Independent diving at panglao

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Pretty Mouth

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INDEPENDENT DIVING AT PANGLAO - a mini guide.


Introduction

Most of the diving at Panglao is based around Alona Beach, where most of the dive operators are situated, and is focused mainly on trips to Balicasag Island. This is understandable as the diving there is very good. However, Balicasag is not the only diving that Panglao has to offer - there are many dive sites accessible to anyone with their own equipment, a sense of adventure, and who is willing to put a bit of effort in.

Last November I had the good fortune to spend 3 weeks on Panglao, during which time I made 34 dives. Almost all of these were solo and independent, only relying on the dive operators for tanks and weights. I thought I'd write up an account of my experience there, as an aid to anyone else thinking of doing the same, and to let people know what Panglao has to offer. Hopefully my information is still accurate as a few months have passed since my trip.


Practicalities


To dive independently at Panglao you are probably going to need your own equipment (except of course weights and tanks). It may be possible to rent a full set of gear from one of the dive ops, but I wouldn't bank on it, especially in high season (December to March). Also, you'll need transport to get you to and from the dive sites. I rented a motorbike and took all my gear on that, but also consider taking a tricycle, especially if there's more than one of you diving.

Familiarise yourself with the layout of the island - you can get a tourist map from the info desk at the pier, look on google maps, and also check out Jim Spears' map of Alona;

Alona Beach Area (Hope he doesn't mind me putting this link here)

Below I've included a list of practicalities such as accomodation, food, money etc. Where I've included a reference number you can check the location on Jim's Alona map.


Accommodation

Budget options around Alona are limited but I've listed a few here.

Supermarket - [Alona Map no55] Rooms 350Php single/650Php double.
Basic clean rooms on the roof above the german owned supermarket. Shared bathroom. From Rona's Corner head west then turn right opposite Naty + Henry's Eatery.

The Bottle House - Rooms 350Php. Tawala/Alona Beach/Panglao 6340 Bohol, Call or text Sabine 09183562654 or Kiko 09995699782.
This is the home of German diving instructor Sabine and her Filipino boyfriend Kiko - they have 2 rooms that they rent out on the quiet. The rooms are basic but have mosquito nets, shared bathroom, and there's a simple kitchen too with wood-fired hobs. Very friendly and relaxed, it's quite bohemian here. They are very much into art, and if they throw a party you'll likely see musicians, fire breathers, fire jugglers, and all sorts of entertainment. I regret that I didn't stay here during my time on Panglao. From Alona, head north and at the 'blind bend' follow the road round to the right, past the school, and it's on the right. No sign - look out for a couple of bottles hanging from a post at the side of the road that let you know you've found it. About 10 mins walk from Alona.

Citadel Alona - (Alona Map no25) Home
Fan room 600/700Php. Shared bathrooms, common area, well equipped kitchen. Clean and comfortable, also popular - book in advance.

Calypso - Cottages 750Php including motorbike.
Private bathrooms. I didn't get to view the rooms as it was fully occupied when I enquired. Possibly a good short term option especially when you consider the cost of renting a motorbike. Doesn't have tremendously good reviews on tripadvisor. From Rona's Corner, head west and after a few hundred meters turn off forward-left (look for the Calypso sign), follow the road to the end and turn left again - after a while you'll see another sign pointing left for Calypso.

Hope Homes - Welcome to the Frontpage Rooms 650Php including motorbike.
Good value but the rooms are a little dingy without much natural light. Directions begin the same as for Calypso but when you reach the T-junction, turn right instead and it's on the right side of the road.

Other Options That I Didn't Check - Somewhere roughly halfway along the south circumferential highway is a cafe, the name of which I forget. If you were heading east along this road it would be on the left hand side of the road. A sign there on the road side advertised rooms for as little as 295Php. Also, one of the divemasters from Sierra Madre told me he could get me a room for 500/night including motorbike. Apparently it was 5 minutes or so ride from Alona.


