Buceo Alona Beach Dive
Panglao
Panglao is an island attached to Bohol by two bridges where is allocated Alona Beach from where we start all of our dive days.
The name Alona Beach come from the famous philippine artist Alona.
Napaling
District: Tangnan, Panglao Island
Distance: 21Km from Alona Beach, 55min by banca
GPS Coordenates: N.09.37.041 E.123.46.265
Composition: Wall dive. Good for sorkeling.
Experience: Easy dive site for Open Water or higher.
Visibility + -: 12-20m
Depth: 3-40m
Current: 0-2
Interest: Most interesting at 8-12m. Not interesting below 30m
Dive direction: Start the dive with the wall on the left shoulder, going to south-west.
Description: One can take ajeepney or car to get to the dive site , in case of rough water on Alona beach. Wall dive with cathedral Virgin corals. Great for shallow-water photography. BE careful with your entry, it can be shallow. When you go by car and plan land-dive walk carefully down the cliff with full equipment it can be slippery. Your entry and exit points are the same. Good chance to see young Barracudas and Bannerfish (Heniochus diphreutes).
Napaling
District: Doljo, Panglao Island
Distance: 15km from Alona Beach, 39min by banca
GPS Coordenates: N.09.35.542 E.123.43.349
Composition: Steep slope/wall dive. Good for snorkeling.
Experience: Easy dive site for Open Water divers or higher.
Visibility + -: 15-22m
Depth: 8-35m
Current: 0-2
Interest: Most interesting at 10-15m.
Dive direction: Start the dive with the wall on the left shoulder, going west.
Description: Entry/exit can be dificult when the "Amihan" woind blows. Many giant sea fans, bucket sponges, elephant ear coral and green leather corals "anglerfish" can be spotted. Watch your depth at the beginnig of the dive, it's here easy to go "too" deep. Watch at the blue water for Mackerel and Squid or young Barracudas. In deeper water there's a good possibility to see sharks, White Tip or Hammerhead (february or march). Also possible by jeepney or car, land entry and exits are simple to make but be careful at the reef top. By boat, the trip looks long because it has to go all the way around the shallow east tip from Panglao. The outrigger boats can not make a short cut except at maximum high tide.
Pungtud Wall
District: Doljo, Panglao Island
Distance: 11km forn Panglao. 31min by banca
GPS Coordenates: N.09.34.421 E.123.42.796
Composition: Wall dive, good for snorkeling
Experience: Easy dive site for Open Water divers or higher.
Visibility + -: 10-30m
Depth: 3-45m
Current: 0-2
Interest: Most interesting at 7-15. Not interesting below 25m.
Dive direction: Start the dive with the wall on the right shoulder, going north/west
Description: Entry point is when you see the fishing hut on pillars in the water standing in line with the south point from Panglao baring 125o. Beautiful hard and soft coral garden. Lots of small fish like Anthias, Raggy Scorpionfish, Ribbon eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita), One stripped fusilier (Pterocaesio tesellata). At the end of the dive it can happen that you have a slight current against you, return in to the shallow water in south direction if it's getting too strong. Great place to make your safety stop, much to see on the shallow 4m sandy pads. You can bring a dive light to look in the small caves along the wall.
DANAO BEACH HABAGAT WRECK
District: Danao, Panglao Island.
Distance: 2km from Alona Beach, 9min by banca.
GPS Coordenates: N.09.32.408 E.123.45.358
Composition: Steep slope dive, good for snorkeling.
Experience: Easy dive site good for Open Water divers or higher.
Visibility + -: 15-25m
Depth: 8-34m.
Current: 0-1
Interest: Most interesting at 8-12m. Not interesting below 40m.
Dive direction: Normally start the dive at the "habagat" wreck at 35m, then come up along the sandy slope in north/west direction to the "S" shaped wall with overhang, keep the wall on the right shoulder, going west.
Description: Watch your NDL if you plan to dive the wreck but was sunk by Seaquest Dive Center in the year 2000. You can bring a dive light to look in the wreck an the small caves in the wall
Marine life: Swimming above the wreck are Tall Fin Batfish (Platax teira), under the wreck big Lion Fish (Pterois volitans), one Giang Anglerfish (Antennarius commersonii) and many diferent kinds of Cardinalfish in the wreck (Apogonidae). At the "S"-shaped wall look for Anglerfish and at the end of the dive on the slope, look among the Feather Stars for the Harlequin Gosht Pipefish (Solenostomus Paradoxus).
KALIPAYAN
District: Danao, Panglao Island
Distance: 2km from Alona
GPS Coordenates: N.09.32.494 E.123.45.639
Composition: Wall in the beggining, slope in the end of the dive
Experience: Easy dive site for Open Water Divers or higher
Visibility + -: 10-25m.
Depth: 3-25m.
Current: 0-1
Interest: Most interesting at 7-12m, not interesting below 25m.
Dive direction: Start with the slope on the right shoulder, going south-west.
