Mactan Island is a well established scuba paradise just a few kilometers away from Cebu City.

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The small coral island Mactan sits only a few kilometers offshore Talisay, Mandaue City and Cebu City and is one of the most touristic areas in the Philippines. Mactan Island comprises the towns Lapu-Lapu and Cordova and is connected with the mainland by the Marcelo Fernan Bridge and the Mactan Bridge. The city was renamed from Mactan to Lapu Lapu, which was the name of a famous Filipino who defeated Ferdinand Magellan, one of Spain's first colonizers and settlers. This part of Cebu is one of Philippine's best developed areas, providing it with many touristic facilities such as resorts, bars, restaurants, dive shops and travel agencies. It is easy to book tickets on ongoing flights, ferries to other islands, tours and trips to highlights above as well as beneath the ocean surface.

As with most dive sites, the best developed ones don't usually mean the best dive sites. Mactan offers excellent scuba diving but for those with more time, we suggest visiting more remote parts of the Philippines. The Hilutangan Channel that separates Mactan with Olango Island is deep and offers diving amidst strong currents and with large predators. Well known dive spots are Marigondon Reef, Tambuli, Santa Rosa and Mabini Point. It is diving on steep walls, some hefty currents and with a lot of marine life. It is great scuba diving for professional, experienced and novice divers.

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