Dive Locations : Cebu

1. CAPITANCILLO ISLAND - 4 star

Location: 100 km north of Mactan Island, 10 km southeast of Bogo.
Access: 2 ½ hr by banca from Mactan, 1 hr from Sogod or by road to Bogo on Cebu's east coast and 30 min by banca.
Conditions: you would not normally make this journey in bad conditions, but even in good conditions fierce currents can be a real problem. Advanced divers pick...
Average depth: 80 ft
Maximum depth: 150 ft

There are three sites here with similar profiles:

A) The Ormoc Shoal, 5 km to the northeast of Capitancillo;
B) The Nunez Shoal, 3 km southwest of Calangaman Islet, which is to the northeast of Capitancillo Island; &
C) Capitancillo Island's own Southwest wall.

All have shallow reef-tops at 33 ft leading to drop-offs with colorful soft corals, gorgonian sea fans, caves and black corals. The main interest of the dives are the...


2. TALONG ISLAND - 4 star

Location: 55km north-northeast of Mactan Island, just north of the northwest point of Pacijan Island, the westernmost of the Camotes Island.
Access 2 hr by banca from Mactan Island or 1hr by banca from Sogod.
Conditions: Normally choppy with medium currents, but it can become really rough with fierce
currents. You would not normally make ...
Average depth: Open
Maximum depth: 130 ft plus

Talong in the dialect is eggplant. The north and northwest sides of the island have long slopes out and down with fields of stony corals, particularly large table and boulder corals. Deeper down there are gorgonian sea fans, whip corals, black corals and Dendronephthya soft tree corals. There are all expected reef fish, including Bumphead Parrotfish and small shoals of jacks, snappers, batfish and fusiliers...

3. MACTAN ISLAND - TAMBULI - 3 star

Location: Off Tambuli Beach Resort.
Access: 15 min by banca from whatever local resort you are using.
Conditions: usually calm with some current, though it can get rough with strong currents. A dive mainly for novices. You would not normally dive here in bad conditions. Visibility can reach 65 ft. Average depth: 65 ft
Maximum depth: 115 ft

You descent to an easy dive, sloping to a shelf at 70 ft. - where the reef fish are used to being hand fed then the slope continues off into the depths. All the smaller reef fish will approach ...

4. OLANGO ISLAND - MABINI POINT - 4 star

Location: Situated at the northern tip.
Access: 20 minutes by banca from Mactan Island.
Conditions: Strong surges and fierce unpredictable currents; a site for advanced divers only. Visitibility can reach 100ft.
Average depth: 115 ft
Maximum depth: 130 ft plus

This is a dive where one hopes to see larger pelagic species. There is little to see in shallower water, so get down quickly to 115ft on the drop-off, settle down in some shelter and look out- anything can pass by. Sharks are common, but Hammerhead Sharks are the highlight and Whaler Sharks...

5. OLANGO ISLAND - MABINI POINT TO BARING - 4 star

Location: Between the northern tip of Olango and the village of Baring.
Access: 20 min by banca from Mactan Island.
Conditions: Strong surge and fierce unpredictable currents, not for novice divers. Visibility can reach 100 ft.
Average depth: 115 ft
Maximum depth: 130 ft plus

There are several spectacular drop-offs and there are large caves about 100 ft to 115 ft down. There is little to see in the shallow water, so get down quickly to 100 ft and either have a fast drift at this depth or settle down in some shelter and watch the world go by.

Whitetip Reef and Grey Reef Sharks patrol the drop-offs and sightings of tuna, barracuda, snappers, surgeonfish and jacks.

6. OLANGO ISLAND - SANTA ROSA - 4 star
7. POO - 4 star

Location: 400 m offshore from the villages of Santa Rosa and Poo.
Access: 20 min by banca from Mactan Island.
Conditions: Normally strong currents. Novices should be with a divemaster. Visibility can reach 100 ft over the drop-off.
Average depth: 100 ft
Maximum depth: 130 ft

It is possible to snorkel on the reef flat at 30 ft to 40 ft but it is muddy well offshore and has strong currents, so you require banca cover.

For divers the drop-off starts around 30 ft to 130 ft. It is rich in marine life, stony and soft corals,gorgonian sea fans, barrel sponges, Dendrophyllia hard tree corals and Tubastrea cup corals. There is a good varierty of reef fish in the shallower waters, soldierfish and squirrelfish...

