Pamilacan · Philippines · Wall
Pamilacan Wall
Black coral and sea fans on a wall past 40 m
Area photo: Pierre Pericard · CC BY 4.0
Pamilacan Wall is a wall covered in black coral and sea fans that drops to more than 40 m, off the island 12.5 km south of Bohol that divers cross to the way they cross to Balicasag. Grey reef sharks, eagle rays and schools of jacks work it, and hammerhead and thresher sharks are seen occasionally.
Also known as Pamilacan Island.
Where it is and how deep
9.4928° N, 123.9242° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Pamilacan is a boat trip rather than a site you drive to: the island sits 12.5 km south of Bohol in the Bohol Sea, and tours out to it are arranged from Panglao alongside the Balicasag crossings. The wall is the site most trips lead with, one of a cluster around the island that also takes in Dakit-Dakit, The Sanctuary and South Point, and the same boats run the dolphin- and whale-watching the island is known for.
The wall itself is covered in black coral and sea fans and drops to more than 40 m, which is what puts it in the advanced bracket rather than the shallow Panglao reefs. Grey reef sharks, eagle rays and schools of jacks are the regular traffic along the face, and hammerhead and thresher sharks turn up occasionally, so it is worth keeping one eye on the blue as you work the coral. Agree the maximum before you go in - it is easy to drift deeper than planned on a face like this.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Eagle rays
- Trevally & jacks
- Hammerheads
- Thresher sharks
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Pamilacan: Nov–Jun is the workable season; the crossing is exposed and trips are called off on the wind, so Jul–Oct is unreliable.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Pamilacan Wall?+
It drops to more than 40 m, which is why it is described as a wall for advanced divers. Set a working maximum with the operator before the dive rather than following the face down.
What sharks are seen at Pamilacan Wall?+
Grey reef sharks are the regular ones, alongside eagle rays and schools of jacks. Hammerhead and thresher sharks are seen occasionally rather than reliably.
How do you dive Pamilacan?+
As a boat trip from Panglao, arranged through the dive shops that also run the Balicasag crossings. Pamilacan Wall is one of several sites around the island, along with Dakit-Dakit, The Sanctuary and South Point.
Sources
- Your Guide to Diving in Bohol — Dive The World
- Pamilacan — Wikipedia
- Balicasag Island — Wikipedia
- Panglao — Wikivoyage
- Pamilacan Island, Bohol — OpenStreetMap
In The Logbook
- Malapascua thresher sharks: Monad or Kimud?Big animals · 11 min read
- Gas density: why deep air gets hard to breatheBody & health · 8 min read
More dive sites in Pamilacan
Reef
Banded sea kraits crawling openly over a sunken plateau
Drift
A drifted slope of soft and black coral off Pamilacan's tip
Drift
A hard drift off the point, with tuna and barracuda in the flow
Drift
A drifted wall under a 200-year-old Spanish watchtower
Coral garden
A calm coral garden at 5–20 m, the island's easiest dive
Similar dives elsewhere
Limestone and white sand, a wall to 35 m, rarely any current
A long northern wall with hammerheads in the current below
Mobula rays pass in formations up to 25 strong.
The deep corner, where rare hammerheads pass at 40 m and beyond