OCEANIC EXPLORER 3 - Anilao
We first dived the Oceanic Explorer 3 a few months after it went down, and it's quickly become a firm favourite. It’s a substantial motor vessel, resting upright on a sandy slope, with the stern sitting deepest at 58 metres and the bow shallower, around 45 metres. What we love about it is how quickly marine life has started to colonise the wreck – it really highlights nature's resilience. You'll see batfish already schooling around the superstructure, and lionfish have found plenty of nooks and crannies to hide in. Penetration is possible for trained wreck divers; the wheelhouse is reasonably open and makes for a good initial explore. We’d suggest keeping an eye on the current here; it can pick up, especially around the bow. This site is a fantastic deep wreck dive, offering a proper sense of exploration, and it’s a brilliant example of a relatively new artificial reef. Give it a few more years, and it'll be absolutely buzzing.
- Location
- Anilao, Philippines, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 13.773056, 120.983610
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 58m
Best Time to Dive in Anilao
The warmest water temperatures in Anilao occur in June, averaging 30.9°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 27.5°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.9°C
- February: 27.5°C
- March: 28.1°C
- April: 29.2°C
- May: 30.3°C
- June: 30.9°C
- July: 30.4°C
- August: 29.8°C
- September: 29.6°C
- October: 29.4°C
- November: 29.3°C
- December: 28.9°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Anilao
- Agahuta - 10-25m (reef)
- Anilao
- Anilao Pier (muck)
- Aphol’s - 20m
- Aquaventure Housereef (reef)
- Arthur's Rock - 20m (pinnacle)
- Arthur s Rock - 5-30m (pinnacle)
- ASIAN LOGGER - 40m (wreck)
- Bahura Reef (reef)
- Barracuda Deep - 28m
- Basura
- Batalan Rock - 10-25m (pinnacle)
- Batangas Channel (drift)
- Beatrice Rock
- big apple
Nearest Dive Centres to OCEANIC EXPLORER 3
Marine Life in Anilao
Home to 88 recorded species including 83 reef fish, 2 crabs & lobsters, 1 sharks & rays, 1 sea urchins, 1 sea snails & nudibranchs.
Notable Species
- Angel abu polos (Centropyge vrolikii) - Reef Fish
- Sunburst Butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii) - Reef Fish
- Orange-lined Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) - Reef Fish
- Comettailed wrasse (Oxycheilinus bimaculatus) - Reef Fish
- Scarlet wrasse (Pseudocheilinus evanidus) - Reef Fish
- Two-spot Bristletooth (Ctenochaetus binotatus) - Reef Fish
- Bridled Goby (Gnatholepis cauerensis) - Reef Fish
- Banded Toby (Canthigaster valentini) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Thalassoma lunare) - Reef Fish
- Bar Eyed Goby (Glossogobius giuris) - Reef Fish
- Bandcheek wrasse (Oxycheilinus digramma) - Reef Fish
- Blue-lined Tang (Zebrasoma scopas) - Reef Fish
- Charcoal damsel (Pomacentrus brachialis) - Reef Fish
- Black triggerfish (Odonus niger) - Reef Fish
- Soft Locust Lobster (Scammarctus batei) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Golden wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus) - Reef Fish
- Blackstriped Angelfish (Genicanthus lamarck) - Reef Fish
- Striped Triplefin (Helcogramma striata) - Reef Fish
- Crescent Grunter (Terapon jarbua) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for OCEANIC EXPLORER 3
Based on average water temperature of 29.3°C, currents 15 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 29°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories