Dive Sites

Dive sites are replete with huge numbers of splendid fish (trigger fish, parrot fish, pennant fish, moray eels, surgeon fish, snappers, groupers, moorish idol, lizard fish, gobies, baths, lion fish, trumpet fish, puffer fish, file fish, emperors, wrasses, fusiliers and trevally. Invertebrates from the tiniest transparent shrimp and neon-coloured nudibranchs to huge basket sponges adorned with hundreds of multicolored crinoids, anemones, sea cucumbers, starfish, worms and fire corals reside with vast numbers of hard and soft corals and gorgonian sea fans. Turtles, octopus cuttlefish and sharks make guest appearances. Escarceo Point is named after the tide-rips off it, which are considerable, causing strong eddies. Some of the dives are very close together, others are hard to find underwater and easily missed in a strong current. It is wise to have a good local dive guide, both for these reasons and because he or she would be familiar enough with the underwater terrain to know when to come up if, say, you were being swept out to sea or too far away from your boat cover. Guides carry a surface marker buoy-you might wish to carry a surface rescue tube or marker buoy and whistle yourself. Map 1. Talipanan Reef Depth:15m (50ft) to 40m (130ft) Access: A 35 minute boat ride west of Rudy's is a pinnacle 500m (1650ft) offshore. The top is at 15m (50ft) ft and has a huge diversity of small fish, basket sponges, hard and soft corals. On the northwest face it drops off to over 80m (265 ft) where gorgonian fans are abound. A plateau in the shallow depths drops off vertically at 24m (80ft). In mid water there are shoals of surgeons and unicorn fish; often giant tuna come in from the depths to feed. Below, schools of midnight and black snappers appear to swim towards you, breaking away at the last minute. Large schools of bat fish, barracuda and big spanish mackerel stay close to the wall. Sharks are often seen on the deeper dives. Map 2. Manila Channel Location: The Channel between Medio and Paniquian Islands. Access:15min by boat west around the northwest tip of Medio Island to the western end of Coral Gardens. Conditions: Usually calm with a slight current, though it can get rough. Visibility can reach 20m (65 ft). Depth:12m (40 ft). The reef from the shore has 2m (7 ft) rocks and small, purposely sunk motor boat often used for night dives. The dive follows rubble coral and sand along the edge of a 2m (7ft) to 3m (10ft) drop-off. Over the drop-off there is an abundance of good stony and soft corals, though these are mostly of the beige rather than the more colorful varieties. Large leathery corals are everywhere, together with lots of mushrooms corals and bubble coral. There are several different types of anemones with clown fish, leopard fish sea cucumbers, colorful linckia sea stars, feather duster worms, christmas- tree worms and lots of small reef fish. There is good snorkeling all along this reef edge. Map 3. The Hill Access:10 min by boat west around Rudy's to the southeast end of Batangas channel. Conditions: Usually calm, but can be rough with strong currents. Visibility can reach 20m (65 ft). Depth: I2m (40 ft) This is a dive for novices so long as they accurately hit slack water. Good soft corals and sponges abound, with small reef fish teeming around them. Map 4 Coral Gardens Location:The west face of Medio Island. Access: 15 min by boat. Conditions: Usually calm, though it can get rough. Dived on a flood tide for visibility, which can reach 20m (65 ft). Depth: 6m - 9m (30 ft) -(20 ft) Considered the best snorkeling in the area at a good dive for the novice. The terrain shelves out fro the shore to 9m (30 ft). Lots of corals, both stony at soft, are found around the 2m (7ft) level, with mo sand and coral heads in the deeper water. There are some crevices deeper down with moray eels and the occasional immature Whitetip reef Shark. Map 5 Marcus Cave Access: 5 min by boat Depth: 50m (170ft) Conditions: Currents, and after a few meters it can be very strong, so it is best to dive bears left and daylight can be seen at slack tide, or on a slight flood. To get to this site requires a blue water descent to the top of a wall in 40m (130ft) which is covered with whip corals and sea-fans. From there you drop down the face which bottoms out to a sandy bottom in 55m (180ft). There, at the western tip of the wall, is the opening of the cave. It is as wide and deep as a three-car garage so there is plenty of room to explore the inside. You will find a large gorgonia that hangs from the ceiling of the cave, and the brilliant colors of the soft tree corals come to life in the beam