Coron · Philippines · Reef · Coral garden
Siete Pecados
Staghorn thickets and giant clams inside a marine sanctuary
Photo: GRMondala · CC BY-SA 4.0
Siete Pecados is a group of islets off Coron whose reefs form part of a marine sanctuary. Its shallow slopes carry large stands of staghorn and table coral, and divers go for the density of reef life, from mandarinfish and seahorses among the corals to turtles and Napoleon wrasse.
Also known as Siete Picados, Seven Picados Reef, Siete Pecados Marine Park.
Where it is and how deep
11.9815° N, 120.2304° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
A shallow reef slopes away from the islets, covered in large formations of staghorn and table coral, with gorgonian fans on the eastern side. Among the corals and giant clams live cuttlefish, clownfish, seahorses and mandarinfish, while reef fish swarm overhead, among them barracuda, emperors and angelfish. Turtles and Napoleon wrasse turn up along the slope, which reaches 24 m at its deepest.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Mandarinfish
- Sea turtles
- Napoleon wrasse
- Barracuda
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime |
Season follows Coron: Dry December to April brings glassy seas and the best visibility; in the wet months bad weather sometimes stops diving.
Questions divers ask
When is visibility best at Siete Pecados?+
The site lies just outside Coron Bay, where visibility tends to be good before high tide and poor after it, so dives are best timed ahead of the high water.
Sources
- Diving in Coron — Dive the World
- Wreck and Scuba Dive Sites of Coron Bay — Dive Right-Coron
- Siete Pecados — Wikipedia
- OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap contributors
Photo credits
- A school of black-and-yellow striped fish swims over a pale green coral slope in blue water, with one larger grey fish facing the camera. by GRMondala, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Wreck
A 35-ton seaplane crane on a warship lying on her side at 35 m
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Reef
A channel drift at 1 to 3 knots between two wrecks
Cave & cavern
A fallen tree lit by daylight inside a cavern under Coron Island
Coral garden
Very large sea fans among soft-coral gardens
A 35 m gunboat in 3 to 19 m, open to any certification
Wreck
A 145 m provisions ship with its deck areas at 28 to 35 m
Wreck
A bulldozer and cement bags still in the cargo holds
Similar dives elsewhere
Coral gardens on a gentle slope, with the best of the reef above 18 m
Fish fill the water before your BCD is finished deflating
Lionfish and scorpionfish resting on table and brain corals
Hard coral grown over lava that reached the sea in 1988.