PANGLAO AREA

ARCO POINT

Arco Point is an enchanting wall dive and just a short boat ride from shore. It is a perfect spot for snorkeling. You will discover a hole in the wall through which you can enter into a fascinating cave. Bring a dive light to best see the spectacular view inside. At Arco Point the caves teem with cardinal fish, sergeant major fish, white-eyed moray eels and black-finned snake eels. The dive thru tunnel is inhabited by a colony of sea snakes. Frequently seen are the raggy scorpion fish, glass fish, groupers, wrasse, butterfly fish, a variety of nudibranchs, angelfish, stonefish, shrimps, frog fish, leaf fish and green sea turtles. Arco Point is a favorite of the local divers.

BBC (BOHOL BEACH CLUB)

Located just 15 minutes by boat from Alona beach and right in front of the Bohol Beach Club, is the alluring BBC dive site. BBC is a shallow wall dive with a sandy bottom area. There is a small cave here with a hole in the top letting in light for a glorious site to behold underwater. BBC is filled with gorgonians, brown daisy corals and several species of sponges. Often seen are frog fish, a variety of eels, cardinal fish, pygmy seahorses, schools of sergeant majors, black damselfish, mackerels, tuna, sea snakes, scorpion fish and nudibrachs. BBC is an easy dive that will leave you relaxed and wanting to stay longer than your tank will allow.

ALONA BEACH / HOUSE REEF

Alona is a steep slope and wall dive just 5 minutes from shore and is breathtaking with its rainbow colors of coral. You will find a tremendous amount of sea life waiting to be encountered. Routinely seen are scorpion fish, frog fish, lion fish, baby barracudas, purple queen anthias, Moorish idol, regal angelfish, lipfish, butterfly fish, doctor fish, nudibranchs and sea snakes. Alona has a profound amount of hard and soft coral and is a very good snorkeling site. Do night diving here and you will definitely see the beautiful sea basket stars which are sure to put a smile on your face.

KALIPAYAN BOAT WRECK

Kalipayan Boat Wreck is a steep slope dive which encompasses a small wreck that was sunk several years ago. This wreck is home to a family of lionfish who are always curious when strangers approach. It is an easy dive with a wall containing small caves. Bring a dive light along to investigate all the nooks and crannies. You never know what will be hiding in the darkness. This site is frequented by sea turtles, tall fin batfish, giant angelfish, groupers, clownfish and cardinal fishes. Look among the feather stars for the shy harlequin ghost pipefish.

KALIPAYAN

Only 10 minutes from shore is a wonderful dive with a spectacular wall, caves and reef. You are sure to be greeted by a school of sweetlips as soon as you hit the water. Kalipayan is a long dive site and is best seen in two dives. It contains a variety of corals, including nive blue and beautiful table corals which are teeming with life. Commonly seen are dothead rockcod, blue spotted rays, foxface, blue tang, the black and yellow harlequin ghost pipefish, comet and banded pipefish, sea snakes, eels, triggerfish, various nudibranchs, groups of batfish, lionfish and stonefish. Kalipayan is sure to please both experienced and beginning divers alike and is a fabulous site for night diving. Kalipayan is also a fabulous site for snorkeling.

DOLJO POINT

A 40 minute boat ride from Alona Beach will take you Doljo Point, a sheltered dive site filled with huge gorgonians, giant sea fans, elephant ear coral, green leather corals and colorful sponges. Doljo is a steep slope and wall dive that will captivate you with the impressive number of marine life it holds. You will encounter jacks and barracudas, giant frogfish, squid, morays, mackerel and sea snakes. On occasion you will find white tip and hammerhead sharks at Doljo Point.

PUNTOD WALL

Puntod Wall dive site is a wall and reef dive which encompasses several caves and is approximately 30 minutes from shore. Here you will find giant gorgonians filled with creatures trying to escape being seen. Beautiful hard and soft corals are numerous and are frequented by squids, mackerels and seasnakes. Commonly encountered are butterfly fish, ribbon eel, turtles, sweetlips, damsels, scorpion fish, blennies and a large variety of nudibranchs.

NAPALING

It sometimes seems like this steep wall of coral is in motion. Marine life is moving where ever you look. Napaling is known for its rich black coral and huge gorgonian fans which will camouflage the abundant macrolife. Frequently seen are moray eels, sea turtles, black stars, snakes, schools of barracuda or jackfish and sharks.

GAK-ANG POINT

Located on the shelf of southwestern Panglao Island, Gak-Ang is known for finding ground species in the shallows. Starfish, clown fish, blue spotted rays, cleaner shrimp, and anemones are routinely seen. Also common are the blue linkia sea star, stingrays, sergeant majors, moray eels and wrasse. Gak-Ang is a steep slope dive which will have you looking in every direction at the wonders around you.

MOMO BEACH

Momo Beach is a much protected wall dive which is excellent for snorkeling. The colors of the many corals are sure to delight you. Found in the shallows are a variety of starfish, frog fish, clown fish, blennies and gobies. Along the incredible wall you will find harlequin ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimps, spanish dancers, blue tang, citron butterfly fish, blue linkia sea stars, clownfish and damsels. Momo is a delight for both the diver and snorkeler alike.

TAWALA MARINE SANCTUARY

Tawala is just what the name describes, a beautiful protected sanctuary filled to overflowing with marine life. The picturesque hard and soft corals hold every color imaginable which will treat your eyes to a feast. Because the area is protected from fishing, the number of inhabitants is staggering. Commonly seen at Tawala are the cuttlefish, pufferfish, batfish, big-eyed trevally, huge schools of jacks, turtles, big-mouth mackerels, fusilier, surgeon fish, snappers, damsels, mantis shrimps and a multitude of nudibranchs. Tawala Marine Sanctuary is a photographer’s dream.

