Mactan & Olango · Philippines · Wall · Reef
Bas Coral
A channel wall to 35 m with a current that runs hard
Area photo: ＤＡＶＩＤ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bas Coral is a wall and reef site on the Olango side of the channel, reached by banca from Kontiki Port on Mactan. The maximum depth is 35 metres and visibility averages 10 to 30, with corals and tropical reef fish along the wall face. The current here runs rather strong, which is the first thing to plan the dive around.
Where it is and how deep
10.2643° N, 124.0353° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The boat leaves from Kontiki Port on Mactan and runs across toward Olango Island, so this is a crossing rather than a hop along the strip. The site is a mix of walls and reefs with the maximum depth at 35 metres, and average visibility of 10 to 30 metres means how much of the face you take in at once varies with the day rather than with the depth you are at.
The water moving through this stretch is what defines the dive: the current here is described as rather strong, and it has to be planned for before the descent rather than dealt with afterwards. Along the wall the ground carries corals and a variety of tropical reef fish, and the practical way to dive it is to go in up-current, keep the face on one shoulder and let the water do the work of covering ground.
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 | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Mactan & Olango: Mar–May, the hot dry season, is the usual window; the Jun–Nov rains cut visibility on the house reefs, and typhoon risk runs highest around Nov–Dec, as Typhoon Rai showed in December 2021.
Know before you go
- The current is described as rather strong, so the descent is made straight onto the wall and the dive is planned to run with the water rather than across it.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Bas Coral?+
The maximum depth is 35 metres, with average visibility of 10 to 30 metres. The current can be rather strong, so the site suits divers who are comfortable with depth and moving water.
Sources
- Bas Coral — Scubago
More dive sites in Mactan & Olango
Reef
Table corals from 3 m down to 40, and nudibranchs on all of it
Wall
A wall from 20 m to about 73 m off Olango's north-west side
Sharks at 35 m off Olango's northern tip, hammerheads among them
A blue opening in the wall at 25–27 m, depending on the tide
Cave & cavern
A 29 m roof, a 40 m floor, and a chamber full of flashlightfish
Wreck
A ship at 50 m that a typhoon stood back upright
Reef
A wide shield reef with the wall starting at 5–7 m
A drop-off at 15 m running down to 50, off Olango's pier
Similar dives elsewhere
Coral outcrops one side of the village, a wall past 40 m on the other.
Sea fans and frogfish on a wall, a 150-year-old wreck below
Overhang at 28-35 m with the wall dropping past 50
Two swim-through windows carved into one small island