Donsol & Ticao Pass · Philippines · Pinnacle
Sweetlips Rock
A mushroom rock you can circle in one dive
Area photo: AwOiSoAk KaOsIoWa · CC BY-SA 3.0
A single rock shaped like a giant mushroom on the Manta Bowl shoal, small enough to circle in one dive at a maximum of 25 metres. It is named for the school of sweetlips that lives under the overhang and appears untroubled by divers. Strong current makes it a site for experienced divers only.
Where it is and how deep
12.5660° N, 123.8520° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The rock is shaped like a giant mushroom and can be circumnavigated within a single dive, so the plan is simply to drop on it and work your way round. Maximum depth is 25 metres and visibility is usually between 10 and 18 metres, which means the rock is your reference for the whole dive rather than anything on the horizon.
Under the mushroom cap is the reason for the name: a school of sweetlips holds in the shelter of the overhang and seems oblivious to divers, close enough to work at with a camera if the current lets you stop. Keep looking into the same shadow for reef sharks, which can sometimes be found hiding beneath the rock.
Current is the constraint. It is strong enough that the site is described as suitable for experienced divers only, so the circuit is usually run with the flow rather than against it, and the ascent comes off the rock into open water. Time the round trip so you are not fighting back to the up-current side at the end.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
| 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.
Know before you go
- Strong current around an isolated rock: circle with the flow and leave the water rather than swimming back up-current.
Sources
- From Manta Bowl Shoal To Sweetlips Rock: Diving Five Of Luzon's Best Donsol Dive Sites — Just Gotta Dive
- 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
Reef
Squid and cuttlefish eggs wedged between the rocks
Reef
Four hectares of shallow cleaning station in the pass
Cave & cavern
A half-drowned cavern where two currents meet
Reef
Rock cover that puts you close to passing mantas
Reef
Whitetips lying up between boulders on white sand
Reef
Limestone swim-throughs off a white sand beach
Similar dives elsewhere
A holed rock at the surface, a coral-covered pinnacle below
Whitetips, blacktips and marble rays on an atoll pinnacle
Limestone terraces descend like the tiers of a cake
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A swim-through at 22 to 25 m lined with crinoids