Southern Leyte · Philippines · Wall · Reef · Night
Max Climax Wall
House-reef wall to 40 m with a whip-coral forest
Photo: Chris Spain · CC0
Max Climax is the pair of wall dives on the house reef at Lungsodaan, inside the barangay's marine sanctuary at the north end of the Padre Burgos shore. The face runs from 15 metres down to 40 along gorgonian fans and a forest of whip corals, with big-fish action when the current moves, and pygmy seahorses and frogfish for anyone diving it slowly.
Also known as Lungsodaan MPA.
Where it is and how deep
10.0485° N, 125.0286° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Max Climax 1 and 2 are the wall dives inside the Lungsodaan sanctuary, the house reef of the resort at the north end of the Padre Burgos shore, so the dive starts from the beach rather than after a crossing. The face begins at about 15 metres and runs down to 40, hung with gorgonian fans and backed by a forest of whip corals — the kind of wall you swim along at one depth rather than spiral down.
The current decides how the dive goes. When the water moves along the wall the big fish come with it; when it is slack the same ground is a slow hunt, with pygmy seahorses in the fans and frogfish on the reef between the two walls. The sanctuary is dived at night as well, when the whip corals and the gorgonians are what the torch finds first. Ask which of the two walls is running before you get in.
Marine life and season
- Pygmy seahorses
- Frogfish
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime |
Season follows Southern Leyte: Whale sharks are off Pintuyan roughly Oct–Apr; the bay is sheltered but Jul–Oct brings typhoon risk and rougher water.
Know before you go
- Big-fish action here means the current is up: check the direction on entry and keep the wall on the same shoulder so you can turn back along it.
Dive videos
Underwater Paradise part #9 · Diving with DM Dave on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Max Climax Wall?+
The Max Climax walls run from about 15 metres down to 40, inside the Lungsodaan marine sanctuary that serves as the house reef at Sogod Bay Scuba Resort. The operator dives them from Open Water level upwards.
Can you dive Max Climax from the shore?+
Yes. It is part of the resort house reef at Lungsodaan and is listed with no boat time, so the walls are reached from the beach or with a short boat move along the same stretch of coast.
Sources
- Dive Sites — Sogod Bay Scuba Resort — Sogod Bay Scuba Resort
- Padre Burgos, Southern Leyte — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
- Sogod Bay — Wikipedia — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Whip coral goby clinging sideways to the stem of a whip coral by Chris Spain, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
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