of an underwaterlight. Swarms of smaller fish spieces and occasional reef sharks are found out side the cave entrance. The cave houses a plaque laid in memory of a diver named Marcus (who didn't die diving) hence the name of the site. Note: Marcus and Rudy played thousands and thousands of backgammon games. After exploring the cave you make your way along the wall up some rocky ledges. Marble rays sometimes lie in the sand at the top of the wall. The best to dive this site at slack tide. Map 6 Sweetlip Corner Access: 5 min by boat. Conditions: Currents, and after a few meters it can be very strong, so it is best to dive bears left and daylight can be seen at slack tide, or on a slight flood. Depth: 40m (130ft) to 55m (180ft) A blue-water descent to a sandy bottom at 40m (130ft) takes you to a field of long whip coral. shoals of surgeons and red emperor swarm there until you reach the edge of a wall that drops down to 55m (80ft). The wall comes to a huge rock corner, where on the northwest face you find a large crack which you can swim trough. You enter it at 51m (170ft), and after a few meters it bears left and daylight can be seen, through a smaller opening, which is your exit from the tunnel. Inside you may encounter coral cod and soldier fish. A school of yellow- ribbon sweetlips is always found somewhere around this fantastic formation. On the sandy bottom reef shark may be seen, along with bull rays. Currents can be very strong, so it is best at slack tide, or a slight flood. On the ebb you can start up current from your exit from the tunnel. Inside, Sweetlip corner and drift along the face of the wall, passing by a vast variety of fans and soft corals before finishing the dive at Marcus Cave. Map 7. Secret Reef Access: 5 min by boat Conditions: Currents, and after a few meters it can be very strong, so it is best to dive bears left and daylight can be seen at slack tide, or on a slight flood. Depth:40m (130ft) to 50m (150ft) Y ou start the dive descending deep to the sandy sloping bottom which is covered by long whip corals. Then, out of the slope, juts a rocky cliff formation. On top of this reef are fans and basket sponges and some black coral. The north face drops straight down from 50m (170ft) to the bottom in 65m (215ft). If you follow the contour east there is a giant overhang with schools of snapper, jacks, bat fish There have been sightings of a 200-pound giant cod. The best time to dive this site is slack high tide. Map 8. Batangas Channel Access:10 min by boat Conditions: Usually calm with some strong currents Visibility can reach 20m (65ft). Depth: 14m (45ft) - 27m (90ft) Experienced divers would treat this as a drift-dive on a strong flood tide. There are lots of large barrel sponges up to 2m (7ft) high around the 14m (45ft) depth. When the current is running there are shoals of jacks, sweetlips, snappers and fusiliers. There are many small reef fish, several stingrays and the occasional Whitetip or grey reef shark. Map 9. Mamoods Reef Access: 5 min by boat Depth: 30m (100ft) to 50m (170 ft) Conditions: Currents, and after a few meters it can be very strong, so it is best to dive bears left and daylight can be seen at slack tide, or on a slight flood. The top of the reef starts at 30m (l00ft) where there are whip corals, basket sponges and fan corals. The reef wall drops off as you follow the contour to 50m (170ft). Along the face of the wall there are some small caves and overhangs with gorgonian fans of all varieties. Impressive population of sweetlips, trigger fish and different species of surgeon fish swarm along the reef. There are also some big moray eels living in the cracks and crevices of the wall. Best to dive at slack high tide. Map 10. Dry Dock Access: 5 min. by boat Conditions:This site is best seen during flood or slack tide. Depth: 24m (80ft) to 30m (l00ft) The Dry dock is a large steel and plywood construction which was originally designed to lift small boats out of the water. It was sunk in 1998 to create a man-made reef. The construction lies on a sandy bottom adjacent to a small coral reef. It has become the home of many different species of marine life such as sweetlips, snapper, batflsh, surgeon fish, pipe fish and many more. There is a giant barracuda residing here, and blue spotted rays are commonly seen on the sandy bottom. After you have checked out the site you can swim a short distance to the shallower depths of LaLaguna Point. It is best to dive this site at slack tide. Map 11. La Laguna Reef Access: Entry from Rudy's. Conditions: Usually calm with some current. The contour gradually gets steeper as you come to a small wall where