Dive Sites
1. COPTON POINT - 4 star
Location: The west point of the northern end of the Copton Peninsula.Western Cebu and Moalboal
Access: 20 min by banca north of Copton Point.Western Cebu and Moalboal
Conditions: Normally calm with strong to fierce currents. You would not normally make this journey if conditions are bad. Visibility can reach 100ft.Western Cebu and Moalboal
Average depth: 80 ftWestern Cebu and Moalboal
Maximum depth: 130 ft
You descend a steep sandy slope down to 80ft then go over the drop off down to 130 ft. The slope is rich in healthy soft, leathery and stony corals, whip corals, Tubastrea corals, large gorgonian sea fans and barrel sponges. As the current takes you further north, the wall rises to 13ft with a level reef-top and has good staghorn and table corals. Clear areas on the slope have used regularly for fish feeding so a myriad of fish chase you hoping for food.
The sandy slope has sponges, sea urchins, Linchia and Choriaster sea stars, Bluee spotted Lagoon Rays, lizardfish, goatfish, gobies and various anemones with clownfish.
Fleeting around the corals are titan and Redtooth Triggerfish, razorfish, various pufferfish, trumpetfish, cornetfish, pipefish, bream, groupers, most angelfish and butterflyfish, anthias, chromis, catfish, damsels, fusiliers, Banded Sea Snakes, Spot tail Sand Perch and Fire gobies. Deeper down the walls because of strong currents are larger groupers, Napoleon Wrasse, barracuda, snappers, lionfish and the occasional Grey and Whitetip Reef Sharks.
This is very much a drift dive, but you can find sheltered spots. You will find the current deeper down is reverse of that on the surface.
2. SAAVEDRA - 4 star
Location: Off white beach, just south of Copton Point
Access: 15 min by banca
Conditions: Normally calm with strong to fierce currents. Not advisable during bad conditions. Visibility can reach 100ft.
Average depth: 80 ft
Maximum depth: 130 ft
This dive is much the same as Copton Point but with more slope and less wall. The coral and fish life are equally healthy, with perhaps more nudicrancs, feather duster worms, pipefish, anemones and clownfish, less of the bigger fish and slightly less current.
3. BAS DIOT - 3 star
Location: This name really refers to the drop-off by the Moalboal Reef Club, but the description fits the reef edge from there all along Panagsama Reef.
Access: Either 5 min by banca or swim off the beach.
Conditions: Normally calm with a gentle current.Visibility can reach 65 ft.
Average depth: 50 ft
Maximum depth: 130 ft
A gentle slope stretches out to 16 ft followed by a drop-off in small steps to 130 ft. A lot of variety of anemones and clownfish, lionfish, scorionfish, moray eels, segmented worms, sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, Feather duster worms, pufferfish, chromis, anthias, damselfish, lizardfish, sand perch, gobies, boatfish and small schools of catfish.
Colorful soft tree corals, small gorgonian sea fans and crinoids are plentiful, as the smaller angelfish, butterflyfish and bubble coral. Sea snakes are occasionally seen at at greater depths, the caves can contain many surprises.
4. TONGO POINT - 3 star
Location: The southern point of the Copton Peninsula.
Access: 15 min by banca'Conditions: This site is sheltered during the northeast monsoon, so it is usually dived from October to March when the other sites may be too rough - there are fierce currents here occasionally.
Average depth: 80 ft
Maximum depth: 130 ft
There is a large area here going north to Tapanan. At the northern end is a series of coral arches in 13ft to 25ft of water and at the southern end there are large buttresses, away from the drop-off to explore. The site is not very good for fish but has plenty of invertebrates and coral life, with large gorgonian sea fans. The currents can be very difficult between tides.
5. PESCADOR ISLAND - 5 star
Location: 3km west southwest of Tongo Point in the Tanon Strait.
Access: 45-50 min, depending on sea conditions by banca southwest from Panagsama Beach.
Conditions: Normally a bit choppy with strong currents, but it can get really rough with fierce currents. Bancas would normally drop you where you want to dive and then retreat to a fixed mooring at the sheltered end of the reef; you would aim to finish you dive at the banca. Visibility can reach 130 ft.
Average depth: Open
Maximum depth: 165 ft
Pescador has the best diving off Cebu and really does provide almost everything in a very small area. The island provide almost everything in a very small area. The island is a large pinnacle rising out of 115 ft of open water to 20 ft above the surface. Around the island is a healthy coral ledge, mostly at around 10ft , at the southern end it slopes to 30 ft.This ledge then drops as a vertical wall with overhangs and crevices to between 100ft and 165 ft before sloping down and out on sand.
The famous Pescador Cathedral is an open top funnel that bottoms out at 115ft, the funnel is open also on its outer side at 50 ft. Depending on the time of year, shafts of sunlight shine into the funnel around noon.
The deepest drop-off is on the north face which goes down to 165 ft, the east and west faces drop to 130 ft and the south face to 108 ft.
The shallow reef top has some lovely boulder, pillar and Acropora table and staghorn corals, and good whip corals and leathery corals, and teem with reef fish of all varieties including lizardfish, catfish, rabitfish, bream, Sand Perch, Fire Gobies and Blue streak gobies.
The walls have many overhangs, cracks and crevices with gorgonian sea fans, black coral, large barrel and tube sponges covered in Alabaster Sea Cucumbers, Tubastrea cup corals, colorful soft corals and crinoids, sea stars, sea cucumbers and nudibranchs.
The fish life includes just about everything you would expect to find in the area: jacks, fusiliers, barracuda, snappers, sweetlips, batfish, surgeonfish and catfish. Lone pufferfish, tuna, Napoleon Wrasse, Moorish Idols, parrotfish, Whitetip and Grey Reef Sharks, lionfish, Zebra Lionfish, scorpionfish, stonefish, moray eels and sea snakes are all likely to appear. Turtles, Whale Sharks(January-March), small schools of Hammerhead Sharks and Mantay Rays have been seen here and night dives are famous for very large Spanish Dancer nudibranchs.
6. BADIAN ISLAND - 3 star
Location: Almost a kilometer north of Badian Point, to which it is connected by a reef exposed at low tide.
Access: 45 min by banca from Panagsama Beach; 5min if you are staying on the island.
Conditions: Normally choppy with strong currents, but can be really rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 80 ft
Average depth: 80ft
Maximum depth: 130 ft
A drop-off goes down to 115ft and shelves on, out and down. Expect to find some big gorgonian sea fans, colorful soft corals, sponges, nidibranchs, lionfish, snappers, angelfish and butterflyfish, Whale sharks pass by from January to March.
7. SUNKEN ISLAND - 4 star
Location: Southwest of Badian Point
Access: 1 ½ hour by banca from Panagsama Beach.
Conditions: An open water dive, normally choppy with a strong current. You require a good guide both to find the underwater reef and to allow for currents to get you down onto it. Not advisable during bad conditions. Visibility can reach 130ft.
Average depth: 80ft
Maximum depth:165 ft
As this is an open-water dive where you have to get down to 80ft quickly, it is not for novices. The main reason for the dive is the chance of seeing large shoals of fish, big barrel sponges, large soft corals and huge gorgonian sea fans.
There are very large lionfish, scorpionfish, triggerfish, surgeonfish, tuna, groupers, snappers, and most species of angelfish, butterflyfish and pufferfish, Moorish Idols, parrotfish, Napoleon Wrasse, sea snakes and sometimes Grey Reef Sharks.
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