Equipment Rental

SCUBAWORLD (Alona map no43) dive shops has various equipment available for rent, including;

TANKS - 150 Php

WEIGHTS - 100Php per set per day (some days I was only charged 50, no idea why)

You'll need to show your cert-card. It may work out cheaper to buy some weights if you're going to be diving here for a long time. You can ride your motorbike here to collect tanks etc. Explain to the guard controlling the barrier on the access road what you're doing, and tell him you won't be long and you won't park on the road or beach. At busy times equipment may not be readily available, consider booking it in advance.


Money - BPI Bank (No36) has an ATM, and Jedski (No 29) will change currency.


Internet - Jedski(29), also there are a couple of cheap internet cafes just west of the chapel (No53)


Batteries - for your dive torch. Expensive in Alona, much cheaper to get them in Tagbilaran before you arrive. AAA EverReadys are 77Php from Mercury Pharmacy, or Unitop sells cheap ones - the AAA Unitop (20Php/4) or Sun-tad (18Php/4) batteries work fine, but avoid the 10Php/4 super-cheap ones, they're no good. Both shops are on Carlos P. Garcia Ave.


Food

There are several cheap eateries around Alona. Pernia's (No33), Naty + Henry eatery (No70). La Playa (No48) also has a cheap eatery out front by the beach.

Stores - there's Supermarket (No55) and of course Rona's Corner (No28). There's a wet market at Panglao town ('poblacion' - a 20Php motorbike ride one way from Alona), and a fruit and veg stall opposite Citadel Alona(No25).


Transport

Fast boat from Cebu to Tagbilaran - SuperCat - SuperFerry Travel and Leisure - Fares

A tricycle from Tagbilaran Pier to Alona cost me 220Php, but going the other way nobody would do it for less that 250Php - perhaps you have better bargaining skills than I have. There is also a bus that runs between Tagbilaran and Alona that I assume to be very cheap. I don't know exactly where it leaves from - ask at the information desk at the pier.

Motorbikes are available for rent from the guys that hang out at the junction next to Pernia's (No33), also from the parking area next to the barrier on the access road. They're mostly XRM125's. Prices I was given were 300Php for 8 hours, 500 for 24 hours or 1750 for a whole week.


Getting To The Dive Sites By Motorbike

First, to protect the motorbike bike seat from damage while transporting my gear, I unlocked and raised the seat. I wrapped a towell around it, making sure the top was covered but the towell wasn't fouling the locking mechanism, then closed the seat to lock the towell in place.

I stored as much gear as possible in the compartment under the seat - weights, mask, swimming trunks etc.

The rest of my gear I wore on my back. I set up the BCD and reg on the tank, and adjusted the tank band so the tank would sit comfortably on the seat while riding. My wetsuit and fins I put in my kit bag which I attached to the back of the whole set up. With the bag behind the tank, I unclipped a shoulder strap from the BCD, slipped it through a handle of the bag, then clipped it back in place, then did the same with the other strap and handle. Then it was just a matter of donning the whole BCD-reg-tank-kitbag setup, getting on the bike, and riding to wherever it was I wanted to dive :D


Panglao Island And The Diving There

Panglao is surrounded by very shallow reef that can be a couple of hundred meters wide or more in places. The reef ends at a steep, often vertical wall that sometimes runs very deep, and at the base of this wall you usually encounter a slope of sand, rubble or coral. Typically the wall runs deeper along the north coast than it does along the south coast. The coast is dotted with white sandy beaches and sometimes cliffs too. At the far north east of the island the shallows span the channel to Bohol, and at the extreme south west there is a very large shallow area that makes diving here impractical from shore.

The shallows can be covered with sand, rubble, seagrass, seaweeds and various algaes, with coral fringing the top of the wall. The wall can be covered in coral, fans etc and you'll encounter overhangs, caves, niches etc.

In November the visibility was mostly fairly good, perhaps 20m or more. The temperature at depth was always 29C, and the currents were usually, although not always, negligible.

Because the waters around Panglao are so shallow for such a long distance from shore, diving always involves a swim through the shallows to or from the deeper water. This is made much easier by diving at high tide. You can check the tide charts here;

EasyTide - on-line tidal predictions from the UKHO

It's also a good idea to wear boots as some walking on the reef is inevitable.

