Reefwander
A turquoise lagoon framed by jagged limestone karst peaks on Coron Island in northern Palawan.

Coron · Philippines · Reef · Wall

Sangat Coral Gardens

Small drop-offs and caves starting in 1 m of water

Area photo: Ray in Manila · CC BY 2.0

Sangat Coral Gardens is a protected marine sanctuary on Sangat Island, lying between the island's resort and its hot springs. The reef begins almost at the surface and steps down a series of small vertical drop-offs, and it can be reached by kayak or speedboat, or even on foot from the resort.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Sangat Coral Gardens: typical dive 1–25 m (3–82 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit1 m25 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

11.9696° N, 120.0647° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

The reef starts at a depth of 1 to 3 m and descends over several vertical drop-offs, each with small caves and recesses to look into along the way. The deepest part of the reef is at about 25 m, so the dive can be kept shallow along the top of the drop-offs or taken down the steps.

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Sangat Coral Gardens
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeFairFairFairFairFairFairFairPrime

Season follows Coron: Dry December to April brings glassy seas and the best visibility; in the wet months bad weather sometimes stops diving.

Sources

  1. Reef Dives — Sangat Island Dive Resort
  2. OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap contributors

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