Donsol & Ticao Pass · Philippines · Reef · Muck & macro
Lapus Lapus West
Squid and cuttlefish eggs wedged between the rocks
Area photo: AwOiSoAk KaOsIoWa · CC BY-SA 3.0
The gentler of the two Lapus Lapus sites on San Miguel Island: a gradual slope to about 16 metres with soft coral draping the rocks. It is dived for what is tucked into the gaps — squid and cuttlefish eggs, nudibranchs and Spanish dancers — rather than for anything in the blue.
Where it is and how deep
12.7143° N, 123.5941° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
This is a gradual slope with soft coral draping the rocks, and the maximum working depth is around 16 metres, so the dive is long rather than deep. Compared with its eastern twin the gradient is gentle, which makes it the easier of the pair to hold position on and the better one for anyone still working on buoyancy.
The dive is a search of the gaps. Hidden in between the rock and the coral you are likely to find squid and cuttlefish eggs, which is an unusual thing to be able to plan a dive around, and the same broken ground carries colourful critters — nudibranchs and Spanish dancers among them. Move slowly and go along the slope rather than down it.
Because the site sits on San Miguel Island rather than out on the Manta Bowl shoal — about 45 minutes apart by boat — it is dived on a trip out to the north of Ticao, and the shallow profile makes it a sensible second or third dive of that day. Finish shallow on the top of the slope, where the soft coral cover is thickest.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Squid
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Donsol & Ticao Pass: Whale sharks are in Donsol Nov–Jun, peaking Feb–May; manta activity at the Bowl follows a similar window before typhoon season.
Sources
- Diving in Donsol and Ticao — Thresher Shark Divers
More dive sites in Donsol & Ticao Pass
Wall
Overhangs and ledges worked at macro range
Reef
A steep face with frogfish on it and tuna off it
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Four hectares of shallow cleaning station in the pass
Cave & cavern
A half-drowned cavern where two currents meet
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Rock cover that puts you close to passing mantas
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Whitetips lying up between boulders on white sand
Pinnacle
A mushroom rock you can circle in one dive
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Limestone swim-throughs off a white sand beach
Similar dives elsewhere
Mandarinfish leave the fire coral here at dusk
Mandarinfish dancing at dusk among black sea urchin spines
A shallow coral area at 2-10 m over a slope that drops past 32 m
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Muck slope and coral bommies ten metres apart