Like much of the Philippines, Panglao suffers from overfishing. You'll regularly see traps set on most of the sites I've listed, and fishing by various methods goes on everywhere. The sad result is a serious lack of decent sized fish. In spite of this, the diving here is still rewarding. The sites themselves are dramatic, and there's plenty of smaller fish to see. The macro life here is very good, especially after dark - I particularly recommend diving at night. But the big draw for me is the freedom to dive independently here if you want. No big groups, no guide to follow, I only encountered other divers at Alona Beach and Duljo. You are free to dive where ever you like at any time of the day or night you like :D
 
THE DIVE SITES


BIGpanglao.jpg


North Coast Dive Sites

The directions below I wrote assuming you are coming from Alona. For all north coast divesites other than those at Duljo, head west from Alona until you reach Panglao town, and turn right onto the north circumferential road. Then refer to the notes for the chosen site.


Duljo Beach/Duljo Point


Duljo.jpg

From Alona, head W on the main road - this will lead you NW through Panglao town and on to Duljo. I followed the road to the end where there is a large resort planned, left my bike with the security guards (they won't allow you to ride onto the property but don't mind you walking) and walked round to the right, to the rocky area at the west end of Duljo Beach. This was quite a walk with all my gear and when construction begins I assume this will be no longer possible anyway. A better way to get there is to take one of the tracks leading from the road to the beach and park at the end of that. Then you can swim directly out to the wall, or walk to the rocky area at the west end of the beach and swim out from there for Duljo Point. A very pretty site with many sea fans - the deeper down the wall you go the bigger and more numerous they become. Watch your depth!


Momo-desam.jpg

Momo Beach

Signposted from the circumferential road, you can park right by the beach here. Swim straight out to the wall and descend. Usual north coast stuff, there seems to be quite a lot of various types of algae here. I had my flip flops nicked while I was diving here.


'B' Point

From the circumferential road, take the road for Momo Beach, then turn right. The track is on the left, and it's entrance is identified by a bamboo shelter on the right and 2 small tree stumps on the left. The track terminates at a concrete hardstanding, with the steps leading down to the water to the left. Wall with overhangs, small caves etc.


Desamperados
Turn off when you see the 'Desamperados' sign. This road will end at a junction, in front is a concrete shelter containing a map, there's a road heading left and a track heading forward-right - follow this track to it's end, then follow the path until the rocks allow you to ride no further. Park and it's a 50m walk to the cliff with steps and a shelter to one side. A *relatively* short swim out to the wall.


desam-napaling.jpg

Tabuan

Signposted from the c-road, there's a fishing spot with reasonably easy access. I didn't dive this one.


Napaling Dive Point


The road leading to Napaling Dive Point is marked by a very faded sign on the circumferential road, there are also signs for 2 resorts, the names of which I forget. Follow the road to the end, and the steps leading down the cliff to the shore are in front to the right. This area appears to be tended by the resort here, but no one seemed to mind me having access. A very short swim out to the wall.


napaling-tuazon.jpg

A. Bulatete Street

The street sign is partially obscured by an old sign so keep your eyes peeled. A. Bulatete Street ends at a launching site for small fishing boats, with a shelter and a concrete slope leading into the sea. The locals here were very friendly. The entry area is very shallow at low tide.

From the entry point I swam roughly NW to the wall, then descended and headed left to find many overhangs, small caves, niches and so on in the vertical wall. There's various fans and sponges here too, most of the fish life was towards the top of the wall. This makes a good night dive, the bright colours becoming apparent under the torch light. Many crabs and shrimps live on the wall, and you'll find them living on the sponges and fans too if you examine them closely. I also found a couple of small octopuses towards the top of the wall. The entry area is lit up at night, helping you find your way back, but remember this is the Philippines - there is always the possibility of a brown-out (power failure) leaving you in the dark!


J. Operiano Street


This street begins opposite a shelter, and the street sign is obscured by trees so look carefully. At the end is access to the shore with rough steps. I didn't dive here.


Tuazon-J.jpg


Tuazon Street


Again, I didn't dive here either, but there's access to the shore for anyone who wants to.


