Water guide
Subic Bay is a former US naval harbor, which means the water here holds wrecks, reefs, and a coastline that was never built for crowds.
Explore Subic Editorial
Local, practical, independently writtenTable of contents
Quick facts
Table of contents
Quick facts
Overview
The bay is deep close to shore — a legacy of the naval base — which is part of why it became a diving destination almost by accident. Wrecks that would otherwise be inaccessible sit within reach of a short boat ride.
You don't need to dive to give the water a whole day, though. A boat out on the bay, a stretch of sand with nobody selling you anything, a plate of something that came out of the water that morning — the day holds together either way.
This is less an itinerary than a set of ways to spend the hours between morning and evening near or in the water.
Section 01
The wrecks and reef sites here are well documented and well dived, without being crowded. Operators run trips for certified divers and, in a few cases, for people trying it for the first time.
Section 02
A few stretches of shoreline here are unremarkable in the best way — no vendors working the tideline, nothing to buy, just a place to put a towel down.
Section 03
Sailing and boat charters here run on the bay itself, sheltered enough that the water stays calm most of the year. Some are set up for a couple of hours, others for the whole day.
Section 04
A handful of kitchens sit close enough to the water that the day carries straight through to dinner, no change of scenery required.
Section 05
These are the places that come up again and again when people describe how they actually spent an ocean day here, not how they planned to.
Before you go
This is a useful shape for the day, not a race through a list. Opening hours, weather, and availability can move things around. Check the place page before leaving and let one or two stops fall away if the day feels better without them.
You can start here. Camayan Divers has operated from Camayan Beach since 2003 as a PADI 5-Star Dive Resort, teaching the full certification ladder from Open Water through Divemaster. The wreck dives are for certified divers; the reef and training dives are where a first-timer begins.
Some sites need harbour-authority clearance, because they sit in or near working shipping lanes — the USS New York is the usual example. Divers book through licensed operators inside the Freeport rather than going out independently, and the operator arranges the clearance.
It was the US Navy swimming beach from around 1956, and the shoreline still slopes gently into clear, calm water. There is a coral reef just offshore, and turtles nest on the beach between October and February.
Fewer than the map suggests. All Hands Beach sells a day-use pass, and Camayan Beach is open to day visitors but resort-controlled and paid, with cabanas and showers rather than open shoreline. Nabasan Beach is the shoreline at Kamana Sanctuary Resort & Spa, which admits overnight guests only and turns day-trippers away.
Subic Sailing Club, based at The Lighthouse Marina Resort, runs a sailing school for all levels alongside its charters, which is the cheapest way onto the water. La Banca Cruises sells seats on a sunset dinner cruise aboard a 72-foot trimaran; its yacht charters run by the hour with a two- or three-hour minimum.
