Night Diving the Critter Republic House Reef in Dauin, Philippines

Divemaster Austin in his scuba gear at the dive center before the night dive at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines

Divemaster Austin in his scuba gear at dusk before the night dive at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines

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October 10, 2026

I night dove the Critter Republic House Reef in October 2026, as a shore dive in Dauin, Philippines.

You walk directly into the water from the resort.

Dive Log · Dauin, Philippines

Critter Republic House Reef

Dive Data from my Garmin Descent MK3i

Max Depth

67ft / 20.4m

Avg Depth

33ft / 10.1m

Dive Time

63min

Water Temp

84.2°F / 29°C

Visibility

N/A

Entry

Shore

Recommended Certification

Open Water

Night Dive Asia 9.166419, 123.246993

The Dive

This was a night shore dive, so I geared up as it got dark.

Divemaster Austin in his scuba gear at the dive center before the night dive at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — Austin gearing up for the night dive.

Divemaster Austin in his scuba gear at dusk before the night dive at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — Ann from Critter Republic's bar made me a mango protein smoothie before the dive.

There are structures on the reef covered in sponges and growth.

A round structure covered in sponges and growth on the sand at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A structure covered in sponges and growth.

An anemone among sponges and coral on the reef at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — An anemone among sponges and coral on the reef.

A large octopus among sponges and coral on the reef at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A large octopus among the sponges and coral.

I logged 67 ft (20.4 m) at the deepest, with an average of 33 ft (10.1 m) across 63 minutes.

The reef slopes hard, so we could have gone much deeper if we wanted to.

We wanted to keep it shallow.

What Marine Life I Saw

A sea turtle with remoras stuck to its shell resting on the reef at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A sea turtle with remoras stuck to its shell.

A second huge sea turtle resting on the reef at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A second huge sea turtle resting on the reef.

Two banded pipefish on the reef at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — Two banded pipefish.

A pufferfish tucked under the reef at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A pufferfish tucked under the reef.

A cuttlefish on the sand at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A cuttlefish on the sand.

A juvenile sweetlips on the reef at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A juvenile sweetlips on the hunt?

A scorpionfish sitting on the reef at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A scorpionfish sitting on top of some coral.

A nudibranch on the reef at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A nudibranch on the reef.

A small black and yellow nudibranch or flatworm on the reef at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A small black and yellow nudibranch or flatworm.

A hermit crab with coral polyps growing on its shell beside yellow sponges at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A hermit crab with coral polyps growing on top of its shell. I saw a couple of these.

A yellow crab in the seagrass at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A yellow crab in the seagrass, a kind I have only ever seen at night.

A huge orange sea cucumber on the sand at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — A huge sea cucumber on the sand.

A long orange worm on the sand at night at Critter Republic House Reef, Dauin, Philippines — One of several fast-moving worms that could swim.

The Dive & Conditions

The water was 84.2°F (29°C).

I dove in just a rash guard because the water was warm, but many other divers wore wetsuits.

The dry season, roughly November to May, is generally the most popular time to dive Dauin.

June to October is the wet season, with rougher seas.

Let's Dive Together

👋 It's Divemaster Austin

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What you’ll find inside:

🤿 Dive meetups & group trips
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See you there!

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Austin Tuwiner

I'm a PADI Divemaster based in South Florida.

With over a decade of diving experience, I help readers become better divers, buy their next piece of gear, and plan their dream dive vacation!

Hear Austin's Story

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