Camiguin · Philippines · Reef · Coral garden
Old Volcano Bay
Soft-coral slope from 2 m to 30 m beside the volcano wall
Area photo: Kleomarlo · CC BY-SA 3.0
The bay beside the Old Volcano cliff, and a far gentler dive than its neighbour. The ground slopes from 2 m down to 30 m with no drop anywhere along it, so divers of every level can find a profile that suits them, and soft corals cover the grade the whole way. It is the site to take when the Old Volcano wall next door is more depth than the group wants.
Where it is and how deep
9.2111° N, 124.6367° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Entry is over shallow water, since the slope starts at 2 m, and the descent is a gradual walk down the grade rather than a drop. It deepens steadily to 30 m, so the dive plan comes down to how far down you go before turning. A group of mixed experience can work the same ground at different depths, which is what makes the bay useful next to the volcanic cliff nearby.
Soft corals cover the slope and set the colour of the dive; the topography is otherwise unbroken, so the interest is in what grows on the ground rather than in the shape of it. Turning at your chosen depth and working slowly back up brings you into steadily brighter water, and the dive finishes with a long shallow stretch over the top of the slope in a couple of metres of water.
Marine life and season
- 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.
Sources
- Old Volcano Bay - Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Camiguin
Sand slope
Shore-entry slope with a lettuce coral reef from 21 m
Current-swept offshore slope under soft coral, 5 to 25 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
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
A no-take reef since 1982, with turtles on nearly every dive
The protected shallows where Balicasag's turtles are thickest
Banded sea kraits crawling openly over a sunken plateau
An easy north-coast reef on the Napaling and Doljo road trip