DAUIN & ZAMBOANGUITA

Dauin and Zamboanguita Coastal diving offers a wide array of dive sites for different levels and interests. The black volcanic sand that stretches along the coast creates a perfect habitat for critters and strange creatures making this region one of the best in the World for muck diving. The coast also offers some stunning coral reefs, great drift dives, turtles, schooling fish and if you are lucky a passing whale shark can all be seen here.

MAINIT. A good drift dive for the more experienced diver, reaching 20m there can sometimes be strong currents. This site is named after the hot patches of yellow sand that can be seen towards the end of the dive, Mainit literally means hot! The sand is a byproduct of the nearby hot springs. It is possible to encounter schools of barracuda and Spanish mackerel during the Drift. Also hidden in the sandy slope you can see different varieties of snake eels

SAN MIGUEL. A great macro dive site, it starts with a sandy slope reminiscent of muck dives. Hidden in the side are a wide variety of weird and wonderful critters. Common sightings here include frogfish, squid, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, shrimps, scorpion fish, moray eels and crabs. This site makes for an amazing night dive.

TALISAY POINT. Another favorite dive site looks very similar to San Miguel. It is great for macro dives. Site starts with a sandy slope from 5 to 18 m. It is possible to see different kinds of critters like a frogfish, nudibranchs, octopuses, seahorses and others.

SAHARA REEF. At the start of the dive hidden within the sandy slope you can find many varieties of nudibranchs, frogfish and an array of weird and wonderful critters. It’s an interesting muck dive and artificial reef with a finishing drift depending on current!

SECRET CORNER is the great macro dive site for muck dives. Here on sandy slopes the current can be quite strong, but this is what attracts a lot of octopuses here. You can find a wide variety of octopuses like coconut, blue ring and mimic octopus.

THE CARS. As the name suggests this dive site situated around 2 car wrecks that house an amazing amount of fish life. Schools of snappers, sweetlips and angelfish are common here and the cars themselves create an ideal habitat for a wide variety of shrimps, crustaceans and other macro life. In the sandy bottom surrounding the cars you can see ghost pipefish, dragonets, scorpion fish and frogfish.

DAUIN NORTE. It’s one of the most popular dive sites in the region. The beginning of the dive is a gentle shallow sandy slope that is dotted with old mooring blocks that are home to numerous different marine creatures including frog fish, pipe fish, shrimp, crabs, nudibranchs and much more. The slope leads you to a coral encrusted reef that houses a wide variety of fish life including damselfish, barracuda, anthias and snappers.

DAUIN SUR. Another favorite dive site and very similar to Dauin Norte, this site starts with a gently sloping sandy reef that leads you to a stunning coral covered reef. The start of the dive is a great muck dive with all the usual critters hiding in the sand. The coral reef is home to a wide variety and amazingly healthy fish life. Another must do dive for all levels of diver.

GINAMA. The literal translation of the name of this dive site means ‘man made’ and that is exactly what the site is; a man made tire garden that has created a unique habitat for numerous marine creatures. Living amongst the tires you can see a variety of shrimps, crabs, gobies, anemone fish, pipefish and of course many reef fishes.

MASAPLOD NORTE. An occasional strong current can turn this dive into a good drift dive. During the drift you can see large schools of jacks, snappers and barracudas. Sea turtles are also quite common here. Hiding in the sand it is also possible to see blue spotted stingrays and heaps of macro life.

MASAPLOD SUR. This dive site has been formed from two separate reefs. Sea moths, pipefish, anemone fish and many other reef fishes can be seen at this dive site. The two reefs are covered in healthy hard and soft corals making for a stunning gentle dive for any level of diver.

BAHURA. A popular dusk dive on this site is where you can see Mandarin fish every evening dancing around the hard corals. To witness the beautiful mating ritual of these fish you have to be patient. Just sit and watch them hop around the reef before a pair dart upwards rubbing side to side in their mating ritual. Once you have seen the mandarin fish, move on to explore the other creatures hiding in the hard corals as the dusk dive gradually becomes a night dive.

MAAYONG TUBIG. This dive site is located near a small pier and looks like a sandy slope with a lot of critters: frog fish, sea horse, nudibranchs. On the south part of this site you can see some coral formation.

MAHI-MAHI HOUSE REEF. Native coral reef consists of 3 different rock structures from 8 to 12 m. Rocks covered by hard and soft corals, sponges and gorgeous red anemones. You can find a lot of critters here - gobies, frogfish, pipe fish and `adopted’ turtles. It’s also good for checking and night diving and easy for beginners.

THALATTA HOUSE REEF. Artificial reef is in front of Thalatta resort. This site starts from a sandy slope till 30 m. Lots of different fish are inside artificial reef structures. Frog fishes, octopuses, squids etc. It’s very good for night dives.

ALLURA HOUSE REEF is a great macro dive site, reminiscent of muck dives. Here on a sandy slope you can find a wide variety of unusual critters like frogfish, squid, cuttlefish, nudibranchs, shrimps, crabs etc. This site is good for night diving too.

BASAC NORTE. A good muck dive, this sandy reef hides a wide variety of critters including dragonets, gurnards, nudibranchs and pipefish. If you like searching amongst the rubble then you will love this dive site. It is also possible to find blue spotted stingrays relaxing in the sand.

BASAC SUR. This stunning coral reef is a change from the regular sandy bottom sites around Dauin and looks like Apo Island. Living amongst the wide variety of healthy hard and soft corals you can find schools of striped barracudas, sweetlips, snappers and groupers. The regular critters like frogfish, pipefish and nudibranchs are another common sight on this lovely dive. Current may be from moderate to strong. Drift dive.

CAB-CAB & LUTOBAN. Another great drift dive, this site is covered in healthy hard and soft corals that you can see swaying in the current. Taking advantage of the surroundings you will see schools of barracuda, sweetlips, snapper and many other tropical reef fish nestling in the corals; a stunning dive for the experienced diver.

ANTULANG. The most southern dive site before you reach Apo Island, this site is host to some very strong current, as a result the soft corals are lush and the fish life abundant. It is possible to see schools of barracuda, anthias, snappers and sweetlips as well as many small critters hiding in the corals.