**PHILIPPINES DIVING TRIPS: 10 EXPERIENCES NOT TO MISS

1. Apo Island**
This tiny island off Negros boasts one of the world’s first marine sanctuaries and today it's a poster child for recovered reefs.

2. Tuk Tuks
Take a ride in Dumaguete’s colorful auto-rickshaw taxis. It’s a great way to explore the Negros Island town while on your dive trip.

3. Whale Sharks
You can practically make an appointment to meet these giants on Philippines diving trips. You'll find they're quite abundant off south-eastern Luzon Island, especially around Donsol, where they are protected.

4. Threser Sharks
The world’s best place to spot these elusive creatures — one of the few species that completely breaches the water — is off Malapascua, five miles north of Cebu. Thresher Shark Divers (malapascua-diving.com) offers daily sightings.

5. Cheap Eats
Philippines diving is guaranteed working up a serious appetite, so try afritada, which is meat in a garlicky tomato sauce, and sisig, made with crispy bits of pig (don’t ask which parts). And the national beer, San Miguel, is practically free at about 50 cents a bottle.

6. Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park
This 6 UNESCO World Heritage Site comprises nearly 40-square miles of the Sulu Sea and is a hotspot for Philippines diving. The Atlantis Azores Hotel visits the site on its “Tubbataha Reef Safari” (atlantishotel.com).

7. Perfect Beaches
When you're n Philippines, make sure to check out the country's amazing beaches. The islands boast some of the loveliest sands anywhere: Try Bohol for peaceful seclusion or Boracay for something livelier.

8. Puerto Galera
This Mindoro Islandon hub offers superb diving in Sabang Bay, on Sinandigan and Verde Island walls, and in Batangas Channel. El Galleon Dive Resort (asiadivers.com) is a family resort that caters those on dive trips.

9. Palawan
The Philippines’ last frontier 9 offers spectacular sites like Apo Reef
National Park (not to be confused with Apo Island) and El Nido Marine Reserve. Coron, to the northeast, boasts a dozen or so World War II wrecks.

10. Puerto Princesa Subterranean River
This Palawan trek is worth the daylong effort by land and boat to see its weird and eerie world of bats, caves and a darkness primeval.