8. AMBOUCUAN POINT - 3 star 9. MARIGONDON -3 star

Location: 100m offshore in the Hilutungan Channel from Amboucuan Point to Marigondon.
Access: 15 min by banca from most of the resorts in Mactan island.
Conditions: Normally choppy with strong currents, but can become very rough with fierce currents. Only very experienced divers would dive here in bad condtions; less experienced divers should be with a divemaster and plan carefully for slack water. Visibility can reach 80 ft.
Average depth: 100 ft
Maximum depth: 180 ft

The area is used regularly for carefully planned night diving and is famous for Marigondon Cave, which has a large entrance some 40 ft in diameter with its top at 92 ft amd its bottom at 130 ft. The entrance has black corals, sponges, Tubastrea cup corals, squirrelfish, soldierfish and lionfish. The cave goes back some 150 ft and is roughly 80 ft wide at...

10. EAST SIDE OF PAGANAN ISLET
11. EAST SIDE OF CAOHAGAN ISLET
12. 13 EAST SIDE OF NALUSUAN ISLET - 3 star

Location: The east side of the extensive reef that extends south from Olango Islant to Nalusuan Islet.
Access: 30 min by banca from Mactan Island.
Conditions: Usually choppy with strong and localized currents. You would not dive here in rough conditions. It is best to keep to the east side of the reef in Olango Channel, as conditions can get really tricky on its west side, in the Hilutungan Channel. Both channels have rip currents. Novice divers are mostly a long way from shore, so you need good banca cover, fully alert to divers surfacing well away from the boat. Visibility can reach 100 ft.
Average depth: 60 ft
Maximum depth: 130 ft plus

The area offers good drift-diving over the drop-offs. Excellent stony corals can be seen down to 65 ft beyond which there are overhangs, crevices and the occasional cave with colorful soft corals, gorgonian sea fans, sponges, soldierfish, squirrelfish, lionfish, snappers, jacks, surgeonfish, parrotfish and small groupers. A good local guide is...

13. KANSANTIK - 4 star

Location: In the center of the Olango Channel, east of Nalusuan Islet.
Access: 50 min by banca, depending on how long it takes to locate this underwater Island and allow for its currents. GPS(Global Positioning System) is useful here.
Conditions: Open water, fierce currents and a fierce surge if you get the tide tables wrong. This dive is only for the most experienced divers, in small groups, and not for those with heavy cameras. A good banca operator is essential to find the site and drop a shotline and anchor onto it. Once in a position, the best guides, use a heavily weighted shotline, and some divers use individual lines to tie themselves to the weight on the shotline's bottom. Visibility can reach 130 ft.
Average depth: 100 ft
Maximum depth: 165 ft plus

An underwater mountain rises from the depths to within 100 ft of the surface. Descent the shotline and remember when you leave it that, even if you are presently in slack water, the current will soon pick up again. There are good stony corals, soft corals, whip corals, huge sponges and gorgonian sea fans, and schools of fish...

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Cebu

Cebu is the Queen City of the South and the country's oldest city dating back to Magellan's arrival in 1521. Growth was slow until the mid-19th century, when increasing trade caused rapid development. Today Metropolitan Cebu extends over 350 square kilometers, with five cities and municipalities and a population of more than 1 million.

Cebu (Sugbo) is the name given to the city, the metropolis, the island, the province. Cebu Province is made up of 48 municipalities and 5 cities - Cebu, Danao, Lapu-lapu, Mandaue and Toledo - with Cebu City as its capital. Cebu Island is a sliver of an island centrally located in the Visayas region of the Philippine archipelago, 365 miles south of Manila. Metropolitan Cebu is a complex of 3 cities and 6 municipalities with a population of over 1 million. Cebu City is the oldest Philippine city, and is also called the "Queen City of the South". As the first Spanish settlement, it was called Ciudad del Santissimo Nombre de Jesus.

The entire province has a total land area of 508,844 hectares, and its temperature averages 27 ° C all year round. The languages/dialects spoken are Cebuano Tagalog and English.

