Puerto Galera · Philippines · Wall · Drift
Verde Island
A coral wall in the middle of the passage, dived in strong, clear water
Photo: Dmitry Domrin · CC BY 4.0
The dive is the drop-off at the southeastern point of Verde Island, a coral wall out in the passage rather than on the Puerto Galera shoreline. It runs from 5 m to beyond 25 m in the strong, clear current that defines the strait, with pelagics working the edge and reef fish over the coral.
Also known as Verde Island Wall, Verde Island Drop-off.
Where it is and how deep
13.5728° N, 121.0851° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Boats leave Puerto Galera daily for the crossing, and the dive is the drop-off at the southeastern point of the island. The wall starts shallow, at around 5 m, and falls away past 25 m. Most of the sites in this area sit in the Verde Island passage, where the current generally runs strong and the water is generally clear, and this one is out in the middle of it.
The face is festooned in an array of colourful corals. Along the drop the traffic is pelagic: whitetips and other sharks, occasional mantas, eagle rays, tuna and jacks, rainbow runners, wahoos and Spanish mackerel. The reef fish seen through this area are Napoleon wrasses, parrotfish, unicornfish, soldierfish, surgeons, batfish, tangs, gobies, sweetlips and emperors, and Verde Island is where the rare red fin wrasse (Cirrhilabrus rubripinnis) thrives.
Background
Verde Island's drop-off is dived on daily trips out of Puerto Galera. A short-lived park fee scheme was introduced for the site and then dropped again: the revenue turned out to be buying better fishing gear, which meant fish were being removed from the reef at a higher rate than before.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Manta rays
- Eagle rays
- Tuna
- Trevally & jacks
- Napoleon wrasse
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good |
Season follows Puerto Galera: November–May dry season is calmest; June–October southwest monsoon brings rain and swell.
Know before you go
- The passage generally runs strong current and the wall is well offshore, so stay with the group and the boat and be ready to be carried off the end of the site.
Photos from Verde Island
amanderson2 · CC BY 2.0
Alexander R. Jenner · CC BY-SA 3.0
amanderson2 · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
VERDE ISLAND | Diving in Critter Paradise · Critter Hunter on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Verde Island wall?+
Wikivoyage gives 5 m to more than 25 m, so the dive sits in recreational depths, worked along the face rather than as a descent to a set depth.
Is Verde Island suitable for new divers?+
It is rated intermediate. The passage generally runs strong current and the site is an offshore wall reached by a day trip from Puerto Galera, so some experience of moving water is needed first.
Sources
- Diving in the Philippines — Wikivoyage
- Verde Island Passage — Wikipedia
- Puerto Galera diving — Divezone
- Verde Island Lighthouse (OSM) — OpenStreetMap
Photo credits
- Four butterflyfish swim over a dense coral reef at Verde Island. by Dmitry Domrin, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Hard coral colonies with small reef fish schooling above them at Verde Island. by amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A pale blue nudibranch with dark stripes crawls over an orange sponge at Verde Island's Drop Off. by Alexander R. Jenner, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- A black-and-white nudibranch with bright pink gill plumes rests on a red sponge at Verde Island. by amanderson2, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
More dive sites in Puerto Galera
Wreck
A cargo hull upright at 30 m, lit through its own skylights
Drift
Three current-cut canyons and an old Spanish anchor at 30 m
Mandarinfish leave the fire coral here at dusk
Reef
A swim-through at 14 m with shoals riding the current overhead
Channel & pass
Drift the channel either way, depending on flood or ebb
Reef
Pygmy seahorses on the fans, turtles over the hard coral
Small wrecks, sea-pen sand and frogfish five minutes off the beach
Similar dives elsewhere
Hundreds of batfish and jacks holding in the current
Whip corals along a drifted wall, with bumpheads passing
Steep wall to 30 metres, the strait's moderate-current option
Whitetip sharks resting in caves down the wall