Camiguin · Philippines · Reef · Coral garden
Jicdup Black Forest
Current-swept offshore slope under soft coral, 5 to 25 m
Area photo: Kleomarlo · CC BY-SA 3.0
The eastern half of the Jicdup shoal, twenty minutes offshore, where the ground slopes from 5 m to 25 m. Current runs across it hard enough that the operators keep the site for advanced divers, and it feeds the soft corals and feather stars covering the whole area. Red snappers and tuna can be spotted on the deeper part of the slope.
Also known as Jicdup Black Forrest.
Where it is and how deep
9.2617° N, 124.7893° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The run out to the shoal is about twenty minutes into open ocean, and the eastern side is where the current sits. The slope drops from 5 m to 25 m, so depth is not the problem here; the water moving over it is. The dive is planned around the current rather than against it, which is why the operators keep this side of the shoal for experienced divers.
That current is also the reason the site looks the way it does. Soft corals cover the whole area, and the feather stars the dive site is named for are open and feeding across it. Both are filter feeders that do best when the water is moving, so the conditions that make the site demanding are the same conditions worth diving it in.
Deeper on the slope, towards 25 m, red snappers and tuna can both be spotted. Work that band first while the gas lasts, then let the slope bring you up towards the 5 m top for the end of the dive, where the shallow shoal makes a safety stop possible with something under you instead of hanging in moving water.
Marine life and season
- Macro critters
- Tuna
- Pristine corals
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Camiguin: Nov–Apr is the dry, settled run; May–Oct rain is heavy but short and rarely stops diving, and the small typhoon risk falls in Sep–Oct.
Know before you go
- Current across the eastern slope is strong enough that operators restrict the site to advanced divers; stay with the guide and carry an SMB for a drifting ascent.
Sources
- Jicdup Black Forrest - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Camiguin
Sand slope
Shore-entry slope with a lettuce coral reef from 21 m
Wall
Offshore shoal edge dropping past 60 m, cut with overhangs
Coral garden
Hard coral garden with a 20 m maximum and frequent sea snakes
Green turtles resident year-round on a 5-to-50 m drop-off
Wall
Volcanic cliff from 5 m and dropping past 60 m
Reef
Soft-coral slope from 2 m to 30 m beside the volcano wall
Reef
Coral-covered tombs at 6 m under a white concrete cross
Reef
The island's Deep Diver training reef, 5 m to 40 m
Similar dives elsewhere
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