Coral Triangle · Philippines
Siquijor
Shore-accessible walls from 5 m into blue, dived one boat at a time
Siquijor sits between Negros and Bohol with a reputation in the Philippines for folk magic and, among divers, for quiet walls and protected sanctuary reefs. Paliton Wall drops from the shallows past 30 m with gorgonians, soft coral, frogfish and ghost pipefish, and much of the south-west shore around San Juan is reef that begins a short swim from the beach. The island sees far fewer divers than Dauin or Apo Island across the strait.
About diving in Siquijor
Most of the dive centres sit along the south-west coast around San Juan, and a day here mixes shore entries with short boat rides. The fringing reef begins in a few metres of water close to land, so walking in at a sanctuary reef or off the beach in front of a centre is a normal part of the schedule rather than a fallback. On calm days boats run out to the offshore shoals, and some centres cross to Apo Island or Balicasag for the day. Between dives the island is covered by tricycle or rented motorbike on the coastal ring road, which makes a stay here as much about the land as the water.
The west coast is a fringing reef that breaks into walls and slopes. Paliton Wall begins at about 8 m and runs to a sandy floor near 32 m, deeper at one end, with gorgonians, soft coral, an overhang and a small cave, and frogfish, ghost pipefish and the odd Spanish dancer along the face. Between the walls, sanctuary slopes such as Tubod carry healthy coral and sponge, anemones with clownfish, frogfish and stargazers, and mandarinfish mate there at dusk. On the north coast, Tulapos is a shallow reef of coral heads over sand where ghost pipefish hover near the crinoids, and a small Japanese wreck lies at about 30 m off Larena.
Much of the best reef lies inside municipal marine sanctuaries, where fishing and boat traffic are barred. Caticugan, off Siquijor town, layers seagrass in 3 to 5 m over a coral slope and is counted among the best protected of them, and Bino-ongan in Enrique Villanueva has been managed as a sanctuary since 2013. These protected patches are where turtles are most dependable and where the shallow reef is easiest for newer divers, and the sanctuaries away from the south-west coast become the main diving when the monsoon wind swings round between June and October.
Siquijor suits divers who want calm, uncrowded reef with real wall depth close at hand: beginners on the sanctuary slopes, and experienced divers on the deeper walls, where the current can run strongly. It is often paired with Dauin and Apo Island off southern Negros, which add serious muck diving and current-swept walls, and it works well as a few days' change of pace in a longer Visayas trip. Divers set on sharks and big pelagics will get more from the thresher dives at Malapascua.
Best time to dive Siquijor
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
| Sea surface | 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F |
| Daytime high | 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | 177 mm7.0 in | 105 mm4.1 in | 88 mm3.5 in | 70 mm2.8 in | 141 mm5.6 in | 214 mm8.4 in | 242 mm9.5 in | 202 mm8.0 in | 188 mm7.4 in | 229 mm9.0 in | 232 mm9.1 in | 225 mm8.9 in |
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 28°C82°F | 27°C81°F | 27°C81°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 28°C82°F | 28°C82°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 177 mm7.0 in | 105 mm4.1 in | 88 mm3.5 in | 70 mm2.8 in | 141 mm5.6 in | 214 mm8.4 in |
| Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
| Sea surface | |||||
| 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 29°C84°F | 28°C82°F |
| Daytime high | |||||
| 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 30°C86°F | 29°C84°F |
| Rain | |||||
| 242 mm9.5 in | 202 mm8.0 in | 188 mm7.4 in | 229 mm9.0 in | 232 mm9.1 in | 225 mm8.9 in |
2011–2025 averages. Sea surface: NOAA Coral Reef Watch, measured at the surface, so deeper water can run colder. Daytime high and rain: NASA POWER.
November to May is the main season. The north-east monsoon then leaves the south-west coast around San Juan in the lee, the western walls are at their calmest, and February to April, the heart of the dry season, brings the clearest water. The sea stays between about 27 and 30 °C all year. From June to October the south-west monsoon brings stronger wind to the western shore, and the boats move to sites on the sheltered north-east side instead. Diving carries on through those months, because the island is ringed by larger islands that block much of the monsoon swell, and the shallow sanctuary reefs stay easy enough for newer divers.
Best months: January, February, March, April, May, November, December
Siquijor water temperature and weather by month
The sea surface runs from 27 °C (81 °F) in February to 30 °C (86 °F) in June. Most rain falls from June to January, peaking at about 240 mm (9.4 in) in July; February to April are the driest. Daytime highs sit around 30 °C (86 °F) all year. The coldest water here is about 27 °C (81 °F), so pack a 3 mm, or even a 2 mm, suit.
Dive types & marine life
Turtles are routine along the wall tops and in the sanctuaries, with frogfish, nudibranchs, ghost pipefish and pygmy seahorses on the sand and fans, and mandarinfish mating at dusk at Tubod. Jacks, barracuda and the occasional reef shark gather where current runs offshore. The resident life barely changes by season; the monsoon decides which coast gets dived.