sweetlips, small schools of surgeon fish, angel fish and trigger fish are seen. Lion fish and scorpion fish are also common in this area. West of the wall is a white sandy slope where different species of anemone are home to clown fish families and small shrimp. Solefish and stargazers can be seen here on night dives. Map 12. Antoins Wreck Access: 2 min. by boat Conditions: Usually calm with some currents Depth: 25m (80ft) On the sandy bottom lies the dilapidated wooden hull of a Vietnamese cargo boat which has been almost completely colonized by marine life such as damsel fish, with bigger fish, such as batfish and surgeon fish. Great dive at ebb tide. Drift along the reef you may encounter coral cod and a school of trevally, finish the dive at Rudy's door step. Map
13. Sabang Wrecks Access: 4 min by boat Conditions: Usually calm with some strong currents Depth: 20m (70ft) Descending down a mooring line you are commonly faced by a school of batfish that are usually fed by divers who visit the site. On the sandy bottom lies the dilapidated wooden hull of a Vietnamese fishing boat which has been almost completely colonized by marine life. If fish feeding, you will be swarmed by damsel fish, with bigger fish, such as batfish and surgeon fish sometimes moving in for a feed. Care must be taken when diving close to the wreck due to the numerous scorpion fish which reside there. In and around the wreck big white-eyed and snowflake moray eels can be found. With a "good trained eye", two- and three-spot flounder can be seen on the sandy bottom, frog fish and manta shrimp can be spotted in the small coral reefs patches. Just a short swim (about 40m (l30ft) west of the wooden wrecks the steel hull of a 12m (40ft) sail boat that was deliberately sunk by divers to create a new artificial reef. It has not yet been colonized much by any encrusting coral species but impressive fish populations reside around it. Baffish, yellow fin surgeon fish, deane wrasse and pipe fish to only name a few of the numerous species of fish found at this sites. Both wrecks are also fantastic to dive at night, resembling small cities crawling with crabs, shrimps and prawns. Lionflsh and scorpion fish come out to feed, and stargazers look up at you with a smile from the sandy seabed. Small school of baby squid are sometimes attract to the beams of divers' lights. Best diving is during slack tide. Map
14 Sabang Point Access: 5mim east by boat Conditions: Usually calm with a slight current. Visibility can reach 20m (65ft). Depth: I0m (33ft) - 22m (72ft) A good wall dropping down to 22m (72ft), with stony corals, soft corals, fish and invertebrates. A ridge coming up from the wall to 5m (16ft) is covered with even more corals and colorful crinoids. A good night dive. Map 15 Monkey Beach Access: 8 min by boat east until opposite Monkey beach. Conditions: Generally calm, often with less current than at the dive sites further east. Visibility can reach 20m (65ft). Depth: 12m (40ft) -18m (60ft) A pretty coral slope down to 18m (60ft) makes an easy dive, good for novices. Small coral heads have crinoids, nudibranchs and plenty of small reef fish. There are sea stars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers on the sand. Map 16. Monkey Wreck Access: 6 min. east by boat Conditions: Generally calm, but can have some current. Visibility can reach 20m (65ft). Depth:35m (115ft) - 40m (130ft) A 20m (65ft) local island transport (pig boat), sunk by divers in early 1993, lies in 40m (130ft) of water. Its has its own resident fish, including a small shoal of batfish, scorpio fish and barramundi cod. Map 17. Dugon Wall Access: 15 min by boat until just west of the point. Conditions: It can get rough, with strong currents. Visibility can reach 20m (65ft). Depth:18m (60ft) - 30m (100ft) An easy, multilevel dive with drop-offs from 12m (40ft) to 27m (90ft).There is plentiful fish life, including shools of surgeon fish, unicorn fish, jacks, snappers and fusiliers. There are good stony and soft corals, sponges, small gorgonain sea fans and crinoids. Map 18 Wreck Point Access: 16 min. by boat Conditions: Usually a bit choppy on the surface with a strong current, but it can get very rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 25m (80ft) on a flood tide. Depth: 25m (80ft) - 30m (100ft) There is one wreck on the beach, and a further one small wooden wreck,15m (50ft) long - sunk by divers in early 1993 in 27m (90ft) of water. You will find a gentle slope of sand with large heads of all types of stony corals and some rock boulders. There are a lot of small reef fish, angelfish , butterfly fish, damsel fish, sergeant