Sipalay in the Philippines is located on the west side of the large island of Negros and belongs to Eastern Visayas. Unlike the more famous Dauin, the west side has white sand and beautiful sunsets. It is possible to get here either via Dumaguete or the provincial capital Bacolod on the northern part of the island. Regardless of which way you fly in, it takes about three hours by car to get here. Here you will find varied diving and in addition to beautiful sandy beaches, you can also visit caves, markets, fruit plantations, rice fields, kayak, try archery. Why not be a little daring and try Carabao riding. Carabao is like a small water buffalo with big horns but hold on or you will fall into the mud.
The diving here is good and awesome rock formations and canyons combined with coral gardens, wall diving, current diving, wrecks and sandy bottoms with beautiful coral blocks make this a fantastic destination. Sipalay is very good for those of you traveling with children as the fine beaches are perfect for children's games. Sipalay is not so well known in diving circles yet, but those who have been here are happy to return and the area is getting more and more attention precisely for its beautiful environments but also for the fine diving and the opportunities to really have a holiday. Possibility to go along liveaboard in combination with Sipalay in the Philippines is of course available and it is easy to combine with other locations in the Philippines for a more varied diving trip and holiday.
Excellent destination for both divers and non-divers
Beautiful reefs with lots of fish and invertebrates
Simple diving suitable for beginners and those who want to feel like they are on holiday but also more advanced wreck diving
The diving in this area is generally easy and it is often relatively shallow, but here there are also deeper dives with steep walls and wrecks at a depth of +30 meters. There are about 30 dive sites here and most are within 5-10 minutes by boat from the resort. The dive sites are varied and you can do up to four dives per day on site. They have several boats and some are also used as safari boats where you dive for a number of days in more remote areas but live ashore. The dive guides are very skilled and will be able to show you strange invertebrates and fish. There are also plenty of turtles here. In several places different species of shark and rays and often large shoals of tuna or barracuda are seen..
The water temperature is generally 27-28°C, but in January and February this can drop to around 24-25°C. We recommend that you dive in a 3 mm full wetsuit with boots. Many divers choose to wear a hood after several days of repeated diving. Be sure to bring a light windbreaker and plenty of sun protection.
Term: Normally around 15-30 meters depending on the dive site.
Weather: Sipalay has two seasons, a dry and wet season. July to November is often more rainy, but it usually rains mostly in the afternoons and nights. The weather is generally very good here all year round and a destination you can go to all year round. Feel free to combine with Dauin, which is on the other side of the island, or a safari to experience something different or why not fly out to magical Cagayancillo.
