Balicasag Island - The Aquarium of the Philippines

A short 30 minute Banca ride away, it is easy to see why this jewel of a location is often referred to as being one of the best dive sites in the Philippines. Balicasag Island is a protected reserve and offers divers an abundance of marine life. Diving with turtles is just one of the highlights this immaculate eco-system has to offer.

Balicasag Island offers divers 5 different sites to dive encompassing the island.

1. Black Forest
Touted as one of the best dive sites of the Coral Triangle, Black Forest is a must do dive whilst visiting Bohol. Located on the South-East side of Balicasag Island, the name Black Forest comes courtesy of black corals located between 25-40m.

2.Divers Haven
Well-known for its sightings of turtles who can be found resting or feeding on the sea grass in the more shallow areas (5-7m), this dive consists of plentiful soft corals, a wall full of color descending down beyond 25m and many large, healthy fans. You may encounter Tuna, Trevally and Trigger Fish.

3. Cathedral
This is an amazing wall dive with depths from 4-45m but with the most interesting being around 20m. Snapper, Mackerel, Sweetlips, Frogfish and Nudibranch are some of the ones to look out for and if they are there then your guide will introduce you to some nursing sharks that are resident within the overhangs of the wall.

4. Rico's Wall
With a reef that starts at 5m and descends down a wall to depths beyond ordinary recreational limits, you will again become immersed in the magnificence of a stunning marine eco-system. With sightings of schools of Jack Fish and many Nudibranch, you best make sure that your camera has a fully charged battery and a large memory card.

5. Rudy's Rock
Keep your eyes open for Frog Fish and Ornate Ghost Pipefish on this dive. Again this is a combination of a steep sandy slope and a wall, with the shallow being at 5m.

For more info, please visit Valm Dive Shop website at https://www.valmdive.com