Dive Sites

About Davao City

Davao City is a modern metropolis bustling with life, verve and color, situated in a typhoon-free zone with a land area of 244,000 hectares touted as one of the world’s largest. 

 

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From its fertile mountain ranges and valleys, down to the rich blue waters of the gulf, Davao City is abundant with natural wealth and wonders. Its potable water is considered second cleanest water in the world according to the World Health Organization.

Davao City is a progressive hub of commerce, education, tourism, arts, culture and wellness in Southern Philippines.

The dynamic and able support from the local government and harmonious synergy of a multi-cultural and multi-lingual peoples from different indigenous tribes, Muslim communities, migrant settlers and a large expatriate community make this cosmopolitan city conducive for business, investment and tourism.

For more information, please visit the official website of the Davao City Tourism Office (http://www.davaotourism.com).

 

Underwater, its a different, exciting picture all together. Here are some of more than a dozen dive sites you may want to explore while in Davao City.

 

CLICK Next for some of Davao City's Favorite Dive Sites.


Angel's Cove
  • A marine reserve, this area    has a good hard coral cover in the shallows,  making it good for snorkelling as well as     diving. It is adjacent to Mansud Wall,    giving the site variety. The wall is to the    northeast and starts as a steep slope to    about 10m where it alternates between wall and steep slope. Close to the point    there are whip corals, gorgonians, large sponges and soft corals. Divers can see lionfishes, razorfishes, juvenile sweet-lips,  seasnakes, and colourful reef fishes. Turtles are occasionally sighted and there have been reports of whale sharks and even one    sighting of a dugong.

 

Coral Gardens

    • Active ImageA favorite among the dive sites in Davao. It is also called “Linosutan,” perhaps owing much to the network of reefs found there where divers go “in and out” of (“lusot” in local dialect). But the name is most likely derived from the nearby barrio itself right in front the Talikud Island. Another one of the more convenient dive sites in Davao, it is relatively shallow and shows so much at a depth of 20 meters. 

  • There is an array  of coral species, both hard and soft, lots of   anemones with resident fishes and shrimps,  anthias, damselfishes, fusiliers,    butterflyfishes, tube worms, sea stars, and    sponges.

Ligid Island

  • Ligid’s underwater sea life is what divers’ dreams are made of.On Ligid's west side, a night dive reveals hundreds of fine golden sea cucumbers densely littering the reef amid a rainbow of soft corals, hydroids and basket stars.
  • Several meters down are two caves, one of which has three entrances that lead to a corridor. Both are inhabited by small reef fishes, black corals, soft corals and sponge crabs. Outside the caves, you may find several species of crabs, tunicates, scorpion and    lionfishes, sleeping parrot and rabbit  fishes, morays and razorfishes hovering  vertically in a harp gorgonian.
  • Pinnacle Point found at the southeastern tip of Big Ligid is a challenging dive for most divers due the strong current. Divers may encounter morays and an octopus hiding in a few of the many small holes.


Marissa 1, 2 and 3

  • Three sites are atolls close to  the famous Pearl Farm Resort in Island Garden City of Samal or IGACOS. The areas are  somewhat similar, with nice coral growth, most of it above 12m, and a good selection   of reef fishes, lots of bubble corals, gradual  slopes, some small walls and undercuts, moray eels, sea stars, tube worms and, if the season and currents are right, hundreds of jellies. These are all good for novice divers and maintained as a sanctuary by the resort.

Mushroom Rock

  • Located near the southern part of the quaint Samal Island in the waters of Davao. One of the more stunning dive sites in Davao, this place is said to be a dolphin hang out in favorable times, and other curious sea creatures would periodically join in the fun. The place is so named because of huge limestone formations jutting out or “mushrooming “at the southeast of Samal. 
  • The shallows are    primarily covered with leather corals,    which become steep slopes, then walls    meeting a sandy bottom at around 35m.    

 

(Excerpts from http://www.davaocityhotel.com, http://philippinehotel.com and other sources).