Isla Verde — Last Great Reef of Batangas

Isla Verde, or Verde Island, lies in the middle of the Verde Island Passage, the stretch of sea between Batangas and Mindoro that scientists have crowned the center of the center of marine shorefish biodiversity on the planet. This full-day diving trip from the Calatagan side of Batangas takes certified divers to one of the most extraordinary reefs in the country, a place harboring more than 1,700 species of fish and some 300 species of coral within an astonishingly small area.

The signature dive is the Verde Island drop-off and the famous Wall, a sheer coral cliff that plunges dramatically into the blue, smothered in soft corals, sponges and gorgonian fans. Currents here can be strong, the same nutrient-rich flows that pack the reef with life, drawing schooling fish, turtles and bigger pelagics, and there is even a site nicknamed the Washing Machine for its swirling water. Guided by local divemasters who read the tides, you typically log two dives in a single day, surfacing with the sense of having explored one of Batangas' last truly great reefs.