Divers Heaven is a steep coral slope on the north side of Balicasag, published at 5 to 25 m and hung with large gorgonians and sponges. Ledges and overhangs cut into the face and soft corals fill them. Green and hawksbill turtles are both resident and show in numbers in the shallower sections, while blue-fin trevally, barracuda and big mouth mackerel school off the slope.
Also known as Diver's Heaven.
Where it is and how deep
9.5184° N, 123.6879° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is a steep slope rather than a sheer wall, and it is covered: coral across the whole face, with large gorgonians and big sponges standing off it. Working along it, the thing to look into is the structure itself, because there are many ledges and overhangs and soft corals abound inside them. Green and hawksbill turtles are both resident here, and several individuals may show on one dive, particularly in the shallower sections.
The blue side of the dive has its own traffic. Blue-fin trevally, barracuda and big mouth mackerel all school off the slope, and they move rather than hold, so it is worth turning to look into open water every so often instead of staying nose-down on the coral. Nose-down is where the rest of it is, though: leaf scorpionfish, pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish and giant frogfish are all found here, mostly around the overhangs and the fans.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Trevally & jacks
- Barracuda
- Pygmy seahorses
- Frogfish
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Balicasag: Nov–Jun gives the calmest crossings; the south-west monsoon and typhoons make Jul–Oct unreliable and can close the exposed sides.
Dive videos
221109 Diver's Heaven(Balicasag), Bohol, Philippines [OceanUs Dive(Run.D dive)] · 재림 Jaerim on YouTube
Diving Balicasag Island, Philippines | Diver's Heaven & Black Forest. Read video description! · Wanderlust | Ad Astra Jean Dar on YouTube
Bohol dive site Balicasag "DIVER'S HEAVEN" scuba diving look around!! 360° VR · UnderWater 360 on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Divers Heaven?+
Operators publish it at 5 to 25 m — a steep slope rather than a sheer wall, with the turtles and the best of the coral in the shallower half, so it dives comfortably inside recreational limits.
What can you see at Divers Heaven?+
Green and hawksbill turtles, several on a dive and mostly in the shallower sections, schools of blue-fin trevally, barracuda and big mouth mackerel off the slope, and macro on the reef itself: leaf scorpionfish, pygmy seahorses, ghost pipefish and giant frogfish.
Sources
- Your Guide to Diving in Bohol — Dive The World
- Dive Sites Of Balicasag Island — Sierra Madre Divers
- Dive sites of Panglao, Alona beach, Balicasag, Pamilacan, Cabilao — Tropical Divers Alona
- Diving in the Philippines — Wikivoyage
- Divers Heaven — Scubago
Photo credits
- Clownfish sheltering among the tentacles of a sea anemone in a current by q.phia, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
More dive sites in Balicasag
The protected shallows where Balicasag's turtles are thickest
Black coral on the deeper reef, dived as a drift
Wall
Shafts of light in a cracked cavern on the north wall
Coral garden
A coral plateau at 18 m, swarmed by fish and turtles
Wall
The outcrop on the drop where the jacks and barracuda gather
Similar dives elsewhere
The corner where Cabilao's sharks are seen, wall to plateau to wall
Whip corals along a drifted wall, with bumpheads passing
A drifted wall from 5 m to 25 m, minutes from Alona
An east-coast wall with a cave, and Cabilao's best night dive