Dive Sites
13. HOLE IN THE WALL - 5 star
Location: Just west of Escarceo Point
Access: 20 min east by banca. You need a good local dive guide who can take account of the currents if you are to find the hole in the wall.
Conditions: Usually choppy on the surface, with strong currents, but it can be very rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 80 ft.
Average depth: 40 ft
Maximum depth: 62 ft
Allowing for currents, you drop into 30 ft of well lit water, with fields of table corals as good as anywhere in the world. You descent in several stepped drop offs, each about 10 ft and eventually reach the hole in the wall at 40 ft. The hole is about 5 ft high and 2 ½ ft wide, covered with multicolored sponges and crinoids, leading to the Canyons.
The area teems with small reef fish, angelfish and butterflyfish. There are male Titan Triggerfish guarding egges in nests, schools of parrotfish, pennantfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, Moorish idols, snappers, sweetlips, trumpertfish, pufferfish, scrawled filefish, lionfish 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.
14. THE FISH BOWL - 5 star
Location: Northeast of Escarceo Point.
Access: 25 min east by banca
Conditions: Usually choppy on the surface with strong currents, but can get really rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 100 ft on a flood tide.
Average depth: 130ft
Maximum depth: 200 ft
This is an advanced dive within a bowl-shaped depression at 130ft where you sit on the edge and look down. You need a good dive guide to allow 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 is to see bigger fish and shoals. Whitetip Reef Sharks and Grey Reef Sharks are common, as are large tuna. There are schools of rainbow runners, smaller tuna, batfish, snappers, oriental sweetlips, spotted sweetlips and jacks plus some barracuda and groupers.
15. THE CANYONS - 5 star
Location: Northeast of Escarceo Point
Access: 25 min by banca
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 100 ft
Average depth: 95 ft
Maximum depth: 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. 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 5ft anchor, where your group can gather together before letting go, to be swept away in the current and decompress in open water. A high-voltage dive.
16. SHARK CAVE - 4 star
Location: East of Escarceo Point
Access: 25 min east by banca
Conditions; Very rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 65 ft
Average depth: 80 ft
Maximum depth: 100 ft
The Shark Cave is an overhang 100 ft long at a depth of 95 ft. It is 3ft high at the opening but closes to 6 inches about 13 ft back. Whitetip 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 butterfly fish, schools of Moorish idols and pennantfish, filefish, triggerfish, surgeonfish, parrotfish, puffer fish and small schools 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.
17. THE BIG ROCK (THE ATOLL) - 4 Star
Location: Southeast of Escarceo Point
Access: 25min by banca east round Escarceo Point to just south of Shark Cave.
Conditions: Usually choppy on the surface, with a medium-strong current but it can get very rough. Visibility can reach 80 ft.
Average depth: 65 ft
Maximum depth: 108 ft
An atoll shaped rock, 50 ft wide, rises from 108 ft to 70 ft. There are lots of fish around but in particular several lionfish under the overhangs and in crevices and blue-spotted lagoon rays on the sand.
18. PINK WALL - 3 star
Location: East of the southeast corner of the southern headland of Escarceo Point.
Access: 25 min east by banca
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 65 ft.
Average depth: 33 ft
Maximum depth: 50 ft
Here an overhanging wall at 33 ft is covered in pink soft corals and cup corals. This can be recommended as a good night dive.
19. KILIMA STEPS - 3 star
Location: Just south of the southern headland of Escarceo Point.
Access: 25 min by banca east around Escarceo Point to the south of Pink Wall.
Conditions: usually choppy on the surface with a strong current but can get really rough with a fierce current. Visibility can reach 65 ft.
Average depth: 65 ft
Maximum depth: 130 ft plus
This series of several small drop-offs, descending in steps, is best dived as a fast drift-dive on an ebb tide. There are plenty of good stony corals, soft corals, fish and invertebrates. There is no point going deeper than 100 ft.
20. SINANDIGAN WALL - 4 star
Location: Off the headland at the southern extremity of Escarceo Point.
Access: 30 min by banca 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 rought with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 80 ft.
Average depth: 80 ft
Maximum depth: 130 ft plus
A real wall goes down to 130 ft 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, barracuda and occasionally Whitetip Reef Sharks.
21. THE BOULDERS - 3 star
Location: The next headland south of Escarceo Point.
Access: 30 min by banca east around Escarceo Point until you reach the next headland south of Pink Wall.
Conditions: Usually choppy on the surface with some current, but it can get really rough with strong currents. Visibility can reach 50 ft
Average depth: 65 ft
Maximum depth: 80 ft
Several big boulders, down to 80 ft from overhangs, tunnels and swim-throughs. Big fish are often seen here but the visibility tends to be poor.
22. VERDE(GREEN) ISLAND - EAST POINT - 5 STAR
Location: The east point of Verde Island.
Access: By banca 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.
Average depth: Whatever you like
Maximum depth: 200 ft plus
A true wall, from the surface to 200 ft with all the large soft corals, gorgonian sea fans, fish and pelagic visitors yu would expect in such a location. This dive is done as a day trip.
23. THE WASHING MACHINE - 5 star
Location: The center of the south side of Verde Island
Access: By banca or live-aboard boat
Conditions: An advanced dive; can be very rough
Average depth: 50 ft
Maximum depth: 100 ft
A high voltage dive comprising a series of small canyons at 50 ft with currents going in all directions, throwing you around. This dive is done as a day trip.
24. VERDE ISLAND - WEST POINT - 4 star
Location: The western most point of Verde Island.
Access: By banca or live-aboard boat.
Conditions: usually calm with a strong current. It can be really rought but you would not normally come out here in such conditions.
Average depth: 60 ft
Maximum depth: 60 ft
A good fast drift-dive on a rich coral slope teeming with fish life. This dive is done as a day trip.
Previous Dive Sites