Anilao tide times

5 hours by car). The dive sites cluster along the headlands and rocky points of Mabini Peninsula, a short boat ride from the resort jetties. The Verde Island Passage, the 11-kilometre-wide channel separating Batangas from the coast of Oriental Mindoro to the south, runs through the water directly in front of Anilao.

Marine biologists studying the passage's biodiversity have catalogued species density that exceeds any other comparable area so far measured — the convergence of nutrient-rich upwellings, tidal exchange, and the bathymetric complexity of the passage creates a diversity hotspot that holds significance beyond its small geographic footprint. For divers the relevant expression of this is the macro-photography and muck-diving reputation of sites like Mainit, Teruel's Cove, Secret Bay, and the Sepok Wall area. Nudibranchs, frogfish, mantis shrimp, ghost pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, pygmy seahorses, and rare cephalopods appear in concentrations that consistently attract underwater photographers from across Asia and beyond.

5 metres; the Verde Island Passage tidal current is the more operationally significant variable. The passage runs 1 to 2 knots on springs; on the exposed pinnacle sites and the channel walls, a strong ebb or flood makes it difficult to hold position for the slow methodical search that macro-photography requires. Dive operators and guides time their pinnacle dives to coincide with slack water — the 20 to 30 minutes either side of the predicted high or low — or on neap tides when the current is manageable throughout the dive.

The muck sites in sheltered coves are less current-affected and can be dived at most tidal stages. The topography of the dive sites ranges from the shallow muck floors at 5 to 15 metres (Secret Bay, Mainit, Arthur's Rock at low water) to the deep wall sections of Sepok that begin at 10 metres and drop to sport-diving limits. The best macro shooting conditions combine slack or neap current, flat sea surface, and low ambient light from a slightly overcast sky — high contrast sunlight backscatters on fine suspended particles and reduces image quality.

Whale sharks are occasionally sighted in the Verde Island Passage, more frequently in the November to February period when cooler, clearer water from the NE monsoon increases plankton visibility and surface aggregations. The road approach from Manila via the STAR Tollway to Batangas City and then through Calatagan and Tingloy barangay road is standard weekend-trip logistics — most Manila-based divers arrive Saturday morning and depart Sunday afternoon, doing two tank dives each day. Dedicated photographers extend to three or four days.

The dive season runs year-round, but visibility and sea conditions are most consistently good from November through May. The Verde Island Passage dive sites share the water with significant inter-island ferry traffic between Batangas Port and Puerto Galera on Mindoro; dive boats using the outer passage sites keep current ferry schedules in mind when planning surface intervals. The Puerto Galera side of the passage, roughly 11 km south-southwest of Anilao's outer sites, has its own dive infrastructure and is accessible by ferry from Batangas Port in 45 minutes.

Anglers working the Balayan Bay approaches west of Anilao target yellowfin tuna and wahoo in season using the tidal current edges where upwelling concentrates bait; the turn of the tide at the Balayan Bay entrance is the key timing reference. 3 metres on height. PAGASA operates tide gauges at Manila Bay and Batangas Port; the nearest authoritative harmonic station to Anilao is at Batangas, approximately 30 km east.