Pamilacan · Philippines · Drift · Reef · Wall
South Point
A hard drift off the point, with tuna and barracuda in the flow
Area photo: Pierre Pericard · CC BY 4.0
South Point is the current dive on Pamilacan: a sloping coral reef running from about 5 m down to 30 off the island's southern end, where the flow that wraps the point pulls dogtooth tuna, barracuda and trevally in off the blue. When it is running it is an adrenaline drift rather than a reef tour, and it is the site operators are most likely to call off if the conditions are wrong.
Where it is and how deep
9.4885° N, 123.9235° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The reef here is ordinary enough on paper — a coral slope from about 5 m down to 30, hard and soft coral with sponges through it, butterflyfish, angelfish and parrotfish over the top. What makes it a different dive from the rest of the island is the water moving past it. The point sits where the flow wraps around the southern end of Pamilacan, and on a running tide the dive becomes a one-way drift with no realistic option to swim back.
That current is the attraction. Dogtooth tuna, barracuda and trevally come in to work the edge of it, hunting the smaller fish held against the reef, and green turtles ride the same flow across the slope. The way to dive it is to stay low, use the reef for shelter, and look out into the blue rather than swimming into the current after anything — you will lose that race and your gas with it.
It is also the site most likely to be swapped out. Operators read the flow on the morning and, if it is wrong, run Dakit-Dakit or the sanctuary instead, so a Pamilacan trip does not guarantee South Point. Carry a surface marker: the drift ends wherever it ends and the boat picks up from there.
Marine life and season
- Tuna
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Sea turtles
- Reef fish swarms
- Pristine corals
| 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.
Know before you go
- Strong current around an exposed point with no shelter: dive it as a group with a surface marker, plan a live pick-up, and do not try to swim back up-current to the reef.
Questions divers ask
How deep is South Point at Pamilacan?+
The reef slopes from about 5 m to around 30 m. Depth is not really the constraint here — the current is, which is why the site is rated for advanced divers.
Is South Point always diveable?+
No. It depends entirely on the current, which operators read on the day. If the flow is wrong the trip runs Dakit-Dakit or the sanctuary instead, so it is not a site you can count on booking.
Sources
- Pamilacan Island Dive Sites In The Philippines — Sierra Madre Divers
- Your Guide to Diving in Bohol — Dive The World
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
Wall
Black coral and sea fans on a wall past 40 m
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
Juvenile whitetips tucked into small caves along a drifting slope
A current-washed plateau at 25–30 m, pelagics one day, pygmies the next
Black coral on the deeper reef, dived as a drift
The outcrop on the drop where the jacks and barracuda gather