Description: This is a long dive site gpood for two dives. It's connected to Danao Beach.
Marine life: Nice blue and table corals, sea fans Brown Daisy Coral (Tubastraea micrantha), some Dothead Rockcod (Cephalopholis microprion) and small Barracuda. With a good dive-master also the black and yellow "Harlequin Ghost Pipefish) (Solenostomus Paradoxus). Half way the wall, look in caves and crevices for the "Comet" (Calloplesiops altivelis) and the Banded Pipefish (Doryrhamphus dactyliophorus). In the months of May and June the aggressive Blue-finned or Titan Triggerfish (Balistoides viridescens) can be found here.
GARDEN EEL
District: Danao, Panglao Island
Distance: 1/2km from Alona Beach, 3 min by banca
GPS Coordenates: N.09.32.711 E.123.46.260
Composition: Steep slope, wall dive.
Experience: Easy dive site for Open Water Divers or higher
Visibility + -: 8-25m
Depth: 5-23
Current: 0-2
Interest: Most interesting at 6-18m. Not interesting below 25m.
Dive direction: Start the dive with the wall in the right or the left shoulder.
Description: Great dive site for night diving. This dive spot is the west side of Alona Beach approximately 110m off the beach.
Marine life: In the beginning a beautifull bow shaped cliff, look for nudibranchs. Beautifull coral garden on the top of the wall with lots of small fish like Redfin-Amethyst-Purple Anthias. At the bottom of the sandy slope the Splendid sand eels (Heteroconger preclara) and Spotted Garden eel (Heteroconger hassi).
HOUSE REEF ALONA BEACH
District: Tawala, Panglao Island
Distance: 120m from Alona Beach, 1 min by banca.
GPS Coordenates: N.09.32.742 E.123.46.346
Composition: Steep slope, wall dive, good for snorkeling
Experience: Easy dive site for Open Water Divers or higher
Visibility + -: 8-25m
Depth: 3-24m
Current: 0-2m
Interest: Most interesting at 5-15m, not interesting below 24m.
Dive direction: Start the dive with the wall on the left of right shoulder.
Description: Right in front of Seaquest dive Center is a beautiful house reef, great for introduction, check-up or night dives.
Marine life: For sure you will see during the night dive some Basket stars (Astoboa nuda), Harlequin Ghost Pipefish is a good possibility. Baby Barracudas, many reef fish like the Purple Queen Anthias fish (Pseudanthias tuka) or Moorish Idol (Zanclus Cornutus) or the Regal Angelfish (Pygoplites diacanthus). Unfortunately the reed is a bit affected by the many boat mooring ropes, which has damaged some corals.
BOHOL BEACH CLUB
District: Bolod, Panglao Island
Distance: 3 1/2km from Alona Beach
Composition: Steep slope dive
Experience: Dive site good for Open Water Divers or higher.
Visibility + -: 18-25m.
Depth: 10-30.
Current: 1-3
Interest: Most interesting at 7-15m.
Dive direction: Start the dive with the slope on the right shoulder, going south-west.
Description: The dive site is right in front of Bohol Beach Club. At the end of the dive there are two small jeepneys car wrecks. The first one is at 10m with the roof laying next to it, the second one is turned upside down at 8m.
Marine life: Very special on this dive are the Brown Daisy coral (Tubastaea micrantha); or the Pygmy seahorse (Hippocampus bargibanti) which can be seen with the assistance of a good dive-master who knows their whereabouts. You are also guaranteed to see schools of Sergeant Major fish (Abufefduf vaigiensis), Black Damsel fish, occasionally the Banded snake eel (Myrichthys colubrinus) and on the sand slope the Black and Blue lined Nudibranchs (Chelidonura varians).
ARCO POINT
District: Libaong, Panglao Island
Distance: 4 1/2km from Alona Beach
GPS Coordenates: N.09.33.486 E.123-48.578
Composition: Wall dive, perfect for snorkeling
Experience: Dive site good for Open Water Divers or higher
Visibility + -: 10-25m.
Depth: 4-27m.
Current: 0-3
Interest: Most interesting at 10-15m. Not interesting below 30m.
Dive direction: Start the dive with the wall on the right shoulder, going south-south-west. After circa 30min diving steep slope, assent to 10m.
Description: At the beggining of the dive is a hole in the wall. Enter in the cave in small groups from the wall side. The drift current is always going in south direction, it can be strong sometimes. You can bring a dive light to look in the small caves.
Marine life: The cave is teeming with Cardinal fish and Sergeant Major fish (Abudefduf vaigiensis) waiting to be fed. Inside the cave on the east side are White-eyed moray eel (Siderea thysoidea), and Black-finned Snake eels (Ophichthus melonachir). Around the top entrance, at 8m, are sometimes well hidden the Raggy Scorpion fish (Scorpaenopsis venosa). Along the wall are Groupers, Wrasse and Butterfly fish. At the end of the dive when the slope starts look in the shallow for Anglerfish or "Frogfish", between 5 and 10m.