Romblon, the area around Naguso's Wall

Romblon · Philippines · Wall · Coral garden · Reef

Naguso's Wall

A wall to 40 m that turns a corner into a coral field

Area photo: krokodiver · CC BY 2.0

Romblon's named wall dive, 30 to 40 minutes out from Romblon Town or Lonos and listed to 40 metres. A large school of fusiliers lives in the area, sponges and corals cover the face, frogfish and stonefish are often about, and the route finishes by rounding a corner into a coral field instead of turning back along the same wall.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Naguso's Wall: typical dive to 40 m (to 130 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit40 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 50 m (164 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

12.6559° N, 122.2295° EPublished position for this site.

The dive

The wall is the first half. You drop in on the face and fly it, and the depth is entirely your choice: the site is listed to 40 metres and the wall will take you there, so the profile has to be decided on the boat rather than in the water. A large school of fusiliers lives in this area and the face carries a sponge and coral display, which is a reason to look out from the wall as often as into it.

After the wall you go around a corner and come to a coral field, and this is where the dive slows down. Frogfish and stonefish are both often about, and both sit still against the bottom where they are easy to put a hand on by accident. That makes the coral field the natural back half of the profile: the wall first, then the corner, then a long slow finish among the corals.

Marine life and season

  • Reef fish swarms
  • Frogfish
  • Pristine corals
Month-by-month season rating for Naguso's Wall
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.

Know before you go

  • Stonefish are often about here and sit still against the bottom, so keep hands, knees and camera housings off the reef and look before you settle anywhere.
  • The wall is listed to 40 metres, so depth creeps easily while you follow the face; pick a limit before you descend rather than following it down.

Sources

  1. Diving in the Philippines — Wikivoyage

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