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Samal Island and Davao City are generally safe for tourists, though Mindanao as a whole carries travel advisories that vary by country. Davao City is the Philippines' third-largest city with a well-developed tourism infrastructure, and Samal Island (officially the Island Garden City of Samal) is a popular resort destination for domestic tourists. The island sits within Davao Gulf, well away from areas of Mindanao that carry specific security concerns. Standard precautions apply, and visitors should check current travel advisories for their nationality before planning a trip.

The Samal Island giant clam sanctuary is a marine conservation area where Tridacna gigas, the world's largest bivalve, has been successfully bred and reintroduced. Located in the shallows near the island's western coast, the sanctuary contains specimens of various ages and sizes, with some mature clams exceeding one metre across. The clams are protected by local barangay regulations, and a small entry fee funds monitoring and enforcement. Snorkelling is the most common way to visit, as the clams sit at depths of 1 to 5 metres, but the surrounding reef offers dive-worthy coral gardens at greater depths.

A Japanese cargo vessel from World War Two rests on the sandy bottom at approximately 18 to 22 metres on Samal's eastern side. The wreck is relatively intact and has been thoroughly colonised by hard and soft corals over eight decades, making it as much a reef dive as a wreck dive. Schools of sweetlips and snapper shelter around the structure, and the cargo holds provide swim-through opportunities for comfortable divers. The wreck's modest depth and calm conditions inside the gulf make it accessible to Open Water certified divers with some experience.