skills in two days at Scotty’s inside Shangri-La Mactan. You’ll earn a PADI Scuba Diver certification for descents to 12 meters under direct professional supervision. Bernie is one named instructor, praised for patience and clear teaching. Equipment, towels, water, and fees are included.

“Bernie was my instructor and he was amazing. Knowledgeable and patient. I would recommend Scotty's sports at the Shangri La Resort in Mactan to anyone seeking Scuba lessons.”

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3.Discover Scuba Diving

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 18 reviews · from $149

You’ll learn basic scuba skills at Shangri-La Mactan, practice in shallow water, then spend about 40 minutes over Mactan’s coral reef with an instructor such as Michael, Bernie, Michal, or Wensky. Equipment, towel, entrance fees, and environmental fees are included.

“The staff at Scotty’s are so friendly and helpful and our dive instructor Bernie was so patient and professional. I would highly recommend to trying Scotty’s Action Sport in Mactan.”

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4.From Cebu City: Scuba Diving with Whale Sharks Trip in Oslob

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 14 reviews · from $172

Leave Cebu City around 5:00 AM in a private car for Oslob’s whale shark area. An English-speaking instructor explains basic scuba skills, fits your wetsuit and equipment, then guides you underwater for about 30 to 40 minutes. This trip welcomes beginners and licensed participants, with hotel or airport pickup available.

“Whale shark watching in Oslob starts early at 3am, but you should definitely go. There are many snorkeling tours, but there are a lot of people lined up to board the boat that goes out to sea, so you have to wait quite a while. And the surface of the sea is also full of people. However, with diving, you can enter directly from the beach without having to wait to enter, and the water is empty so you can move freely and see well. It's a little more expensive than snorkeling, but diving is definitely recommended. At Sumilon Island, we didn't dive, we went snorkeling. The drivers are very…”

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5.Open Water Course (PADI)

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 12 reviews · from $400

Start at Scotty’s inside Shangri-La Mactan with instructors Michel and Freddie for a two-day PADI Open Water Course. You’ll learn core scuba skills, use supplied equipment, and work toward beginner certification in a private group. Lunch and PADI study materials cost extra. Lapu Lapu Monument is nearby.

“Phenomenal experience. Michel and Freddie takes their time and delivers clear and concise instruction. Ensuring everyone trains to standard but well within their limits. Safety was always paramount. The entire experience was surreal. Read more”

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6.Cebu: Moalboal Scuba Diving with Sardines and Turtle Snorkel

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 11 reviews · 11 hours · from $115

You’ll travel from Cebu to Moalboal for a guided scuba session with millions of sardines, then snorkel with green sea turtles in shallow water. Certified instructors provide equipment and safety guidance. Hotel or airport pickup, transport, fees, and turtle snorkeling are included, but meals are not.

“The sardines dive was such a magical experience! The crew was great, very helpful and intuitive. It was a little windy when we went to the coral reefs in Pescador Island but the drift dive with the sardines I’d say for me was fulfilling enough lol Moalboal looked like a fun little island too, lots of cute little coffee shops and dive shops. Definitely a must see when in Cebu.”

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7.Cebu: Boat Diving Two Dive Tour in Olango Island

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6 reviews · 4 hours · from $92

Join Nalu Dive for two guided scuba sessions around Olango Island, only 10 minutes from the Mactan shop. Choose a 9:00 or 13:00 departure, learn essential skills in shallow water, then head farther down with an instructor. Equipment, insurance, underwater photos and videos, and Mactan hotel transport are included.

“close to water front, very close even with diving geers on back.”

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8.Malapascua: Advance Divers Shark Dive & Optional Transfer

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 6 reviews · from $103

Join Thresher Shark Divers for an early-morning boat trip from Malapascua to Monad or Kimud Shoal. A PADI Divemaster leads this advanced scuba outing, where thresher sharks are the main draw, with possible sightings of rays, reef sharks, frogfish, octopus, and nudibranchs. Optional pickup from Cebu City or Mactan is available.

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