Cebu is also the diving center of the Philippines with magnificent coral formations, spectacular marine life and drop-offs plunging to blue nothingness. Fine weather all year round makes Cebu a favorite for water sports. Swim, snorkel & dive; windsurf, sail or ski; ride the waves, stroll along the beach, get a glorious tan. Revel in Cebu's sun, sand, sea & sky!

Language: The locals speak Cebuano - a dialect common in Visayas and Mindanao region. Pilipino (also known as Tagalog) is the national language, however English is widely used.

Carcar town, just south of Cebu City, has many preserved Castillian houses, gardens, and churches.

The Chapel of the Last Supper in Mandaue City, just off north of Cebu City, features hand-carved life-size statues of Christ and his apostles dating back to Spanish times.

The Magellan Monument in Mactan Island was raised in 1886 to mark the spot where Magellan died, who was killed in the fierce battle of Mactan. Datu Lapu-lapu, the chieftain in Mactan, who refused to submit to the Spanish Conquistadoris. There is also a Monument of Datu Lapu-lapu...

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A Glimpse of Cebu

A city in the midst of overwhelming growth, Cebu blends its ancestral heritage and modern business savvy with flair. Crowned the Queen City of the South,Cebu stands as the country's top business and tourist destination. It is here where business and leisure breathe together with office buildings and beach resorts finding its own place under Cebu's friendly skies.

The country's oldest city. Cebu is necessarily the place where relics of the past are a-plenty. Colon Street, for instance,has the distinction of being the oldest street in the Philippines. Paved late in the 16th century by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi. Colon now houses malls, office buildings, theaters as well museums and monuments. Other place of historical importance include Fort San Pedro, the oldest fortress in the country, Liloan Lighthouse, and the Bantayan sa Hari.

A busting trade port since pre-Hispanic times, and was named the country's capital by the Spaniards in 1565. Since then, Cebu has maintained its stature as the center of trade and commerce in Southern Philippines.

However, Cebu is more than just a city of increasing sophistication. With its colorful past, the city still retains much of its provincial warmth and charm, apart from its numerous man-made landmarks and institutions, Cebu also features miles of forest greens-a haven to wildlife and the place for a perfect picnic. There's the 15,393-hectare Central Cebu National Park, the 696-hectare Sudlon National Park, the Cawasan Falls and the Bolok-Bolok Mineral Springs. Nearby Mactan Island boasts of world-class beach resorts.

Cebu is a famed beach and dive destination. Its waters offer some of the world's most fascinating marine life. Its beaches are rimmed by white sands and offer a host of resorts with various sports and dive facilities. Cebu is also is dotted with Spanish colonial churches, forts, monuments, historical markers and ancestral homes. Its colonial past is the best seen in Cebu City, The provincial capital and the Philippines oldest city.

While history is maintained, progress takes its steady course in Cebu. This is the hub of sea and air transport, trade, industry and tourism in the southern Philippines. It is served by an international airport. Accommodations here are plentiful...

GEOGRAPHY AND TOPOGRAPHY

The province of Cebu is situated in the heart of the Philippines archipelago, in the center of the Visayan Islands. Five hundred and sixty two kilometers south of Manila, the province has a total land area of 5,088.44 square kilometers. It is made up of 167 island including Cebu Island ...

GETTING THERE

Cebu, situated on the air and sea transport crossroads of the country, is accessible by plane and boat. Philippines Airlines (PAL) has seven daily flights from Manila and daily flights from 22 domestic destinations. Mactan International Airport is also served thrice weekly by PAL flights from Tokyo and twice weekly by...

HISTORY

In Pre-Hispanic times, Cebu was known as"Sugbu" or "Zubu". It was already a port town visited by traders from China, Thailand, the East Indies and the Arabian kingdoms. When the explorer Ferdinand Magellan landed in Cebu on...

ART AND CULTURE

With an early exposure to the outside world predating the Spanish colonial period, Cebu has developed rich cultural foundations, creatively assimilating foreign influences with local folk sensibilities. This can be in centuries-old churches like the Basilica Minore del Sto. Nino, a subtle blend of Muslim, neo-classical and Romanesque architecture; or in ancestral houses like the...

BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY

A bustling trade port since pre-Hispanic times, Cebu has maintained its place as the center of trade and commerce in southern Philippines. Farm lands make up 32% of the provincial land area which produce corn, coconut, sugar. rice and mango...

