Daquit Shoal is an offshore pinnacle off Siquijor, far enough from land that it has to be reached by boat. The top of the shoal sits at 5 metres and the coral runs down its flanks to about 25, where the growth is at its best. It is a coral dive rather than a big-animal one, with turtles the sighting divers hope for.
Where it is and how deep
9.2615° N, 123.6649° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
This one is a scheduled boat trip rather than a hop along the coast: the shoal is a bit far from land and must be reached by boat, which puts it in a different bracket from the walk-in shore sites on the island's west coast. The pinnacle tops out at 5 metres, so the shallow end is bright and easy, and the dive is worked down the structure from there.
The coral improves with depth. The most developed growth is at about 25 metres, a full garden of soft and hard corals rather than isolated heads, and that band is where most of the dive time goes before you work back up the pinnacle into the shallows. Turtles are the sighting to watch for here, and the shallow top of the shoal makes an unhurried place to finish the dive off.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Pristine corals
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Siquijor: November to May is the main season; from June to October the south-west monsoon moves the diving from the western walls to the sheltered north-east coast.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Daquit Shoal?+
The pinnacle starts at 5 metres below the surface and its best coral is at about 25 metres, so the dive spans the whole recreational range on one structure.
Sources
- Daquit Shoal - Scubago — Scubago (SSI)
More dive sites in Siquijor
Reef
Leather and soft coral across a slope that runs to 65 m
Seagrass, dense reef and wall on one protected slope
Wreck
A well-preserved wreck at 30 to 35 m off the Larena pier
Artificial reef
Sunken concrete crosses grown into an artificial reef
Wall
A sloping wall from 5 m, entered on foot south of San Juan
One of the island's easiest entries, and a night-dive regular
Coral garden
Two different dives from one walk-in entry
Staghorn fields at depth, and frogfish after dark
Similar dives elsewhere
A swim-through at 22 to 25 m lined with crinoids
Elephant ear sponges and soft coral on rocks that break the surface
A coral-covered pinnacle turtles live on year-round
Five current-swept pinnacles cut by tunnels and swim-throughs.