Dive Sites
1. BEL-AT BEACH - 3 star
Location: Off the north beach of Boracay.
Access: 20 min north by banca and around to the north-northwest face of Boracay, east of Yapak 2.
Conditions: Usually dived when the weather is rough, so expect a strong current. Visibility can reach 80 ft on a flood tide.
Average depth: 115 ft
Maximum depth: 165 ft
This dive is for the experienced only. It is usually visited for excitement when the weather is too rough for Yapak 2 and is best dived on a flood tide. A wall rises to 100 ft running east-to-west all the way to Yapak 1. Divers must quickly descent to the wall and get into its shelter.
The wall itself has plenty of interesting soft corals, gorgonians and stony corals, together with a myriad of reef fish; but the main object of the dive is to look out into the blue water where, in a strong current, almost anything could pass by. Schools of jacks, surgeonfish, Rainbow Runners, seetlips and batfish are common; but larger animals are not often seen, including large groupers, Napoleon Wrasse, turtles, Whitetip Reef Sharks and Grey Reef Sharks.
2. YAPAK 1 and 2 - 4 star
Location: Just northwest of Guiniuit Point, the northwest point of Boracay.
Access: 20 min north by boat
Conditions: These sites are best dived on a strong flood tide, when there are strong and unpredictable currents. Surface conditions can be rough. Visibility can reach 80 ft.
Average depth: 115 ft
Maximum depth: 210 ft
By common consent, this is the most exciting diving off Boracay and the site that all the divemasters head for when they have a strong enough group. A rich wall, rising to 100 ft runs north-to-south except for the southernmost 165ft which goes west-to-east. At the southern end there is a chimney to descent and exit at 130ft.
This dive requires a fast descent to the shelter of the wall, regardless of surface conditions. The wall itself is covered with large barrel sponges, Linchia starfish, soft corals and gorgonians, and is home to a vast quantity of reef and pelagic fish; but the main object of the dive is to look out into the blue. Here, Grey Reef Sharks and Whitetip Reef Sharks are common and Hammerhead Sharks, Manta Rays and Eagle Rays have been seen. There are large schools of surgeonfish, pennantfish, bannerfish, barracuda, jacks, tuna, snappers, sweetlips and Rainbow Runners, as well as the occasional large grouper and Napoleon Wrasse.
These are dives for the experience and not for photographers carrying large cameras.
3. PUNTA BONGA - 3 star
Location: West-southwest of Guiniuit Point.
Access: 15 min north by boat until opposite Punta Bonga.
Conditions: This site is usually dived in calm conditions with little current.
Visibility can reach 60 ft.
Average depth: 60 ft
Maximum depth: 150 ft
This site is the start of the series of walls that run on to Yapak and Bel-At. The main site is an easy dive with a drop-off from 30 to 80 ft at the southern end. The drop-off is covered in soft corals, while the sandy bottom has patches of stony corals with jacks, stingrays, groupers, triggerfish, sweetlips, angelfish, butterflyfish, cornetfish, trumperfish, pufferfish, lionfish, sea stars and sea cucumbers.
The northern end runs into a series of four short walls in steps down to sand at 150 ft - a scaled-down version of Yapak.
4. BALING HAI BEACH - 3 star
Location: Northwest of Diniuid.
Access: 10 min north by boat.
Conditions: Generally calm with occasionally a slight current. Visibility can reach 80 ft.
Average depth: 50 ft
Maximum depth: 80 ft
A rich coral garden runds down a gentle slope from 23 to 33 ft, then you go over the drop-off down to sand at 80 ft. the drop-off itself runs north-to-south for 656 ft.
The coral garden has profuse soft, leathery and Acropora table corals, and there are good stony corals down the drop-off. There is a fine variety of reef fish, including surgeonfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, damselfish, lionfish, scorpionfish, pufferfish, parrotfish and chromis, with lizardfish, Blue spotted Lagoon Rays, sea stars and sea cucumbers down on the sand.
5. FRIDAY'S ROCK - 3 star
Location: Southwest of Diniuid
Access: 10 min north by boat
Conditions: Calm but with some current. Visibility can reach 80 ft.
Average depth: 60 ft
Maximum depth: 60 ft
Friday's Rock itself is a large boulder rising from sand at 60ft with its top at 23 ft. The sand beside the rock is used by local dive operators as a fun dive with fish-feeding, so the fish come at you as you approach. Some 65 ft inshore of Friday's Rock there is a good coral garden at 45 ft.
While angelfish, butterflyfish, surgeonfish, damselfish and sergeant majors will approach hoping to be fed, there are also many parrotfish, triggerfish, snappers, scorpionfish, lionfish, sweetlips, groupers, cuttlefish and wrasse.