SIGHTS AND ATTRACTIONS

Steeped in history and blessed with a variety of natural scenery, Cebu offers many options for the traveler. One can trace the steps of the conquistadors in the numerous historical landmarks or admire the province's mountains, forests and seas. Cebu is famous for its beautiful islands and beaches, and offshore corals...

NATURAL SCENERY

The Top on Busay Hills affords panoramic views of Metro Cebu, Mactan and Olango. Ideal for picnics.

Kawasan Falls in Moalboal, the site of cascades and lush greenery, is another...

HISTORICAL MONUMENTS & LANDMARKS

Magellan's Cross on the corner of Magallanes and Burgos streets is Cebu's most famous landmark. In 1521, Magellan planted a wooden cross on this very spot where the first Filipinos, Rajah Humabon, Queen Juana and 400 of...

NATIONAL MUSEUM

Fort San Pedro is the oldest and smallest fortress in the country. Built as a triangular bastion in 1565, it took 200 years to finish. In the 1700s it served as a lookout against Muslim pirates. During the Philippines Revolution it was a prison for local rebels. When the Americans...

CHURCHES & TEMPLES

Basilica Minore del Santo Nino is where the miraculous Santo Nino image is enshrined. The Santo Nino de Cebu is the oldest religious relic in the Philippines. Given By Magellan to Queen Juana in 1521, the statue survived fires set by the Spaniards themselves in 1565. Since then Cebuanos have venerated the image. The Basilica Minore Del Santo Nino is the country's...

ISLANDS AND BEACHES

Mactan Island, linked to Cebu City by bridge, offers a wide array of beach resorts, from world-class to budget, most of which have full scuba services and water sports facilities. Buyong and Marigondon are famed dive spots with drop-offs that make for great night dives. Danajon Bank Features a double barrier reef-one of the few in the world. Most of the reefs are exposed during...

SHOPPING

Cebu's thriving arts and crafts industries make it a veritable paradise for souvenir hunters and avid shoppers. There is s wealth of finely crafted items in traditional and contemporary designs which have found their way into stores worldwide. Fashion accessories and...

FESTIVALS AND EVENTS

The Visayans are a fiesta-loving people and the Cebuanos have some of the most colorful celebrations in the islands from solemn religious rituals to rowdy parades.

Sinulog is celebrated every third Sunday of ...

EVENING ENTERTAINMENT

Entertainment and nightlife in Cebu are a must. There are a string of bars, cafes, discos and nightclubs downtown, from Colon Street to Osmena Boulevard and...

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GO ON FOOT

MANILA, October 21, 2004 (STAR) RENDEZVOUS By Christine S. Dayrit - My wanderlust has taken me around the Philippines. Recently, however, I came to the conclusion that I have not fully combed the many nooks and crannies of the archipelago. Thanks to On-Foot, the flagship TV show that can be seen on the Living Asia Channel (carried by Home, Dream, and Destiny Cable) twice a week and formed by Tim Tayag and Katrina Holigores, I was able to savor even further the beauty that abounds in our country. Mind you, our discovery of these sights and sounds was done, yes, on foot.

For their two episodes on Cebu and Palawan, Tim and Katrina invited me to join them on their domestic sojourn. "This is a different kind of traveling," Katrina enthused before we embarked on an Asian Spirit flight that would bring us first to the Queen City of the South. In Cebu, we were hosted by the beautiful Islands Shangri-la Mactan where we enjoyed the private white sand beach, the water sports, the friendly (and hungry) fish near the shore and of course, the sumptuous seafood that was served in great big heaps at Cowrie Cove.

From the resort, we fled on foot to discover more about what makes the city of Cebu tick and click. And our discovery is as fantastic as it is fascinating. Why not when On-Foot is a unique travel show with a comic twist. Devoid of tour guides, maps and travel books, self-proclaimed traveltologist, Tim Tayag, the host of the show, decides to get to know where he is, by asking the people around him. The show has nothing but a rough script and relies heavily on the kindness (although not so accurate information) of strangers. As always, the dexterous hands and imaginative mind of Katrina captured every moment of Tim on film.

The show’s purpose is to highlight world-class facilities in our country, promoting tourism from both local and foreign visitors, by uncovering both the well known and the little known "treasures" of every destination. When one travels "on-foot" and does away with the big tour groups or limits oneself to what one can read in a publication, one sees ...

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