Secret Bay
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.
Secret Bay is Anilao's muck-diving classroom and one of its most productive sites at any hour. The featureless-looking sand slope resolves, subject by subject, into seahorses gripping seagrass blades, flying gurnards fanning electric-blue wings, snake eels periscoping from the bottom, and octopus, from coconut to the occasional blue-ringed, working the litter of shells and human debris. Night dives raise the strangeness: bobbit worms, stargazers buried to the eyeballs, and squid hunting under torchlight. Guides move slowly and low; the site rewards patience over coverage, and a 60-minute dive can pass in a 30-meter radius.
The moment you come for: Seahorses and snake eels on demand, octopus variety, benchmark night muck diving
Topography: Dark volcanic sand with seagrass patches and scattered debris
Current: Sheltered and usually still; the occasional gentle drift along the slope.
Entry: A short banca hop from most resorts; some operators also stage it as a shore entry on calm days.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Venomous residents including stonefish and blue-ringed octopus; silt-outs from careless fins.
Conservation: Fragile burrowing fauna lives in the top layer of sand; stay neutrally buoyant and skip the muck stick jabs.
Who you'll meet
Bigfin Reef Squid
Blue-Ringed Octopus
Frogfish
Nudibranchs
Ornate Ghost Pipefish
Seahorses
For photographers
Wide angle: ★☆☆☆☆ · Macro: ★★★★★ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting