This incredibly active reef is home to thousands of tropical fish, so many that
it's very easy to miss the truly amazing small creatures who also call this sanctuary
home. Beginners will be amazed at the number and varieties of fish, and seasoned
critter hunters won’t be disappointed either by the stranger smaller inhabitants.
A sloping, patchy reef with lots of fish. Peacock groupers, red snappers, batfishes,
scorpionfishes, sweetlips and blue-spotted stingrays are usually found here. Small
schools of jacks and fusiliers can also be seen here. Lots of nudibranchs in this
site. Egg and tiger cowries are always seen here. Frogfishes, moray eels, and mantis
shrimps are sometimes found here. This is also another site where crab-eye gobies can
be found.
The west side of Dauin Sanctuary is also made up of two large areas of coral, separated
by a sandy channel.There are a number of raised bommies in the shallows whereas the deeper
end has many small walls and overhangs to investigate. There’s a high chance of seeing turtles.
The east side of this very big sanctuary consists of two large reef areas which are densely
covered with hard corals and divided by a sandy channel. Each area has its own character with
different types of coral and fish to be found there.
What to see regularly: many different types of hard corals, scorpionfish, pufferfish,
rabbitfish, nudibranchs, catfish, garden eels, different types of triggerfish.
What to see if you are lucky: juvenile batfish, devilfish, clown triggerfish,
cuttlefish, ribbon eel, turtle.
The deepest coastal site; only for advanced divers. 2 cars and some fuel tanks and rims at
24-30 meters on a sandy slope and a seagrass bed at 6-3 meters. Ornate ghost pipefishes, nudibranchs,
porcelain crabs, cleaner shrimps, sweetlips, juvenile angelfishes, banded pipefishes can regularly
found among the cars. Seahorses are always found in the seagrass bed. Robust ghost pipefishes, sea moths,
and baby frogfishes are occasionally found in the seagrass bed.
What to see regularly: Durban dancing shrimps, banded boxer shrimps, nudibranchs, moray eels,
sand divers, juvenile emperor angelfish, blue spotted stingray.
What to see if you are lucky: crocodile fish, clown frogfish, harlequin ghost pipefish, banded
pipefish, double ended pipefish, small cuttlefish.
The wreck of a traditional Pilipino fishing boat and a minibus among other things, have slowly become
overgrown and inhabited with a large variety of marine life. They provide shelter for a huge group of
lionfish (try to count them!), and acts as a cleaning station for many visiting fish. The steep sandy
slope and the shallow sea grass areas are excellent places to find smaller critters and provide a great
end to this dive!
What to see regularly: common lionfish, hingebeak shrimps, white eyed moray eels, nudibranchs,
sand divers, pavo razor wrasse, schooling snappers. Snake eels, moray eels, blue-spotted stingrays, frogfishes,
large snappers, very aggressive clownfishes, and nudibranchs are regulars in this site.
What to see if you are lucky: round batfish, flathead, clown frogfish, seahorse, harlequin ghost
pipefish, robust ghost pipefish, banded pipefish.
The south end of Dorado Reef is made up of mixed coral blocks and a couple of artificial reef
structures. Keep your eyes out for some of the biggest frogfish you will ever see as well as many
other surprises.
What to see regularly: different types of frogfish, banded pipefish, many nudibranchs,
different types of snappers, scorpionfish, moray eels, flounders, snake eels, crabs and shrimps.
What to see if you are lucky: flamboyant cuttlefish, stargazer, ghost pipefish, seahorses,
crocodile fish, juvenile harlequin sweetlips.
Dorado reef is a gentle slope covering a large area. Large beds of stag horn coral and many small
mixed coral blocks make perfect homes for creatures big and small. Make sure you take a small torch
to look inside the small cracks and overhangs but don't miss the larger inhabitants cruising over
the reef either.
What to see regularly: different types of frogfish, banded pipefish, many nudibranchs,
different types of snappers, scorpionfish, moray eels.
What to see if you are lucky: flamboyant cuttlefish, stargazer, ghost pipefish, seahorses,
crocodile fish, juvenile harlequin sweetlips.
Just a few steps from your room and you can be immersed in another world.
Sea grass and small coral beds are found in the shallows, perfect for beginners, kids enjoying their
first ocean adventure and macro photographers. Moving deeper you will find large areas of stag horn
and other hard corals. The reef is excellent for night dives, or how about a sunset dive to see our
rare mandarin fish? World class diving on your door step with many rare creatures.
What to see regularly: mandarinfish, lionfish, scorpionfish, many nudibranchs, schools
of catfish, freckled porcupinefish, big schools of yellow tail snappers, blue spotted stingrays, moray
eels, ringed pipefish, crocodile fish, juvenile batfish.
What to see if you are lucky: devilfish, ghost pipefish, frogfish, ribbon eels, twin
spotted goby, double spotted lionfish, comet fish, blue ringed octopus, spanish dancer.
In the same spot as the house reef, Atlantis decided a few years ago to use some spare tyres and create
another reef on a sandy slope. Result! A whole landscape of tyres, now overgrown, have attracted lots of
critters and always have a school of yellow tail snappers hanging about. Fantastic for night dives.
What to see regularly: mandarinfish, lionfish, scorpionfish, many nudibranchs, schools of
catfish, freckled porcupinefish, big schools of yellow tail snappers, blue spotted stingrays, moray eels,
ringed pipefish, crocodile fish, juvenile batfish.
What to see if you are lucky: devilfish, ghost pipefish, frogfish, ribbon eels, twin spotted
goby, double spotted lionfish, comet fish, blue ringed octopus, spanish dancer.
The Dumaguete Coconut Mill (DuCoMi) pier is something of an unusual dive site. Primarily it is a shipping
pier, but when the ships leave it turns into a diver's paradise. The pier is densely overgrown with sponges
and soft corals. The whole site is a true heaven for critter hunters. Eerie light patterns, silhouettes and
the encrusted pilings make for great wide angle shots, as for a very beautiful dive. Huge numbers of weird
and wonderful critters will have the macro photographer in ecstasy. Those who know compare this site to
places such as Milne Bay in Papua New Guinea, Secret Bay in Bali or Lembeh Strait in Suluwesi.
What to see regularly: different types of frogfish, many nudibranchs, scorpionfish, devilfish,
pipefish, batfish, seahorses, juvenile travellies, big sea fans.
What to see if you are lucky: octopus, harlequin ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimps,
whiskered pipefish, juvenile batfish, porcupine fish, moth fish, demon stingers.
About 50 meters from the DuCoMi main pier is a smaller pier, also covered in beautifully developed soft
corals and sea fans. A thin area of natural reef links the old pier to the main pier. The soft corals on
this pier are truly stunning. Combined with the incredible diversity of marine life to be found here makes
for an extraordinary dive!
What to see regularly: different types of moray eels, different types of frogfish, many
nudibranchs, cuttlefish, scorpionfish, devilfish, pipefish, batfish, seahorses, juvenile travellies.
What to see if you are lucky: octopus, stonefish, harlequin ghost pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish,
harlequin shrimps, juvenile batfish.
The newest pier at DuCoMi has recently been connected to the main pier. The new pillars are not as
encrusted as the older ones but there is no shortage of unbelievable marine life to be found on and
around them. Small coral heads and interesting debris just out side the pillars are also home to many
interesting creatures. The dive ends in the shallow sea grass beds, a favorite hiding place for seahorses.
What to see regularly: different types of moray eels, different types of frogfish, many nudibranchs,
cuttlefish, scorpionfish, devilfish, pipefish, batfish, seahorses, juvenile travellies, many shells…
What to see if you are lucky: octopus, stonefish, harlequin ghost pipefish, flamboyant
cuttlefish, harlequin shrimps, juvenile batfish.
The sanctuary is a huge coral garden in which no fishing is allowed. The hard and soft corals are
in excellent condition and are home to many interesting creatures. What starts as a shallow slope
becomes steeper with depth. It’s also a great spot for snorkeling. It’s a wonderfully relaxing dive
through a beautiful coral garden.
What to see regularly: superb hard and soft corals, fusiliers, many nudibranchs, clownfish, parrotfish, schools of juvenile barracuda, razor fish, groupers.
What to see if you are lucky: mantis shrimp, ribbon eel, cometfish, banded seasnake,
flatworms, barracuda, turtle, cuttlefish, ribbon eel, sea moth.
This shallow dive site is a gentle slope to around 7 meters with a steeper drop off to around 20
meters. Mixed hard and soft corals, many cracks and crevices and snow white sand make an excellent
environment for finding small and interesting creatures. A favorite spot for critter hunters and macro
photographers.
What to see regularly: fusiliers, many nudibranchs, ribbon eel, sea moth, cuttlefish, cleaner
shrimps, anemone shrimps, juvenile harlequin sweetlips.
What to see if you are lucky: ghost pipefish, spanish dancer, flamboyant cuttlefish, upside down
jellyfish, mandarin fish, banded sea snake, frog fish.
The Sunken Island is a submerged sea mount, the top of which is at 10 meters. The site can be subject
to strong currents, so at times it is suitable only for more experienced divers. After descending to
maximum depth, you will slowly circle the sea mount and work your way shallower, making sure you see
everything. There is definitely the chance of big stuff dropping on a visit…
What to see regularly: snappers, groupers, anchovies, unicorn fish, batfish, triggerfish,
angelfish, anthias, anemone shrimps, sweetlips.
What to see if you are lucky: hunting tunas, large barracudas, eagle rays, sea snakes, turtles.
Paliton wall starts at 7 meters and in parts plunges down to around 50 meters. It is covered with soft
corals and beautiful big sea fans. There is a very large over hang full of glass fish and lionfish at
about 35 meters and visibility is usually excellent.
What to see regularly: many nudibranchs, soft corals, sea fans, eels, scorpionfish, lionfish,
groupers, anthias, fusiliers, copper sweepers.
What to see if you are lucky: mantis shrimp, ribbon eel, cometfish, banded seasnake,
flatworms, barracuda.
This dive starts as a shallow coral shelf from 5 meters to 8 meters, then drops as a vertical
wall. The shelf is a rich coral garden, great for snorkellers and underwater photographers. The steep
wall has a profusion of cracks and crevices that require a flashlight to explore. Bigger fish hang
off the wall in the current, and clouds of reef fish dart in and out of the profuse corals and
sponges. It’s a kaleidoscope of color!
What to see regularly: groupers, stunning soft corals, flatworms, nudibranchs, tuna, batfish,
snappers, moray eels, sea fans, sweetlips, jacks...
What to see if you are lucky: napoleon wrasse, turtle, frogfish, barracuda...
The Black Forest is named after the rare black coral ‘bushes’ that can be found here. These
unique corals are rarely found above 50 meters but we are lucky to have them here at 30 meters.
What to see regularly: black coral, big schools of longfin bannerfish, pyramid
butterflyfish and red-tooth triggerfish, many colorful nudibranchs.
What to see if you are lucky: napoleon wrasse, schools of jacks, schools of barracuda,
schools of batfish.
A gentle slope with excellent hard and soft corals dropping to about 10 meters, then a wall which
drops off to around 35 meters. The stunning wall itself has everything, many cracks and caves to
investigate, plenty of passing traffic and generally great visibility.
What to see regularly: lionfish, soldierfish, moray eels, nudibranchs, sweetlips, batfish,
groupers, surgeonfish, fusiliers, snappers, nudibranch, anemone fish.
What to see if you are lucky: napoleon wrasse, turtle, frogfish, barracuda, schools of jacks...
Sometimes known as the 'washing machine', this site is usually done as a drift dive because of
the prevailing currents that are almost always present. Schools of big eye trevallies, solitary
giant trevallies, Spanish mackerel, red snappers, midnight snappers, and clouds of anthias and
fusiliers are always seen here. The sloping reef of this site is also a good place to look for
turtles and sea snakes. Keep an eye out for the meter-long bumphead parrotfish that is sometimes
seen on this site.
At slack tide and during certain phases of the moon Coconut is suitable for novice divers, but
otherwise it is strictly for advanced divers with drift diving experience. At one point there is a
sand channel running between two rock cliffs which provides shelter from the current and is an
excellent place to sit and watch the show!
What to see regularly: many different types of jacks and snappers, sweetlips, emperor
fish, fusiliers, barracuda, tuna, rainbow runners, turtles, sea snakes, batfish, potato grouper.
What to see if you are lucky: napoleon wrasse, bump head parrotfish, reef sharks, manta
ray, whale shark.
Another wall dive with lots of undercuts, good hard coral growth, and beautiful
soft coral gardens. Sailfin gobies and nudibranchs can be found on the wall as well as
the occasional large grouper. While swimming among the soft corals, divers should keep
an eye out for the elusive radial filefish.
Cogon is often subjected to fierce currents, making it an exhilarating drift dive only suitable
for more experienced divers. The dive starts on a sloping reef with excellent mixed corals and
sponges and finishes along a wall with luxurious soft corals.
Strong currents guarantee remarkable marine life activity with all kinds of fish cruising the reef
and huge schools of big eye trevallies (jacks) hanging in the blue.
What to see regularly: big eye trevallies, blue fin trevallies, giant trevallies, banded
seasnakes, turtles, mangrove snappers, black and white snappers, scribbled snappers, five lined
snappers, boxfish, clown triggerfish, scribbled filefish, pyramid butterflyfish, longfinned bannerfish.
What to see if you are lucky: napoleon wrasse, cuttlefish, bumphead parrotfish, batfish,
eagle ray, mantis shrimp, blue spotted stingray, flatworm, frogfish.
Mamsa is the local word for jack fish (trevallies) and this is an excellent place to see big
schools of hundreds of jacks. Sometimes they swim in a circle for protection, and if you are
really lucky you might see the larger pelagics, like tuna, that are hunting them.
This sloping reef and steep wall are covered in hard and soft corals and sponges as well as hordes
of other marine life species. There is often a strong current, so at times this site is not
suitable for all divers.
What to see regularly: big eye trevallies, blue fin trevallies, giant trevallies,
banded seasnakes, turtles, mangrove snappers, black and white snappers, scribbled snappers, five
lined snappers, boxfish, clown triggerfish, scribbled filefish, pyramid butterflyfish, longfinned
bannerfish.
What to see if you are lucky: tuna, napoleon wrasse, cuttlefish, bumphead parrotfish,
batfish, eagle ray, mantis shrimp, blue spotted stingray, flatworm, frogfish.
This marine sanctuary is a “no fishing” area and a maximum of 15 people are permitted to dive
here each day. This high level of protection benefits the whole of Apo Island, allowing fish
stocks to regenerate.
The Sanctuary is a sloping reef with spectacular hard coral growth. One of the most notable
characteristics of Apo Island is the diversity of its coral reefs, and the Sanctuary is a prime
example of that. Almost every square meter of this site is bursting with the myriad hues and
textures of different coral colonies. This is also the site where Clownfish City can be found.
What to see regularly: many species of clownfish, moray eels, fusliers, butterflyfish,
angelfish, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, giant trevally, snappers, sweetlips, different species of
surgeonfish, fantastic hard and soft corals.
What to see if you are lucky: sea moth, flounder, napoleon wrasse, bump head parrotfish,
turtle, frogfish, ghost pipefish, long nose hawkfish.
Largahan is a very diverse site; it has coral bommies separated by dark sand, ledges with deep
undercuts, a fair-sized wall, and a soft coral garden. Apo Island’s volcanic origin is very
evident in this site; bubbles produced by underground geothermal activity continuously erupt
from the sand in between the coral bommies. This is a good site for macro buffs; nudibranchs,
frogfishes, flatworms, scorpionfishes, and a blue ribbon eel can be found amongst Largahan’s
nooks and crannies.
Rock Point
is a large finger shaped reef protruding from Apo Island's south east corner.
It's exposure to open sea currents ensures incredible fish life and coral
formations as well as occasional visits from 'big stuff'. The east side of Rock
Point is a steep wall which leads to a plateau at the tip of the point.
Depending on currents, divers have the choice of continuing to the west side,
exploring the plateau or returning along the east wall.
Colorful clouds of
schooling fish, impressive hard and soft coral formations and interesting macro
subjects can be found here. Fusiliers, butterflyfishes, surgeonfishes, and red-
toothed triggerfishes are very numerous in this site. Hunting giant trevallies
and blue-finned trevallies can sometimes be seen on this site. As with all other
sites on Apo Island, there is always a good chance of seeing turtles and sea
snakes here. Keep an eye on “the blue”.
What to see regularly: big
schools of red tooth triggerfish, pyramid butterflyfish, longfin bannerfish and
fusiliers, unicornfish, black-and-white snappers, blue fin trevallies, potato
grouper, nudibranch and stunning corals.
What to see if you are
lucky: remora, turtle, sea snake, batfish, moray eel, frogfish, manta ray.
The west side of Rock Point is a steep slope which leads to a plateau at the tip of the
point. Depending on currents divers have the choice of continuing to the east side, exploring
the plateau or returning along the west slope.
The deeper parts of the slope have great hard corals and sponges with larger fish passing by. The
shallower section are covered in a luxurious soft coral forest. It’s some of the healthiest and
most prolific corals you will ever see. Soft corals being a favorite food of hawksbill turtles,
several of them are often seen while diving these sites. Frogfishes and nudibranchs can also be
found here.
What to see regularly: nudibranch, flatworms, scorpionfish, blue fin trevally, black-and- white
snappers, potato grouper, coral grouper, mappa pufferfish, white eye moray eel, batfish, turtles.
What to see if you are lucky: fire dart goby, sea moth, comet fish, frogfish, manta ray.
Chapel point consists of a very gentle slope of sugar white sand and mixed coral heads leading
to a very steep slope which looks more like a ski pist than a divesite! This in turn makes way
for an impressive wall with many overhangs and small caverns to explore.
Clouds of colorful reef fishes can be seen on the reef crest while spiny lobsters, nudibranchs,
fire dartfishes, sasilfin gobies, and a blue ribbon eel can be found on the wall. Several very
lucky divers have also seen thresher sharks on this site. Sea snakes and turtles can often be
found on the reef flat on top of the wall. The shallow parts have very healthy hard corals.
What to see regularly: lionfish, scorpionfish, blue fin trevally, nudibranches, surgeonfish,
black and white snappers, fusiliers, golden sweepers, garden eels, moray eel, turtle, batfish.
What to see if you are lucky: sea moth, comet fish, frogfish, napoleon wrasse,
bumphead parrotfish, giant trevally.
