Philippine Paradise: Bohol
The beautiful Bohol awaits! With more dive sites than you will know what to do with, read on to find out what awe-inspiring wildlife both above and below the water, and mouthwatering local food, you might discover there... (Text and images by JC Cergneux)
The beautiful Bohol awaits! With more dive sites than you will know what to do with, awe-inspiring wildlife both above and below the water, and mouthwatering local food, you might find it hard to leave…
A) Balicasag Island
For: Five to six dive sites. Just 30 minutes by boat from Panglao Island, Balicasag Island is a turtle paradise. Impressive schools of jacks and barracuda, snapper, grouper. Spectacular walls with sea fan corals
Conditions: Great drift dives, best between 5–35 metres. Visibility can be over 30 metres. Daily snorkelling trips can make the shallow waters a bit crowded
When: All year around. Best weather usually between December and June
B) Cabilao Island
For: 10 to 12 dive sites. Very healthy soft corals on the northern west side. Turtles, pygmy seahorses, electric clams, frogfish, flounder, pegasus, nudibranchs, shrimps, moray eels, lionfish
Conditions: Mostly easy dives, although some sites, such as Lighthouse, can have medium current. Best between 5–30 metres
When: All year around. Best weather usually between December and June
C) Alona Beach
For: Five to six dive sites. Mostly walls, perfect for night diving. Ghost pipefish, angelfish, anthias, nudibranches, pygmy seahorse, scorpionfish, frogfish, octopus
Conditions: Easy drift dives in shallow waters. Best between 5–15 metres. Boat traffic requires the usual precautions
When: All year around. Best weather usually between December and June
D) Pamilacan Island
For: Two to three dive sites. Healthy hard and soft corals, Napoleon wrasse, barracuda, banded seasnakes, batfish, moray eels, nudibranchs, shrimps. Dolphins can sometimes be encountered on the way to the island
Conditions: Best between 10–25 metres, medium currents
When: All year around. Best weather usually between December and June
1 CHOCOLATE HILLS According to legend, the Chocolate Hills are the result of a fight between two giants who threw balls of mud at each other during the wet season, resulting in this extraordinary landscape. Admire the magnificent view from the top of one of these hills
2 TARSIER CONSERVATION AREA The smallest monkeys in the world could fit into the palm of our hand, and are capable of jumping distances of over five metres! Talk to the staff at this conservation park to learn more about the tarsier nursery
3 RAJA SIKATUNA NATIONAL PARK
A park covering 9,000 hectares that contains some of the last remaining primary forest in Bohol. A stunning place for trekking and guided bird-watching tours
4 LOBOCT
One of the town’s specialities is its floating restaurants, which cruise down the Loboc River. Enjoy good, local Filipino food while being entertained by dances and songs
5 BOHOL BEE FARM
A fantastic place to eat some healthy meals prepared with organically grown vegetables and honey-based products fresh from the farm
Read the rest of this article in No. 109 Issue 3/2017 of Scuba Diver magazine by checking out our past issues here or download digital copy here.