Cabilao · Philippines · Wall · Cave & cavern · Reef
Gorgonia Wall
Giant gorgonian fans on a wall from 5 m to 60
Area photo: yuichiro anazawa · CC BY 3.0
Gorgonia Wall is the drop that gives Cabilao its reputation for wall diving: it tops out at about 5 m and falls to around 60, covered from end to end in giant gorgonian fans, sponges, and hard and soft coral, with small caves and overhangs cut into the face. It runs deeper than any recreational plan should follow, so the dive is a traverse along the upper wall rather than a descent.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Cabilao and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The wall starts shallow — about 5 m at the lip — and drops to something like 60, which means the site is defined by where you decide to stop rather than by the bottom. The sensible dive is a traverse: pick a depth, put the face on one shoulder, work along it, and step up the wall as the dive goes on so the shallowest part is also the last part. There is plenty to look at at any level.
The name is literal. Giant gorgonian sea fans stand out from the face the whole way along, with barrel sponges between them and hard and soft coral filling everything else, and the wall is cut with small caves and overhangs you can look into as you pass. It is a wide-angle site above all — the fans are big enough to frame a diver — and operators recommend it for the afternoon, when the light is on the face.
The macro is on the same fans. Pygmy seahorses hold on the gorgonians, frogfish sit in the sponges, and nudibranchs work the coral in between, so the wall gives both kinds of dive in one pass if you are willing to go slowly. Cabilao's walls are in better condition than most of Bohol's, a consequence of the whole island having been a declared marine reserve since 1978.
Marine life and season
- Pygmy seahorses
- Frogfish
- Nudibranchs
- Reef fish swarms
- Pristine corals
- 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 Cabilao: Dived year-round; Nov–Jun is the main season and the low season runs roughly May–Oct, when the south-west monsoon works the exposed sides.
Know before you go
- The face drops to around 60 m with nothing to break the descent: agree a maximum before you get in and stay above it, because the fans keep going down and it is easy to follow them.
Dive videos
SCUBA diving at Cabilao Island Bohol, Philippines - Gopro Underwater Video - Dive no. 669 · Berto's Dive Log on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Gorgonia Wall?+
It begins at about 5 m and descends to around 60 m. That is far beyond recreational limits, so the dive is run as a traverse along the upper part of the face with an agreed maximum rather than as a descent.
When is the best time to dive Gorgonia Wall?+
Operators recommend it as an afternoon dive, when the light falls onto the face and the gorgonian fans and sponges show their colour without a torch.
Sources
- Cabilao Dive Sites — Sea Explorers Philippines
- Your Guide to Diving in Bohol — Dive The World
- Cabilao Island — Wikipedia
More dive sites in Cabilao
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A hundred metres of coral wall from 5 m to 60
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The corner where Cabilao's sharks are seen, wall to plateau to wall
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Shallow muck over a coral wall that falls to 60 m
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Similar dives elsewhere
An open-top cave in the northwest wall of a limestone island
Sanctuary wall from 3 m to 40 m with sea fan forests
Coral shelf, a wall to 40 m, and a 140 m cave at its foot
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Sea fans and frogfish on a wall, a 150-year-old wreck below