Donsol & Ticao Pass · Philippines · Reef · Pelagic & blue water
Tuna Alley
Skipjack tuna running the ledges, with whale sharks behind them
Area photo: AwOiSoAk KaOsIoWa · CC BY-SA 3.0
Tuna Alley is a run of ledges on the western side of Manta Bowl, out in the channel water between Ticao Island and the Bicol mainland. The ledges begin at 18 metres and step down to 25, and the site takes its name from the schools of skipjack tuna that race past them. Whale sharks follow those schools closely enough that seeing one here is not unusual.
Where it is and how deep
12.5751° N, 123.8609° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive works the western edge of Manta Bowl. You drop onto the top of the ledges at 18 metres and follow them as they step down to 25, which is the working range for the whole dive; there is no deeper section published for the site and no reason to go looking for one. Keep the reef on one shoulder and the open water on the other. The ledges are the reference you hold position against, but the blue off them is where the dive actually happens.
What passes is the point. Skipjack tuna come through in large schools, moving fast and low over the reef after their own prey, and the site is named for them. Whale sharks tend to follow those schools, so a shark here usually arrives behind the tuna rather than out of nowhere, which makes the tuna the signal to stop and watch rather than carry on along the ledge. Nothing about the encounter is scheduled: you park, you look, and you take what the water brings past.
Marine life and season
- Tuna
- Whale 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
- The site sits in Ticao Pass, where dives are timed to the tide rather than the day's schedule; treat it as a current-swept dive, carry a reef hook and stay on the ledge the guide picks.
- Watching the blue at 25 metres makes it easy to lose track of depth and gas while a school works past. Set a turn pressure before you drop and check it every time you look back at the reef.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Tuna Alley?+
The ledges start at 18 metres and descend gradually to 25 metres, which is the full working range of the dive. No deeper section is published for the site.
Can you see whale sharks at Tuna Alley?+
Sometimes. The skipjack tuna schools the site is named for draw whale sharks in behind them, and a sighting on the ledges is not unusual — but this is open channel water off Manta Bowl, and nothing is guaranteed on any given dive.
Sources
- Tuna Alley dive site — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide
- Ticao Island destination page — Scubago / SSI MyDiveGuide
In The Logbook
- Where to dive with whale sharks, month by monthBig animals · 16 min read
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