Mactan & Olango · Philippines · Wall · Pelagic & blue water
Mabini Point (Olango)
Sharks at 35 m off Olango's northern tip, hammerheads among them
Area photo: ＤＡＶＩＤ · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mabini Point is the drop-off at the northern tip of Olango, dived from the Mactan boats rather than from the strip's house reefs. Teams descend to around 35 metres at the wall, where sharks pass — hammerheads among them, and the occasional whale shark. Currents here are strong and unpredictable, which is what keeps the site off the beginner rotation.
Also known as Mabini Point.
Where it is and how deep
10.2915° N, 124.0700° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is the drop-off at the northern tip of Olango, and the dive runs down to around 35 metres at the wall. The reason to be there is the blue rather than the rock: sharks work past the drop-off, hammerheads among them, and a whale shark turns up occasionally rather than to any pattern. That is the whole shape of the dive — get down to the edge, hold a depth, and watch the open water alongside.
Currents around the site are strong and unpredictable, so the plan is built around the water rather than around a route. Teams drop close to the wall, keep it on one shoulder and take whatever line the current gives them. At 35 metres the bottom time is short, which is the second reason this is not a site for divers still counting their first twenty dives, and the ascent is made in the blue if the water has carried the team off the point.
Marine life and season
- Hammerheads
- Whale sharks
| 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
- Currents around the drop-off are strong and unpredictable, so the descent is made straight onto the wall and the dive is called early if the water turns.
Questions divers ask
Can you see hammerheads at Mabini Point?+
Sharks are watched from around 35 metres at the drop-off, hammerheads among them, with the occasional whale shark. These are chance encounters rather than a fixture of the dive.
Sources
- Olango Island Group — Wikipedia
- Baring — Scubago
More dive sites in Mactan & Olango
Wall
A channel wall to 35 m with a current that runs hard
A drop-off at 15 m running down to 50, off Olango's pier
A wreck memorial at 12 m that works as a fish magnet
Wall
A wall from 20 m to about 73 m off Olango's north-west side
A small twin-engine plane on a seagrass plateau off Maribago
Reef
Table corals from 3 m down to 40, and nudibranchs on all of it
Cave & cavern
A 29 m roof, a 40 m floor, and a chamber full of flashlightfish
A blue opening in the wall at 25–27 m, depending on the tide
Similar dives elsewhere
A northern wall from 15 to 40 m where current draws the big fish
Leave the reef at 30-35 m and watch open water for hammerheads
A vertical face into 2,000 m, with pygmy seahorses in the fans
A long northern wall with hammerheads in the current below