major, parrot fish, groupers, surgeon fish , trigger fish, trumpet fish, lion fish and anthias. There are also pufferftsh, jacks, sweetlips, juvenile pinnate bat fish and moray eels, with lizard fish, goat fish, gobies, leopard fish sea cucumbers and linckia sea stars down on the sand.There are colorful crinoids everywhere. Map 19 West Escarceo Access: 18 min east by boat. Conditions: Usually a bit choppy on the surface with strong currents, but it can get very rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 25m (80ft) on a flood tide. Depth: I8m (60ft) - 27m (90ft) On a gentle slope from 5m (15ft) to 27m (90ft) you will find many large coral heads on sand. Other attractions include some very large, healthy table corals, good boulder corals with christmas-tree worms and feather duster worms, blue and white sponges, large barrel sponges, blue and yellow sea squirts, many different species of nudibranchs, flatworms, sea cucumbers, sea stars and colorful crinoids. There are many male titan trigger fish guarding eggs in nest, groupers, puffer fish and trumpet fish, shoals of ehrenberg's snappers, jacks, fusiliers, sweetlips, moorishidols and lone blackmail snappers, lion fish and zebra Lion fish. The abundance of fish and marine life makes this a good dive for photographers. Map 20. Hole in the Wall Access: 20 min east by boat. Conditions: Usually choppy on the surface, with strong currents, but it can be very rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 25m (80ft). Depth: 12m (40ft) - 19m (62ft) Allowing for currents, you drop into 6m (20 ft) of well-lit water, with fields of table corals as good as anywhere in the world. You descend in several stepped drop-offs, each about 3m (10ft), and eventually reach the hole in the wall at12m (40ft). The hole is about 1.5m (5ft) high and O.8m (2.5ft) wide, covered with multicolored sponges and crinoids, leading to the Canyons (Site 21). The area teems with small reef fish, angelfish and butterfly fish. Moorish Idols, snappers, sweetlips, trumpetftsh, puffer fish, Scrawled file fish, Iion fish and jacks, plus some tuna and groupers. There are several species of nudibranchs on the wall, sea stars and sea cucumbers on the sand, and moray eels in crevices. Map 21. Canyons Access: 20 min. by boat. Conditions: Usually choppy on the surface, with strong currents, but can get very rough with fierce currents. Best dived on a strong flood tide, when visibility can reach 30m (100 ft). Depth: 24m (80 ft) -60 m (200 ft) Another advanced dive that needs a good dive guide to allow for the currents, to get you swept into position. You drift past the hole in the wall and race over several small drop-offs covered in soft corals and sponges. There are a couple of smaller canyons where photographers can briefly shelter; moray eels have been found in one. As with Site 22, the main reason for the dive is to see the teeming fish life-just about everything including six banded angelfish, royal angelfish and emperor angelfish. There are some large barrel sponges and gorgonian sea fans in the deeper water.If you get the current right, you are eventually swept onto a 1.5m (aft) anchor, where your group can gather together before letting go, to be swept away in the current and make a safety stop in open water. A high-voltage dive. Map
22. Fish bowls Conditions: Usually choppy on the surface with strong currents, but can get really rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 30m (100 ft) on a flood tide. Access:20 min by boat Depth: 40m (130 ft) - 60 m (220 ft) This is an advanced dive within a bowl-shaped depression at 40m (130ft), where you sit on the edge and look down. You need a good dive guide to follow for the currents. When you enter the water you will be swept down to where you hope to arrive; photographers can operate only by getting into the shelter of large rocks. There is just about everything here, in quantity, but the main reason for this dive (as with Site 21) is to see bigger fish shoals. large tuna are common. There are shoals of rainbow runners, smaller tuna, bat fish, snappers, oriental sweetlips, spotted sweetlips and jacks, plus some barracuda and groupers. Map 23 Shark caves Access: 25 min east by boat. Conditions: Can be very rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 20m (65ft). Depth: 25m (80ft) - 30m (100ft) The Shark Cave is an overhang 15m (50ft) long at a depth of 29m (95ft). It is 1m (3ft) high at the opening but closes to 15cm (6inch) about 4m (13ft) back. White tip reef sharks rest up here during the day. Nearby is a large boulder covered in soft corals, green Tubastrea corals, small gorgonian sea