'J' Point

Jcloseup.jpg

I lost my notes for this - best to consult the map. If I remember correctly (and it's certainly possible I don't), there's a turning marked '______ Beach' (can't remember the name) - pass this and go left at the next turning (should be a sort of crossroads). Follow the road/track all the way until it ends in a 'T' junction. Turn left and then take the next track on the right. The track will end at a gated property. Park considerately and walk along the path to the left of the property - it will take you to a shelter and some steps leading down the cliff to a concrete platform at the shore. Be careful because it's slippery here.

It quickly becomes deep enough to swim here so could be a good choice at low tide. The wall is absent, instead you will find a slope covered in elephant-ear hard corals. Also there is a 'bowl' in the reef roughly North from the entry point. I saw the usual collection of small reef fish, plus a shoal of small barracuda.
 
The South Coast


To reach the south coast dive sites from Alona, head N and when you reach the 'blind bend' (actually more like crossroads) follow the road as it turns sharply right. This is the south circumferential road - follow it until you reach the desired turning.

Dum-bikini.jpg


Dumaluan Beach


dumal-libaong.jpg

AKA BBC. Ride past the entrances to Bohol Beach Club and Dumaluan Beach Resort. Look for a track on the right with a number of signs for resorts, including one for 'Whites and Greens' - turn here. The track will end in a 'T' junction, turn right and after a very short distance turn left into an empty lot with palm trees and a few small fishing boats. Park by the beach.

It's a fair swim out to the wall, where it's very pretty with plenty of crinoids. This makes a great night dive too, the best of the stuff I found to be in the shallows at the top of the wall. There's the usual crabs and shrimps, also I saw cuttlefish, squid, octopuses, bobtail squid, scorpion fish, basket stars, ornate ghost pipefish, nudies, frogfish, a giant worm on the sand (about 1m in length and looked very much like a massive earthworm. I never saw one before. Maybe a kind of sea cucumber?), sea snake, and a huge 10-legged starfish that rumbled out of the sand when I put my hand down to examine a pipefish.

Sometimes you get a bit of current here.


Libaong Beach

Look out for the sign at the crossroads, also signed for 'Amarela'. The road ends right at the beach with space to park and a few shelters. The beach is popular at weekends.

The wall disappears here for a while, instead there is a sandy slope with coral formations, and soft and staghorn corals. From the shore, swim out in the direction of Pamilican Island - following this bearing will take you to the slope. Head either east or west from the slope and the wall will gradually re-emerge. The so-called Marine Protected Area is to the east of the entry point and covers an area of the shallows marked out by buoys.

Possibly my favorite dive at Panglao, again it's better at night. The sand on the slope becomes littered with small white heart urchins, and I saw flatheads, nudies, flatworms, snake eels, cuttlefish, octopus, bobtail squid, cone shells, robust ghost pipefish, ringed pipefish, estuary pipefish, mantis shrimps, and all sorts of crabs and shrimps.


flush-pern-bikini.jpg


Flushing Meadows

Signposted from the c-road. There's a pier here but it didn't look helpful for access - just get in the water to the right of it and swim out from there. The wall runs to the east, not so deep here, and to the west the wall fairly quickly becomes a slope of sand and coral.


La Pernela

I turned right when I saw the sign on the c-road, and followed the road all the way to the end. At the end there was a couple of shelters and a slope down to a small sandy beach. The wall doesn't run so deep at this site, and gets shallower the further east you head. If I remember correctly, shortly before you reach this beach there's a track on the left that will lead to other potential entry points.


Bikini Beach

Signposted from the c-road. Not a bikini in sight! The slack shallow area immediately in front tends to collect debris so expect to pick up a few strands of seaweed on your swim out. I turned left (east) when I reached the wall to find lots of little caves and overhangs. At night it's quite alive with the shining eyes of the various crabs and shrimps that live here.


Biking MPA

Batya-biking.jpg

Look for a track that leaves the c-road at about a 45 degree angle . It's signposted 'Batya Beach/Biking MPA' but the sign's facing the other way so you'll only see it by looking back after you pass it. Follow this track and turn down another track on the right, also signposted. Towards the end of this 2nd track, park on the left and walk toward the sea to find steps leading down the cliff to a platform with a shelter, with more steps leading down to the water.

