Bohol: Diving Off the Deep End

A plunge into Bohol's pristine waters brings a reluctant, first-time diver face-to-face with the surly creatures of the deep, in a mesmerizing landscape unrivaled by anything that can be seen on land.

From a certain altitude, Bohol's famed Chocolate Hills, once a contender for a spot in The New Seven Wonders of the World, look like little green swells bespeckled with several shades of brown. They are exactly what their name implies – hills that take on a chocolate hue during the dry months. All 1,268 mounds of limestone are perfectly shaped and clustered together, a natural geological formation that occurs nowhere else on God's green earth.

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Diving in Balicasag Island, Bohol err maybe Snorkeling

The pride of Bohol is its underwater world. I think Amaziiing is an understatement how gorgeous it is to be down there. There are numerous hotspots where you could dive/snorkel around Panglao Island. You could go to the numerous dive shops littered along the coast of Alona Beach. The resort where i stay offer them. Its Bohol Divers Lodge.

You could hook up a boat ride to Balicasag Island anytime you like. It would be cheaper if you could tag along some more people to share the cost and just pay individually if you're diving, snorkeling, or just cruising around. If you're a non-diver like me and unlike my french friends, don't be so sad. You could opt for some snorkeling. Its not a chicken idea. Its actually better, no worries before and after if you dive. No preparations and no plus plus fees because I was using my own oxygen.

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Exploring the Philippines archipelago underwater: Diving Bohol Beach and Apo Island

After flights from New York to L.A., then to Manila (with a refueling in Guam), Philippine Airlines connected with a flight south to the city of Tagbilaran in Bohol. Linking up with eight other divers on the tour, we boarded a van bound for the Bohol Beach Club, located a half-hour away on Panglao Island. Situated among manicured grounds, a few yards from the beach, the accommodations here focus on divers’ needs.

If I had any qualms about going such a distance just to dive, they disappeared the following morning, when I sank into the waters off Panglao Island. The reef surrounding the island slopes gradually before dropping off, where it’s thick with giant gorgonian fans – some are big enough to obscure the entire height of a diver.

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Snorkeling at Balicasag : Bohol Tour, Day 2

After Dolphin watching, our boat docked at Balicasag Island where the snorkel site can be found. In there, we were transferred to another mini-boat. The mini-boat is mandatory when going to the snorkel site. It can only accommodate three people. It was just me, Jeff and our guide – Kuya Romeo on the tip of the boat.

There were sea urchins and sharp corals underneath so we rented aqua shoes from Kuya Romeo, per his recommendation.

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Things to Do in Panglao, Bohol

There are a lot of activities you can do when you are in Panglao, Bohol. You can choose for water adventures to historical tours to nature tripping. Here are the list of activities which you can plan to do when visiting Panglao, Bohol.

Some of the finest diving spots in the Philippines are found in Bohol. Panglao, Pamilacan, Balicasag and Cabilao are islands in Bohol which have these beautiful diving spots. In Panglao Island, there is Alona Beach Sanctuary, Kalipayan diving site, Bohol Beach Club, Doljo Beach diving site, and Napaling diving site. South west of Panglao Island, Balicasag Island has Black Forest which is known forblack coral bushes, Balicasag Marine Sanctuary and Divers Heaven where turtles, sharks and fusiliers can be seen.

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What's on in Bohol (even when it rains)

Boatmen call it “the sea between Bohol and Siquijor.” Here pumpboats ferry tourists to go dolphin-watching and island-hopping.

To catch sight of the dolphins, you need to be at mid-sea by early morning. The spot where dolphins come out to greet the first rays of sunlight is a 30-minute boat ride from Panglao Island’s beach resorts.

After the close encounter with the dolphins, you’re off to marvel at the rich coral bed and wide variety of fish in the marine sanctuary that is Balicasag Island, about 30 minutes away.

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Balicasag, Bohol’s island paradise dive site

Chosen as one of the top 20 diving spots in the world, this 25-hectare island off the tip of Bohol province in Central Visayas is a fish sanctuary of over 2,000 species that make marine biologists and scuba divers agog each time they dive.

It features a never-ending undersea spectacle of God’s creations such as giant stingrays, sea turtles, napoleon rash, whale sharks, white tip-sharks, devil mantas, colorful clown fish, tuna, to name a few, that make the coastal waters around the island their permanent abode. Thousands of caves and caverns underneath also abound in the island.

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Diving in Bohol

Here are some of my favorite photos from the dives on Balicasag Island near Bohol. There was great visibility, almost no current, and really healthy corals and fish populations. These photos are here especially for my sister, to keep her satisfied until her next dive trip.

With amateur equipment, it’s difficult to adequately capture the abundance of life on coral reefs- the water filters the light and obscures vivid colors and teeming schools of fish. This picture, though, begins to describe what it was like at Balicasag Island.

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Bohol Diving Sites

There are a number of Bohol Diving spots that offer excellent diving. Balicasag, long known for its exotic seashells, (the natives net-fish the deeper waters for rare specimens), and its cascading coral walls is considered one of the best dive spots in the country.

alona beachThe waters off Pamilacan Island teem with schools of tuna, snappers, groupers, mackerel and surgeonfish. Dolphins and pilot whales can also be viewed from the distance.

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