BALICASAG ISLAND

BLACK FOREST

Black Forest is a fantastic dive site with a slight slope. It contains numerous coral heads in the shallows and a forest of black corals as you descend, as suggested by its name. Black Forest is considered by many to be the best dive site in the Bohol triangle and is home to many rare and tropical marine species. Nearly every diver here will see large schools of barracudas or mackerels. Small fish of many types are found hiding in the black coral bushes. Rockcods, banner fish, hawksbill turtle, ribbon eel, groupers, squirrel fishes, parrotfish, triggers, Napoleon, tuna, snappers, crinoids, anthias and damsel fishes will greet you along the way.

DIVER’S HEAVEN / MARINE SANCTUARY

An appropriately named drift dive, this is a steep wall bursting with life and color. Because this is a protected area, the number of fishes here is astounding. The beautiful corals, anemones and nudibranchs will keep you fascinated until a school of jackfish or big-eyed trevally grabs your attention from behind. Sharks, groupers and large green sea turtles are regularly seen swimming below. Diver’s Heaven is a world class dive site which you will remember for a lifetime.

CATHEDRAL WALL / ROYAL GARDEN

This dive site gets its name from a cathedral like cave that is overflowing with marine life. Cathedral Wall has many overhangs and gaps in which the creatures are hiding. On most days the sunlight penetrates the seams and cracks of the wall casting beams of light all around the divers, fish and coral. Here, you will encounter an enchanting variety of ocean life. Commonly seen are puffer fish, stingray, mimic octopus, spotted snapper, golden sergeant fish, barracudas, angelfish, butterfly fish, angler fish, snubnose drummer, large bucket sponges and giant sea fans.

PAMILACAN ISLAND

SNAKE ISLAND/CERVERA SHOAL

This is a deep dive site with strong currents and is a wonderland for experienced divers. Overflowing with beautiful corals, it is common (as the name suggests) to see many banded seakraits. Snake Island is a sunken island literally covered with beautiful corals. Thresher and white-tipped sharks are frequent visitors of the area. Commonly seen are a variety of morays, fabulous bucket sponges, scorpionfish, butterfly fish, surgeons, batfish, sea urchins, colorful nudibranchs, enormous sea fans, multitudes of anemones and the delicate sea whip. There is a good chance you’ll see manta and whale sharks at this fabulous site.

DAKIT DAKIT

Dakit Dakit is a dive site enriched with beautiful colors. There are many hard and soft corals here waiting to be captured in an underwater photo. Here you will encounter creatures such as mantas, spotting barracudas, batfish, sea whip, crown of thorns, giant gorgonians, tunicates sponges and schools of Napoleon wrasse. Pamilacan Island is home to at least 13 species of cetaceans. Large whales include the Bryde’s whale and sperm whale. The latter is the prime target for whalers the world over. Often encountered are a variety of dolphin species jumping along side your boat.

CORAL POINT

Coral Point will leave you breathless. Its captivating coral formations and alluring marine life are sure to please. In local dialect, Pamilacan means “resting place of the mantas”. As the meaning suggests, mantas are plenty here. You will see corals and fishes of a multitude of color and species. Often on this dive is seen a variety of dolphins and whales. The smaller whales seen here include the short-finned pilot whale, melon-headed whale and pygmy killer whale. Coral Point is a garden of beauty that should not be missed.

CABILAO ISLAND

LIGHTHOUSE

A steep wall turns into a plateau, followed by another wall. Strong currents are always a possibility here. Lighthouse is full of enchanting creatures such as pygmy and thorny seahorses, pegasus, ghost pipefish, devilfish, stonefish, leaf fish, mantis shrimp and stargazer. Schools of barracuda and jackfish are plenty. December through April, the winter months, sometimes bring white and black-tipped reef sharks closer to the surface. In summer they are seen in deeper areas. Schools of hammerhead sharks are frequent visitors. Lighthouse has beautiful coral gardens, gorgonians, crinoids and soft corals that make this an amazing dive.

SOUTH POINT

South Point is a steep wall dropping to 35 meters and is considered one of the most beautiful dives in the Visayas. Hover over fascinating coral gardens with table-like coral formations then descend into the deep for an encounter with the larger sea life. South Point is virtually covered with sponges, hard and soft corals. Many corals mean many fishes. Encountered here are wrasse, groupers, crinoids, hammerhead sharks, schools of barracuda, jacks, mackerel and tuna.

CAMBAQUIZ

A great deep wall dive with sandy areas between reefs, Cambaquiz has many large overhangs and caves where baby sharks rest during the day. This is a beautiful dive full of sea stars, anemones, hammerhead sharks, tuna, groupers, sea cucumbers, wrasse, mackerel, barracuda and jacks. Cambaquiz is a dive site that should not be missed. It is an enchanting site from the moment you take that giant step in.

TALISAY POINT

Talisay is a wall and reef dive which ends in a huge drop off into the abyss. The wall is home to a large variety of hard and soft corals. Frequent guests are spotted blue rays, parrotfish, octopus, turtles, eels, goat fish, raccoon butterfly fish, clown fish, striped fusliers, ghost pipefish, damsels, Christmas tree worm and a variety of shrimps. All the colors of the rainbow can be seen in Talisay Point. It is a wonderful place to capture photos for the memory book.