Dauin · Philippines · Muck & macro
Lipayo Point
Blue-ringed octopus and wonderpus on the rubble
Photo: Dan Schofield · CC BY 4.0
Lipayo Point is a muck site a 15 to 20 minute boat ride from the main Dauin dive resorts, worked over sand, rubble and seagrass with the critters at 12 to 18 metres. It is a cephalopod site above all, with blue-ringed octopus, wonderpus, mimic octopus and two species of cuttlefish, and frogfish, rhinopias and harlequin shrimp alongside them.
Also known as Lipayo.
Where it is and how deep
9.2028° N, 123.2741° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Boats run 15 to 20 minutes from the main Dauin resort strip to reach Lipayo, and the dive works a band of sand, rubble and seagrass. Cephalopods are the reason to come: blue-ringed octopus hide in empty shells and rubble between 12 and 18 metres, and wonderpus and mimic octopus are seen on the same ground often enough to be worth looking for.
Cuttlefish share the bottom, with flamboyant cuttlefish in red and orange and broadclub cuttlefish hunting across the open sand. Between them a guide will turn up hairy and painted frogfish camouflaged in debris, rhinopias, harlequin shrimp perched on starfish, chromodoris and phyllidia nudibranchs crawling over the rubble, and seahorses holding on in the seagrass patches.
Time the dive for dusk or dawn if the schedule allows, because that is when the cephalopods are most active and the site is at its best. Either way this is slow, close-focus diving over sand and rubble, hovering in one spot rather than covering ground, and a torch is worth carrying even in daylight for looking into empty shells and under debris.
Marine life and season
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Frogfish
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Dauin: Diveable year-round on the sheltered coast; December–February trade winds can raise chop on the shallow sand slopes.
Know before you go
- Blue-ringed octopus here are venomous: look and photograph, but keep hands off the rubble and the empty shells they shelter in.
Photos from Lipayo Point
Elias Levy · CC BY 2.0
Dan Schofield · CC BY 4.0
Elias Levy · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Find Scorpion Fish, Batfish and Nudibranch's at Lipayo in Dauin, Philippines · Atmosphere Resorts & Spa Philippines on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Lipayo Point?+
The published depth for the site is 12 to 18 metres, which is where the cephalopods are found in empty shells and rubble.
When is the best time to dive Lipayo Point?+
Dusk or dawn, when the cephalopods are most active. The site is dived at other times too, but the octopus and cuttlefish are easier to find at either end of the day.
Sources
- Dauin Diving, Dumaguete - Philippines — Dive The World
- Lipayo, Tugawe, Dauin — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- A peacock mantis shrimp with green shell and red legs looks out from a hole in the rubble. by Dan Schofield, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A small pale juvenile painted frogfish with brown spots perched on rubble. by Elias Levy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A pink-eared mantis shrimp with purple-tipped antennal scales stands at its burrow entrance. by Dan Schofield, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- An orange-spotted white Halgerda nudibranch with a feathery gill tuft crawls over encrusting growth. by Elias Levy, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Frogfish: species, behaviour and where to diveMacro & muck · 12 min read
- What stings you underwater, and how to avoid itBody & health · 8 min read
- The best muck diving in the worldMacro & muck · 6 min read
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Seahorses, spider crabs and coconut octopus on a sandy slope close to Dili.