Best Dive Sites
Arena Island
by liveboard - all levels/ AOWD
Arena island, 89 km northeast of the Tubbataha reefs and Cavili close by are small coral islets and sand cays with fringing reefs. Arena has a lighthouse and seaweed farms.
Further north lie Caluse and Cagayancillo, both surrounded by reefs. This whole area is not so nice to dive, since there has…
Bastera Reef & Oceanic Wreck
by liveboard - cmas**/ AOWD
Bastera (Maeander Reef) is a sand cay 93 km southwest of Tubbataha south island. The wreck of the Oceanic lies on the east side. Bancoran island, a further 60 km southwest of Bastera, is densely wooded and inhabited.
Jessie Beazeley Reef
by liveboard - cmas**/ AOWD
The name of this reef is also written as Jezzly Beazley on some maps. This reef lies about 23 km northwest of the Tubbataha reefs but is not protected as a Marine Park, so fishing is allowed here. The reef here is so small, you probably have visited it in two dives.
This place is not sheltered at…
Jessie Beazley North End
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Gradual slopes are rich in corals. There is also a drop-off which is undercut, giving the reef the overall shape of a mushroom. Shark sighting is guaranteed on any dive, with barracuda and Spanish mackerel as common visitors. Currents in the area can change direction within minutes.
Jessie Beazley Reefshark Point
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Jessie Beazley White Sand Cay
By boat - CMAS * / OW
Jessie Beazly South End
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Gradual slopes are rich in corals. There is also a drop-off which is undercut, giving the reef the overall shape of a mushroom. Shark sighting is guaranteed on any dive, with barracuda and Spanish mackerel as common visitors. Currents in the area can change direction within minutes.
North Atoll - Amos Rock
by liveboard - cmas**/ AOWD
The wall is wonderfully covered with huge gorgonian fans and whip corals and if there is some current this place is just packed with large fish! Here you can see so many sharks you'll give up on counting, mostly white tip reef sharks and gray reef sharks. There are also plenty of mackerels,…
North Atoll - Bird island
by liveboard - all levels
This is a steep wall with overhangs, swim throughs and crevices. Some areas have sand trickling down from above like a waterfall and there is a corner where you feel strong currents coming from both sides. The reef top is quite nice with lots of hard coral heads and sandy areas in-between. There are…
North Atoll - Gorgonian Channel
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
North Atoll - Malayan Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
North Atoll - Malayan Wreck
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
You can see the remains of a Malayian ship that stranded here from the mooring place. You can have a strong current in one of the sides, but lots of fish will hang around there too, a large group of dogtooth tuna and even an eagle ray. On the reef top you can see moray eels, angelfishes,…
North Atoll - Marine Park
By boat -
North Atoll - Ranger Station
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
There is a channel going to the ranger station.
North Atoll - Seafan Alley
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
North Atoll - Shark Airport
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
North Atoll - South Rock
by liveboard - all levels/ AOWD
Steep wall with a lot of gorgonian fans, and some overhangs. It's easy to encounter large group of tunas and longface emperors. On the sandy areas there are always a lot of sea cucumbers like the special looking Thelenota ananas. As during nearly every other dive, there are several turtles.
North Atoll - Terraces
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
North Atoll - Wall Street
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
North Atoll - Washing Machine
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
North Rocks
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
Expert back-up both above and under water is required. A slope runs to 15 meters ending in a wall which seemingly has no base due to its depth. Big snappers and grunts that do not seem to favor the southern reef can be seen around the North Rock. Sharks are a common sight but pelagic fish might not…
South Atoll - Black Rock
by liveboard - CMAS ** / AOW
Steep wall not covered with much corals. In-between sandy channels coming from the reef top. There are some sharks patrolling, mostly white tip reef sharks and a few Napoleon wrasses. Sometimes mantas are spotted in this area.
South Atoll - Black Rock North
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
South Atoll - Delsan Wreck
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
South Atoll - Eiger Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
South Atoll - Garden Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
South Atoll - Light House End
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
South Atoll - Lighthouse
by liveboard - CMAS ** / AOW
Steep wall and a large reef top area. Hard and soft corals, anemones with anemone fishes, lots of anthias.
South Atoll - South West Wall
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
An array of staghorn coral on a short slope runs down to 15 meters and the start of the drop-off. Rainbow runners and jewfish frequent the area.
South Islet
By boat - CMAS ** / AOW
This area presents good drift-diving opportunities. A wide range of pelagic fishes can be seen in the drop-off, which has a depth in excess of 60 meters. Moorish idols, and crayfish can be observed in great numbers. Snorkeling is possible around the stern of the wrecked log carrier, the Delsan, but…
Turtle Reef
By boat - All divers
Ancient sea turtles swims beside a coral reef garden in Palawan.