Anilao Pier
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
By day it is a working jetty; by night the rubble and castoff junk around Anilao's pier turn into one of the Philippines' famous critter dives. Torch beams pick out frogfish squatting on tires, wonderpus and mimic octopus out hunting, bobtail squid like buried gems, and nudibranchs streaming over every surface. The seafloor is unglamorous, part silt, part civilization's leftovers, which is precisely why the animals concentrate here. Depth barely passes 12 m, so bottom time stretches long, and photographers often burn an entire battery within sight of the entry point.
The moment you come for: Nocturnal octopus parade, frogfish on artificial perches, long shallow bottom times
Topography: Silty sand, rubble, and pier debris
Current: Negligible inside the harbor area.
Entry: Entries work around an active jetty; operators coordinate with boat traffic and mostly dive it at dusk and after dark.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Boat movements near the jetty, poor visibility, sharp debris, and venomous camouflage experts underfoot.
Conservation: Debris doubles as habitat; leave every object, however trashy it looks, exactly where it lies.
Who you'll meet
Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Frogfish
Mimic Octopus
Nudibranchs
Seahorses
For photographers
Wide angle: ★☆☆☆☆ · Macro: ★★★★★ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting