Romblon, the area around Coral Garden East

Romblon · Philippines · Coral garden · Reef

Coral Garden East

Ghost pipefish, odd shrimps and nudibranchs in the coral

Area photo: krokodiver · CC BY 2.0

The eastern half of Romblon's paired coral gardens, 30 to 40 minutes out from Romblon Town or Lonos and listed to 35 metres. It is worked as a hunting dive rather than a scenic one: ghost pipefish, special shrimps, nudibranchs and scorpionfish hide in the coral, with sea snakes, turtles and frogfish as the lucky finds.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Coral Garden East: typical dive to 35 m (to 115 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit35 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

12.6522° N, 122.2313° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

This is a slow dive. The list of animals here, ghost pipefish and special shrimps and nudibranchs and scorpionfish, is a list of things that do not move and do not want to be seen, so the pace is set by whoever is looking rather than by the route. Expect a guide to work a narrow band of the coral formations back and forth with a pointer instead of covering ground.

With enough luck the dive adds sea snakes, turtles and frogfish, none of them reliable. The site is listed to 35 metres and the crossing is 30 to 40 minutes, so bottom time is worth protecting: get any deep section done early, then settle into the shallower coral where you can hold position over a subject without watching a no-stop clock. Coral Garden West sits alongside on the same trip.

Marine life and season

  • Nudibranchs
  • Macro critters
  • Frogfish
  • Sea turtles
  • Sea snakes
Month-by-month season rating for Coral Garden East
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
PrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodGoodFairFairFairGoodPrimePrime

Season follows Romblon: Nov–Jun is the settled season; typhoons and the south-west monsoon make Jul–Oct unreliable for the boat crossing.

Questions divers ask

What can you see at Coral Garden East?+

Ghost pipefish, special shrimps, nudibranchs and scorpionfish are the regular finds, and with enough luck sea snakes, turtles and frogfish. It is a macro dive rather than a big-animal one.

Sources

  1. Diving in the Philippines — Wikivoyage

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