fans and small barrel sponges.There are lots of different species of nudibranchs, six-banded angelfish, longnose butterflyftsh, shoals of moorishidols and pennant fish, filefish, trigger fish, surgeon fish, parrotftsh, puffer fish and small shoals of soldier fish under the overhang. The area is teeming with the smaller reef fish and colorful crinoids, which open out when the current is running. Map 24. Atoll Access: 25min by boat east round Escarceo point to just south of Shark cave. Conditions: Can be choppy on the surface, with a medium-strong current, but it can get very rough. Visibility can reach 25m (80ft). Depth: 20m (65ft) - 33m (108ft) An atoll-shaped rock, lm (50ft) wide, rises from 33m (108ft) to 21m (70ft). There are lots of fish around but, in particular, several lionftsh under the overhangs and in crevices and blue-spotted lagoon rays on the sand. Map 25. Pink wall Access: 25min east by boat Conditions: Usually calm with little current, but can become rough with a strong current. Must be dived on a flood tide, when visibility can reach 20m (65 ft). Depth: 10m (33ft) - 15 m (50ft) Here an overhanging wall at l0m (33ft) is covered in pink soft corals and cup corals. This can be recommended as a good night dive. Map 26. Sinadigan wall Access: 30min by boat east around Escarceo point to the bottom southeast corner. Conditions: Usually a bit choppy on the surface, with a strong current, but it can get really rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 25m (80ft). Depth: 25m (80ft) - 40m (130ft) A real wall goes down to 4Om (130ft), with all manner of corals - especially soft corals - plus at least seven different varieties of nudibranchs and plenty of the larger fish species; groupers, snappers, jacks, trevallies, tuna and barracuda. Map 27. Boulders Access: 30min by boat east around Escarceo point until you reach at he next headland south of Pink wall (Site 25). Conditions: Usually choppy on the surface with some current, but it can get really rough with strong currents. Visibility can reach I5m (50 ft). Depth: 20m (65ft) - 24m (80ft) Several big boulders, down to 24m (80 ft), form overhangs, tunnels and swim-through. Big fish are often seen here, but the visibility tends to be poor. Map 28 Jap Wreck Access: 30min by boat east around Escarceo point until you reach at he next headland south of Pink wall (Site 25). Conditions: Usually choppy on the surface with some current, but it can get really rough with strong currents. Visibility can reach I5m (50 ft). Depth: 42m (140ft) Tt is an exciting descent down a "shot" line to the sandy bottom where the remains of a small Japanese patrol boat lie. All that remains of the wreck is the big 3-cylinder engine, the transmission, propeller and propeller shaft. There is an anchor, chain and winch where the bow section must have originally been. Sheets of steel plate lie around in the sand adjacent to the wreck. In and around the engine block are two resident giant moray eels, and schools of silver sweetlips and clouds of small reef fish appear to burst from the wreck. Flood tide is the best time to dive this site. Map 29 Palangan/ Rudy's House Reef Access: 30 min by boat or beach entry Conditions: Visibility can reach 20m (65ft). Depth: 5m (40ft) - 18m (60ft) A pretty coral slope down to I8m (60ft) makes an easy dive, good for novices. Small coral heads have crinoids, nudibranchs and plenty of small reef fish. There are sea stars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers on the sand. Map Verde (green) island 30. Drop off Access: 45 min. by boat or live-aboard boat. Conditions: Usually calm with some current. It can be really rough, but you would not normally come out here in such conditions. Depth: 0m - 60m (200ft) plus A true wall, from the surface to 60m (200ft) with all the large soft corals, gorgonian sea fans, fish and pelagic visitors you would expect in such situation. This dive is done as a day trip. Map 31 Washing machine Access: By boat or live-aboard boat. Conditions: An advanced dive; can be very rough. Depth: 30m (100ft) A high-voltage dive comprising a series of small canyons at 15m (50ft) with currents going in all directions, throwing you around. This dive is done as a day trip. Map 32 West point Location:The western-most point of Verde Island Access: By boat 40 min or live-aboard boat. Conditions: Usually calm with a strong current. It can be really rough but you would not normally come out here in such conditions. Depth:18m (60ft) A good fast drift-dive on a rich coral slope teeming with fish life. This dive is done as a day trip. Map
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