Malapascua · Philippines · Cave & cavern · Reef
Gato Island
A 30 m swim-through tunnel at 10 m with sharks resting inside
Photo: Tol.lynx · CC BY-SA 4.0
Gato Island is a small island about 45 minutes by boat from Malapascua, declared a sea snake and fish sanctuary in 1997. A 30-metre swim-through tunnel runs under the island at around 10 metres, sharks rest inside it and in cracks along the reef during the day, and the sea floor there is about 30 metres down. Banded sea kraits are the animal it is known for.
Where it is and how deep
11.4470° N, 124.0203° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Gato is a day trip, around 45 minutes by boat from Malapascua. The dive works the reef around the island, which reaches about 30 metres on the sea floor, and the feature everyone comes for is the 30-metre swim-through tunnel that runs under the island at around 10 metres. Nurse sharks, whitetip reef sharks and the rarer bamboo sharks rest in the cave and in small cracks during the day, and divers often have to wait at the entrance until the sharks vacate before they can enter.
The rest of the dive is slow and close to the rock. Banded sea kraits, the yellow-lipped sea snakes the island was declared a sanctuary for, are seen along the reef, and the same ground holds mantis shrimp, cuttlefish, seahorses, painted frogfish, ribbon eels, blue-spotted rays and nudibranchs. The tunnel also shelters bamboo sharks, pufferfish, lobsters and cardinalfish. The kraits are venomous, so the sanctuary asks divers to stay with an instructor, divemaster or buddy.
Background
Gato is a small island off Daanbantayan in northern Cebu and a haven for the yellow-lipped sea krait, known locally as balingkasaw. In 1997 Daanbantayan passed a resolution declaring the island a sea snake and fish sanctuary, and in 2001 the protection was extended to a two-nautical-mile periphery around it. Divers are enjoined to do their diving with their instructors, divemasters or buddy, which is why the site is not dived independently.
Marine life and season
- Sea snakes
- Reef sharks
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Frogfish
- Stingrays
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| 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.
Know before you go
- Sharks resting at the cave entrance can block the tunnel; divers wait for them to vacate rather than push past.
- Yellow-lipped sea kraits are venomous, and the sanctuary asks divers to work with an instructor, divemaster or buddy rather than approach them.
Photos from Gato Island
mattk1979 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Patrick Doll · CC BY-SA 3.0
Tol.lynx · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
Gato Island : Cave diving with sharks · YannickOnBoard on YouTube
Scuba diving in the Philippines : Daytrip to Gato island from Malapascua · World Adventure Divers on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the dive at Gato Island?+
Most of the dive runs between about 10 and 30 metres. The tunnel through the island sits at around 10 metres, and the sea floor around the reef is roughly 30 metres down.
Are the sea snakes at Gato Island dangerous?+
The yellow-lipped sea kraits there are venomous. The island is their sanctuary, and divers are asked to stay with an instructor, divemaster or buddy and leave the snakes alone rather than approach them.
Sources
- Gato Island — Wikipedia
- Diving sites Philippines Malapascua — Dive The World
- Diving Malapascua Island — Divezone
- OpenStreetMap: Gato Island, Carnaza, Cebu — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Diver silhouetted at the mouth of Gato Island's underwater cavern by Tol.lynx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Soft corals covering a reef slope in clear blue water by mattk1979, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Openverse
- Whitespotted bamboo shark resting on the reef bottom at Gato Island by Patrick Doll, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Dive boat moored beside Gato Island's limestone cliffs with divers boarding by Tol.lynx, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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A tunnel through the island with three-metre nurse sharks inside
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