Paliton Wall is a vertical coral face off the west coast of Siquijor, reached by boat and dived guided as a drift along the wall. PADI lists it to a maximum of 40 m, with sea fans on the face and sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles on the site's common-sightings list. The water is clear, and the dive works along the wall rather than down it.
Where it is and how deep
9.1774° N, 123.4615° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
You enter from the boat — PADI lists this as a boat-entry site — and drop onto a vertical coral face rather than a sloping reef, so the wall is the dive from the first minute. PADI lists it to a maximum of 40 m, and the profile you swim is the one your guide sets: dives here are run guided, held along the face rather than worked down it. Sea fans grow out of the vertical coral and are the feature of the wall.
The site is listed as a drift as well as a wall, so you cover ground along the face instead of circling one section and turning back. PADI's common sightings for Paliton Wall are sea fans, sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles, and its description calls the water clear, so the open blue off your shoulder is worth watching as much as the coral. A surface marker buoy is on the site's recommended-equipment list, which on a drift is what the boat looks for at the end.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Dolphins
- Whales
| 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.
Know before you go
- The wall is listed to 40 m with a drift running along it, so depth creep is the thing to manage: agree a maximum before you descend and check your gauge as you work along the face.
- PADI's recommended equipment for the site includes a surface marker buoy; no current strength is published, so ask the guide on the day and deploy the SMB for the boat pickup.
Dive videos
Diving Siquijor: Paliton Wall · Pacificklaus on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Paliton Wall?+
PADI lists the site to a maximum of 40 m. It is a vertical face rather than a slope, so the depth you dive is the depth you plan — agree a maximum before you descend rather than following the coral down.
Do you need a boat to dive Paliton Wall?+
Yes. PADI lists the entry type as boat, and dives on the wall are run guided, as a drift along the face.
What do you see at Paliton Wall?+
PADI's common sightings for the site are sea fans, sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles, on a vertical coral face. The description notes clear water, so the open blue off the wall is worth watching too.
Sources
In The Logbook
- Cheapest places to scuba dive, and the catchTrip planning · 15 min read
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