- Wall
- Reef
- Muck & macro
- Drift
- Night
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
- Frogfish
- Pygmy seahorses
- Reef fish swarms
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Reef sharks
Best dive sites in Siquijor
- 1
Paliton Wall
Wall from about 8 m to a floor near 32 m, with gorgonians, a cave and frogfish; the island's signature dive.
- 2
Tubod Sanctuary
Easy sanctuary slope for all levels, with turtles, frogfish and mandarinfish mating at dusk.
- 3
Caticugan Marine Sanctuary
Shore entry off Siquijor town over seagrass and coral to about 30 m; among the best-protected sanctuaries.
- 4
Tulapos Marine Sanctuary
North-coast sanctuary reef of coral heads over sand, with frogfish, barracuda and turtles.
- 5
Sunken Island
Offshore shoal, also called Takot Shoal, from 12 m to 40 m with current, jacks and tuna.
- 6
Tongo Point
Gentle slope from about 12 m under unbroken leather and soft coral, sometimes with strong current.
- 7
The Larena
Small Japanese boat at 30 to 35 m near the Larena pier, with frogfish, morays and strong current.
Site guides
Wall
A sloping wall from 5 m, entered on foot south of San Juan
Seagrass, dense reef and wall on one protected slope
Pinnacle
An offshore pinnacle topping out at 5 m
Staghorn fields at depth, and frogfish after dark
Coral garden
Two different dives from one walk-in entry
A wall from 5 m, with the depth below it optional
Wall
Sea fans on a vertical face, dived as a guided drift
One of the island's easiest entries, and a night-dive regular
Seamount
A submerged island from 12 m to 40, with current and big fish
Wreck
A well-preserved wreck at 30 to 35 m off the Larena pier
Reef
Leather and soft coral across a slope that runs to 65 m
Artificial reef
Sunken concrete crosses grown into an artificial reef
How to get to Siquijor
Fly to Dumaguete on Negros, the usual gateway, then take a ferry or fast boat from Dumaguete port to Siquijor town, a crossing of about 45 minutes to 1.5 hours. Ferries also run from Cebu City and from Tagbilaran on Bohol. Most dive centres are around San Juan on the south-west coast, reached by tricycle or motorbike from the port.
Photos from Siquijor
q.phia · CC BY 2.0
q.phia · CC BY 2.0
q.phia · CC BY 2.0
q.phia · CC BY 2.0
q.phia · CC BY 2.0
Dive videos
Siquijor's insane Marine Biodiversity | SIQUIJOR FROM BELOW · Critter Hunter on YouTube
Diving Siquijor: Paliton Wall · Pacificklaus on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Siquijor good for beginner divers?+
Yes. The sanctuary slopes and shallow reef tops are calm and easy, and most sites can be started in a few metres of water. The deeper walls and offshore shoals such as Sunken Island carry stronger current and suit divers with Advanced certification and some experience.
What is the water temperature in Siquijor?+
It stays between about 27 and 30 °C all year, so temperature barely changes the plan. What changes is the wind: February to April brings the clearest water, and June to October brings the stronger south-west monsoon to the western shore.
How do divers get to Siquijor?+
By boat, almost always. The usual route is a flight to Dumaguete on Negros and a ferry or fast boat of 45 minutes to 1.5 hours to Siquijor town, with other crossings from Cebu City and Tagbilaran. The island's small airfield takes no commercial flights, so the ferry is the only public route.
Can Siquijor be combined with Dauin and Apo Island?+
Yes, and it often is. Dauin and Apo Island lie off southern Negros, less than 30 km across the strait, and trips based in the Dumaguete area commonly cover all three: Dauin for muck, Apo for current-swept walls with turtles and jacks, and Siquijor for quieter sanctuary reefs.
Sources
- Diving in Siquijor — PADI
- Dumaguete diving: Apo Island, Dauin, Siquijor — Dive The World
- Paliton Wall — PADI
- Diving the Philippines in July — Philippine Dives
- Best dive sites and diving locations in Siquijor — Dive Point Siquijor
- Siquijor — Wikivoyage
- Siquijor — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Christmas tree worms in red and gold dot a coral head at Paliton Wall. by q.phia, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A coralliomorph anemone opens wide on the reef at Coco Grove, Siquijor. by q.phia, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A hermit crab shelters in a shell on the reef wall at Paliton, Siquijor. by q.phia, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A blue-and-orange Chromodoris nudibranch crosses the reef at Paliton Wall. by q.phia, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A hawksbill turtle swims in open blue water off Paliton Wall, Siquijor. by q.phia, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
- A flounder lies camouflaged on pale sand at Coco Grove, Siquijor. by q.phia, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
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