Sandingan Slope

After Cabilao's walls this is a change of pace: a gentle slope of coral and sand descending to about 30 m, with nothing steep to manage and no current to plan around. The ground alternates between coral blocks, patches of seagrass and open grey sand, and the dive is a slow zigzag between them rather than a run along a face — depth is a matter of preference, and most of what people come for sits well above the 30 m mark.

The animals are the small, still, well-camouflaged sort. Stargazers lie buried with only their eyes showing, frogfish sit in the coral blocks, and there are nudibranchs, crabs and shrimps through the rubble; octopus and cuttlefish work the open sand. Turtles and schooling barracuda come over the top, which is worth looking up for, but the dive is essentially a critter hunt and rewards a guide who knows where things sit.

Sandingan is bridged to the Bohol mainland and connected to Cabilao by the bangkas that run from Mocpoc Pier, so it is close enough to be an easy trip from the island's resorts. It is usually paired with Pangangan on the same outing, or run as an afternoon and night dive when the walls have been done.