Siargao · Philippines · Reef · Sand slope · Channel & pass
Rock Island
A coral reef beside a surf break, falling to sand in the channel
Rock Island is a dive beside one of Siargao's well-known surf spots, in the channel between Rock Island and Stimpy's. A shallow coral reef gives way to a sandy slope that runs down into the channel, so one dive covers both a reef top and open sand.
Where it is and how deep
9.8387° N, 126.1604° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The coral reef beside Rock Island sits between 3 and 10 m. Below it a sandy slope drops away into the channel between Rock Island and Stimpy's, reaching 25 m at its deepest. Visibility generally ranges from 10 to 25 m through the year.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Siargao: March to May brings the calmest seas and clearest water; from November to February bay diving continues but the Pacific sites, Blue Cathedral included, are less predictable.
Sources
- Rock Island dive site — ScubaGo
More dive sites in Siargao
Cave & cavern
An open Pacific cavern where schooling jacks and barracuda move through
Coral garden
Dense, well-preserved hard coral cover on an easy, relaxed reef
Reef
A submerged rock arch to swim through, framed by hard and soft corals
Reef
A resident pink frogfish on three linked reefs near Naked Island
Wall
Whitetip and blacktip reef sharks resting on the reef and patrolling the wall
Similar dives elsewhere
Ghost pipefish and pygmy seahorses on a calm coral slope
A channel drift at 1 to 3 knots between two wrecks
Lionfish and scorpionfish resting on table and brain corals
A bommie at 16 to 25 m ringed by snappers, trevallies and batfish.