El Nido & Bacuit Bay · Philippines · Cave & cavern · Reef
Paglugaban Island
Boulders and rock formations cut with numerous swim-throughs.
Area photo: Micluna · CC BY-SA 4.0
A rock-formation dive in the Miniloc area of Bacuit Bay, where boulders cut with numerous swim-throughs drop from a shallow coral garden to about 30 m. The terrain, not the fish list, is the reason to come: divers thread the gaps between the rocks on the way down the slope.
Where it is and how deep
11.1325° N, 119.3179° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive starts over a shallow coral garden and works down the flank of the island, where the character changes from reef to rock: large boulders stacked against the slope, with gaps and tunnels between them. The site reaches about 30 m at its deepest, so the profile is a steady descent through the formations rather than a level swim.
The swim-throughs are the highlight — there are many of them, and the route your guide picks through the boulders effectively is the dive. Torches help in the shaded passages, and buoyancy needs to be settled before you commit to the narrower gaps. You finish back on the coral garden in the shallows, which serves as the ascent and safety stop.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime | Good |
Season follows El Nido & Bacuit Bay: May and November shoulder months bring the best visibility, often past 30 m; June–September typhoons can cancel boat days.
Sources
- Paglugaban Island — scubago
- Palawan Divers – Discover El Nido Dive Sites — Palawan Divers
More dive sites in El Nido & Bacuit Bay
Cave & cavern
A roughly 40 m tunnel lit by holes in its ceiling.
Wall
A vertical limestone wall falling from a 5 m coral garden to 35 m.
Sand slope
Six metres deep, sandy and pool-calm — the bay's training ground.
Reef
A coral "underwater forest" sloping away from a 5 m garden.
Reef
Lettuce-coral gardens and a large colony of blue eels at 13–21 m.
Stingrays on the sand earn it the nickname "The Stingray Airport".
Similar dives elsewhere
A 30 m swim-through tunnel at 10 m with sharks resting inside
A half-drowned cavern where two currents meet
A marine cave to 19 m opening onto a reef that drops past 30 m
Fresh water over salt, and 38 degrees below the thermocline