Camiguin · Philippines · Coral garden · Reef
White Island Black Forest
Black coral garden on a gentle slope from 6 m to 25 m
Area photo: Kleomarlo · CC BY-SA 3.0
A black coral garden on a gently sloping reef off White Island, north of the Camiguin coast. The slope starts at 6 m and bottoms out at 25 m, which keeps the whole dive inside normal recreational depths. Moorish idols and butterflyfish school over it, turtles come in to feed, and the coral holds frogfish, scorpionfish, mantis shrimp and cowries.
Also known as White Island Black Forrest.
Where it is and how deep
9.2681° N, 124.6647° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site sits offshore, north of the island and out by White Island, so it is a boat entry onto a slope that starts at 6 m. The grade stays gentle the whole way down to 25 m, which means you choose your own profile: work the deep end of the black coral first and come back up the slope, and the dive shapes itself into a long, slow ascent without any effort on your part.
The black coral garden is the reason to come, but the slope is a macro site around it. Ribbon eels and morays hold the cracks, and mantis shrimp, cowries, scorpionfish and frogfish are on the coral for anyone willing to hover and look properly. Schooling Moorish idols and butterflyfish pass overhead, and turtles come in to feed on the slope rather than simply crossing it.
Buoyancy matters more than depth here — the coral is close-packed and easy to damage, and the best of the critters are found within a metre of it. Ending the dive on the 6 m shoulder gives a long, shallow finish over the top of the garden with plenty of light left for photographs, which is the better half of the site for a camera anyway.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Sea turtles
- Macro critters
- Frogfish
- 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
- White Island Black Forrest - 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
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
Similar dives elsewhere
A calm coral garden at 5–20 m, the island's easiest dive
Two different dives from one walk-in entry
Ghost pipefish, odd shrimps and nudibranchs in the coral
Anemones and coral formations on a reef that drops to 30 m