Malapascua · Philippines · Coral garden · Reef
Coral Garden
A gentle coral slope from 5 to 20 m inside a protected area
Area photo: Petter Lindgren · CC BY-SA 3.0
Coral Garden is a shallow, easy dive close to Malapascua Island: a gentle sandy slope covered with healthy hard and soft corals, running from about 5 to 20 metres. It is used for check dives, for beginners and for relaxed reef exploration, and Wikivoyage lists it among the island's marine protected areas, on the east side, where snorkelling is part of the point.
Where it is and how deep
11.3371° N, 124.1219° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The site sits close to Malapascua Island, which makes it one of the easiest things to slot into a day's diving. The bottom is a gentle sandy slope covered with healthy hard and soft corals, and the dive follows it: drop onto the shallow end at around 5 metres, work down the slope while the group settles, and let the coral cover set the pace rather than any particular feature.
The deep end of the slope is about 20 metres, so a normal recreational profile takes you down, along, and back up the same ground with time to spare. Because it is shallow and easy it is where instructors bring students and where check dives get done, and where anyone who wants an unhurried reef dive rather than a demanding one ends up. Coming back up the slope leaves the shallowest, brightest coral for the end of the dive.
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 | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Malapascua: November–February northeast monsoon can delay or cancel the early crossing to Kimud Shoal, which is further out than the old Monad run.
Questions divers ask
Is Coral Garden good for beginners?+
Yes. It is described as a shallow and easy dive site close to Malapascua Island, suited to beginners, check dives and relaxed reef exploration, with the slope running from about 5 to 20 metres.
Sources
- Coral Garden - Scubago — Scubago/SSI
- Malapascua — Wikivoyage
More dive sites in Malapascua
Reef
Reef, mini wall and coral garden from 12 m down to 30 m
Pinnacle
A 20 m-wide coral pinnacle topping out at 5 m
Pinnacle
A rocky pinnacle from 14 m to 34 m, dived on tide changes
Wreck
A 1988 ferry wreck lying on her starboard side at 33 m
A 5 to 13 m coral and seagrass slope off the resort beach
A 30 m swim-through tunnel at 10 m with sharks resting inside
Wreck
A wreck shallow enough to be someone's first ever dive
Seamount
Where Malapascua's thresher sharks moved in 2022, at 12–22 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Temple, cabbage and mushroom coral in 15 m of water
Fusiliers and damsels wearing colours you would not expect
Healthy coral garden from 3 m down to 18 m off the village
The sheltered coral garden at the end of the Cauldron ride