On the sand there are blue-spotted Lagoon Rays, moray eels, ribbon eels, Linckia starfish, Choriaster Cushion Starfish, Pincushion Starfish and sea cucumbers.
6. LOBSTER ROCK - 3 star
Location: West of Balabag.
Access: 10 min north by boat.
Conditions: Generally calm with occasionally a slight current. Visibility can reach 65 ft.
Average depth: 45 ft
Maximum depth: 54 ft
Lobster Rock, a large rock rising from 54ft to 33 ft is the standard night dive for advanced courses locally. There is a small colony of Spiny lobsters, plus surgeonfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, damselfish and sergeant majors, most of which hide in holes in the reef at night when crabs, shrimps, moray eels and shellfish come out to feed.
7. GREENYARD AND ANGOL - 2 star
Location: The reefs in front of Greenyard and Angol.
Access: 5 min by boat or a long swim off White Sand Beach.
Conditions: Generally calm. Visibility can reach 50 ft.
Average depth: 23 ft
Maximum depth: 33 ft
This is the house reef that runs down the front of the beach, where it is used for novice training dives and check-out dives, as well as for its good snorkeling. The reef has a very gentle slope, mixed sand and small stony corals with anemones and clownfish, sea grasses, damselfish, sea stars, sea cucumbers and sea urchins.
8. CROCODILE ISLAND, SOUTH SIDE - 4 star
Location: Northeast of Manoc-Manoc
Access: 15 min by boat south and then east along the Tabon Strait to the south side of Crocodile Island.
Conditions: Can be rough with strong currents. Visibility can reach 80 ft.
Average depth: 33 ft
Maximum depth: 80 ft
From a distance this island resembles a crocodile hence its name. The shallow reef-top is good for snrokelling, although snorkellers should be careful of the currents. On the south side a drop-off 197 ft long goes down from 23 ft to 80 ft; it has prolific soft corals and leathery corals and gorgonians as good as those at Sipadan in Borneo. The top of the drop-off is a gentle slope from 7 ft to 10 ft with several small canyons containing lots of squirrelfish, soldierfish, parrotfish, cardinalfish, rainbow rasse and bird wrasse. There is a msall drop-ff to 23 ft then a gradual shelving off on sand to 80 ft with good soft, leathery and stony corals.
At 45 ft there is a large congregation of garden eels and some large sea snakes, good-sized whip corals and gorgonians, black coral and anemones with clownfish.
The fish life is profuse, with parrotfish, angelfish, bannerfish, pennantfish, butterflyfish, Titan and Redtooth Triggerfish, Line Sweetlips, anthias, chromis, Moorish Idols, damselfish, snappers, fusiliers, surgeonfish, groupers, goatfish, trumpetfish, cornetfish, pipefish, hawkfish, moray eels, sea stars, sea cucumbers and many nidibranchs.
9. LAUREL 1 - 4 star
Location: The northeast side of Laurel Island, east of the southern tip of Boracay.
Access: 20 min by boat south and then east along the Tabon Strait.
Conditions: Generally calm, but currents can be very strong. Visibility can reach 100 ft.
Average depth: 16 ft
Maximum depth: 65 ft
This small island has a remarkable tunnel, 826 ft long, you can swim through at shallow depth; it is best dived as a drift when the current is strong and the soft corals on its wall fill up to a blaze of color. It is also a good night dive for the Tubastrea cup corals on its roof. You then swim out into a valley, dropping to 65 ft, with large table corals, barrel sponges, gorgonians and black corals.
The fish life is prolific including all the angelfish and butterflyfish, surgeonfish, trumpetfish, cornetfish, pufferfish, filefish, triggerfish, squirrelfish, soldierfish, fusiliers, rabbitfish, Moorish Idols, cardinalfish, hawkfish, snappers, sweetlips, pipefish, sea stars, sea cucumbers and various nudibranchs. Sightings of Pearl cowrie had been reported.
The top of the reef at 13 ft has good boulder corals with various Christmas tree worms, fan worms and algae, as well as whip corals and leathery corals, This is a find dive for photographers and suitable for snorkellers.
10. LAUREL II - 3 star
Location: Directly east of Laurel Island.
Access: 20 min by boat south then east through the Tabon Strait.
Conditions: This site is usually a drift-dive in the rainy season, when it is sheltered, but it can have strong currents. Visibility averages 65 ft.
Average depth: 50 ft
Maximum depth: 65 ft
A north-to-south wall that is not dived often, so there is little anchor damage and good fish life.