Malapascua · Philippines · Reef · Wall · Coral garden
Bugtong Bato
Reef, mini wall and coral garden from 12 m down to 30 m
Area photo: Petter Lindgren · CC BY-SA 3.0
Bugtong Bato is a sloping reef at 12 metres that joins a mini wall down to 20 and then turns gradually into a coral garden tapering to 30. Soft corals, sea fans and sponges cover the whole site, and the mooring sits in the middle of the reef, which effectively makes two dives out of one piece of ground depending on which way the group turns.
Where it is and how deep
11.3507° N, 124.1034° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive starts on the mooring, which is set within the middle of the reef and effectively creates two distinct dive sites — one in each direction along the same ground. Descending the line puts you on a sloping reef at around 12 metres, and from there the profile is dictated by the terrain: the slope joins a mini wall that runs down to 20 metres, which is the deepest part most groups work.
Past the wall the ground turns gradually into a coral garden that tapers down to 30 metres, so a deeper first half is easy to arrange and easy to overrun. Soft corals, sea fans and sponges cover the entire site, which means the shallow return along the reef is as good as the deep leg rather than a transit. Turn on gas, work back up to the reef at 12 metres, and make the safety stop on the mooring line.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Malapascua: Threshers visit Kimud Shoal all year. March to May is calmest and clearest; October to January brings rough seas, green water and the most cancelled crossings.
Sources
- Bugtong Bato - Scubago — Scubago/SSI
More dive sites in Malapascua
A thresher shark now and then off a sandbar island's wall
Wall
Garden eel colonies in the sand before the wall
A 30 m swim-through tunnel at 10 m with sharks resting inside
Wreck
A 1988 ferry wreck lying on her starboard side at 33 m
Pinnacle
A rocky pinnacle from 14 m to 34 m, dived on tide changes
Wall
A small wall from 12 m onto black coral sand at 20 to 30 m
Reef
Protected reef off a northern islet, 4 m down to 20 m
Reef
A 3 m flat top and a slope to 17 m, used for courses
Similar dives elsewhere
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Coral slope that steepens into a wall at about 20 m