Cabilao · Philippines · Wall · Cave & cavern · Reef
South Point
Caves in a coral wall where whitetips rest up
Area photo: yuichiro anazawa · CC BY 3.0
South Point is the wall off Cabilao's southern tip, a dramatic face of hard and soft coral and sponges worked to about 30 m, with overhangs and caves cut back into it and a shallow ledge between 5 and 12 m to finish on. Whitetip reef sharks rest inside the caves, schools of fish hold off the point, and a mild current usually runs around it.
Where it is and how deep
9.8567° N, 123.7644° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wall here is the dramatic one: a steep face covered in hard and soft coral with big sponges standing off it, undercut by overhangs and holed by caves you can put a torch into. The working depth is about 30 m, and between 5 and 12 m there is a shallow section on top of the drop that gives the dive somewhere unhurried to end. Mild currents usually run around the point, enough to drift with.
The caves are what people remember. Whitetip reef sharks use them to rest up during the day, lying on the sand inside with their heads toward the entrance, and a careful look into each overhang along the wall will usually turn one up. They do not appreciate a torch in the face — look, hold off, and move on rather than crowding the entrance for a photograph.
Off the wall, schools of fish hold in the moving water at the point, and the coral itself is in the good condition Cabilao's reserve status has bought it. Anemones with their clownfish, sea cucumbers and starfish fill in the shallow shelf, which makes the last ten minutes of the dive as busy as the first, only easier.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Reef fish swarms
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
- 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
- Whitetip reef sharks rest inside the caves and overhangs during the day: look in from outside rather than following one into a confined space, and keep the torch off its eyes.
Dive videos
Cabilao Island Bohol Philippines - South Point Big Wall Diving · Live Life The Philippines on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is South Point at Cabilao?+
Operators put the wall at about 30 m, with a shallow section between 5 and 12 m on top of the drop where the dive normally finishes. The face itself continues well past recreational depth.
Do you see sharks at South Point?+
Whitetip reef sharks are regularly found resting inside the caves and under the overhangs along the wall during the day. They are resting, not hunting, so look from outside the opening rather than following one in.
Sources
- Dive sites of Panglao, Alona beach, Balicasag, Pamilacan, Cabilao — Tropical Divers Alona
- Cabilao Dive Sites — Sea Explorers Philippines
- South Point Cabilao — Scubago
- Cabilao Island — Wikipedia
In The Logbook
- Where to see reef sharks on your first divesBig animals · 14 min read
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