The entry area is very shallow at low tide. The Marine Protected Area is marked out with rope and buoys just to the east of the entry point, but only covers the shallows up to the wall. I saw 3 large bumphead parrotfish here at the base of the wall - only the 2nd place I've seen them in the Philippines. How they managed to avoid all the fishing pressure here I have no idea. The MPA has some pretty coral, with plenty of batfish and other small reef fish.
 
And that's it. The list of sites here is by no means exhaustive. If anyone has any corrections, updates, or additional information to add, please do post here - the information would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers
 
Great resource, I have been looking into shore diving off Panglao with little luck till now.
Thanks for sharing, a lot of work went into this, the maps are great.

How long are the surface swims, 100 meters?

What kind of depths, top of wall, base of wall?

What about shore diving from Alona Beach itself?

Awsome post
 
Thanks Tjack, glad you like it.

The top of the wall is typically at 3-7m, and the depth of the base of the wall varies greatly. For example, on Alona beach it's probably at about 20-25m, but at Duljo Point I got to 54m and still could see no sign of the bottom.

Of course, I neglected to mention that you can dive straight out from Alona Beach, and it's good diving there too.

The surface swims are usually long, maybe 200m or even more in places. A good way to guage how far a swim will be is to use google maps. Search for Panglao, Philippines, and then click the satellite icon (top right). Now you can see the satellite image, with the shallow reef showing in light blue surrounding the island. At the bottom of the side-bar to the left of the screen it says 'Maps Labs' - click this and then enable the distance measuring tool. Zoom in on wherever it is you plan to dive, and then click the little ruler icon at the bottom left to start the measuring tool. Now you can measure the width of the reef by clicking once on the shore and again where the reef ends.

Incidently, Panglao is not the only place in the Philippines where it's possible to dive independently. In Davao, Carabao Divers have tanks and weights for rent, as does Nelson's in Moalboal. I think Asia Divers in Puerto Galera might also, but not 100% sure of that.

Cheers
 
Really nice write up!

I am curious did S/W charge a deposit for either tanks or weights??? I think you r right that purchasing the weights (if you dont need more than 10-12lbs) might be cheaper for longer stays.

Cheers,
Roger
 
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Very good!

Nice guide.

Maybe there is to check out, how to rent a boat and how much is it, so you can do also reach Balicasag or Pamilacan.

I go to the Philippines again in october or november and maybe i check it ot.

I think, i do a similar guide for Dauin/Apo Island adn maybe Sabang, because i did there independent dives to the last month.
 
Roger, I wasn't asked for a deposit from ScubaWorld, they just wanted to see my cert card. They seemed pretty relaxed there.

KIbuu, I asked some of the boatmen on Alona Beach how much it would cost to rent a boat to Balicasag for the day. I was told 1400, but this sounds too cheap to me. I did stress that I wanted a price for the entire boat, but I think this price is actually per person (their English was not good). On balance, I would say it's a lot less hassle (and probably not much more expensive) to go to Balicasag/Pamilican trip with one of the dive operators on Alona.

Please do write up a guide for Dauin and Sabang, I'd love to read it. Where did you rent tanks from in Sabang?
 
Well, we payed 2300 Pesos for a day trip to Apo Island last feb. and that was much more as a few month before. In jan 2011 I paid 1700 Pesos. For the boat, not per person. 1400 per person is much to expensive and it could be, that it is for the boat. But always check the boat before, some boatsmen offer their boat but it is not useful for divers (no ladder, to small...).

In Sabang we paid in march 500 Pesos for the boat per dive.

Tanks are 120 Pesos in Dauin and 155 Pesos in Sabang. Weights incl.

In Dauin we rent the tanks at Diveworx and the banka directly at Malatapay Pier to go over to Apo Island. I think everybody can do it too.

In Sabang we rent the tanks and the boat at Octopus Divers. But i am not sure, if they give the tanks and the boat to everybody. I guess they did it, because they known my buddy long time, we both are instructors and not so many customers. Maybe it works, maybe not. The boat we got for sure because there are not enough other divers. But if you search a little bit, i think you can find a boat there too, even to go to Verde Island. But we/I didnt checked that out, so I cant promise.
 
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