Napaling is a steep drop-off on Panglao's north coast, its coral-covered wall falling from about 5 m to 30 m, and it is dived for one thing above all: a resident sardine shoal that hangs in the shallows right on the lip of the wall. It is close enough to shore to be walked into down the cliff stairway, and it is best done in the morning, when the sea is calmest.
Also known as Napaling Wall.
Where it is and how deep
9.6182° N, 123.7728° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The site is a drop-off close in to Panglao's north coast — coral-covered wall falling away from the reef edge, published at 5 to 30 m — and the wall sits only about 10 m out from the shore, so this is one of the few sites here that works as a walk-in. That geometry keeps the dive simple: reef on one side, open water on the other, and you can work the face at whatever depth the plan allows with the whole site still in front of you.
The sardine ball is the reason to come. On most days it hovers in the shallows at around 5 m, right on the edge of the wall, which is unusually convenient — you can spend the bulk of the dive inside it without touching your no-stop time, and freedivers and snorkellers get as much out of it as divers do. Shoals move, so find the edge and let it reform around you rather than chasing it.
Away from the sardines the wall carries the usual north-coast growth: gorgonian fans, black coral bushes and reef fish along the face, with turtles working the top. Morning is the better time either way, because the sea here is calmest then, and that matters more than usual on a site you may be entering from the beach rather than off a boat.
Marine life and season
- Sardine baitballs
- Reef fish swarms
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
| 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 Panglao: Nov–Jun is the main season; the south-west monsoon and typhoons disrupt Jul–Oct, though the sheltered south coast keeps working through much of it.
Dive videos
diving with the thousands of sardines in panglao bohol with alona divers. · rolly baron on YouTube
Sardine Run 2 @ Napaling Wall, Tangnan, Panglao, Bohol · Robert Laqui on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Napaling?+
The drop-off runs from about 5 m at the reef edge to 30 m. The sardine ball sits far shallower than that, usually around 5 m on the lip of the wall, so most of the dive happens well inside recreational limits.
Can you dive Napaling from shore?+
Yes. The wall is roughly 10 m out from the shore and the site is reached by road, with a long stairway down the cliff to the entry. Boats also run there from Alona. Morning is the better time either way, because the sea is calmest then.
Sources
- Your Guide to Diving in Bohol — Dive The World
- Scuba Diving Bohol: Panglao, Balicasag, Pamilacan & Beyond — Diving Squad
- The Best of Panglao Dive Sites — Valm Divers Bohol
- Dive Sites & Map Of Bohol — Sierra Madre Divers
- Panglao, Bohol — Wikipedia
- Diving in the Philippines — Wikivoyage
- Napaling Reef – Left — Scubago
More dive sites in Panglao
Wall
A chimney through the wall, 18 m in and 8 m out
Reef
Ghost pipefish and pygmy seahorses on a calm coral slope
A turtle point about 10 m under a shallow reef cliff
Wall
A drifted wall from 5 m to 25 m, minutes from Alona
Wall
A vertical wall of huge gorgonians on Panglao's quietest corner
Wall
Table corals over a wall running 25 to 40 metres
Wreck
A dive boat on the sand at 37 m, a kilometre off Alona Beach
Reef
Panglao's critter slope, five minutes off Alona Beach
Similar dives elsewhere
An east-coast wall with a cave, and Cabilao's best night dive
Turtles in numbers along a wall that bottoms out at 22 m
Caves in a coral wall where whitetips rest up
Shafts of light in a cracked cavern on the north wall