Southern Leyte · Philippines · Reef
Medicare
Two reef sections linked in one dive on a mild current
Area photo: JDQDulfo · CC BY-SA 4.0
A steep rocky slope off the Padre Burgos shore, dived as two halves: Medicare South, where the slope descends to 20 m, and Medicare North, where it runs on to 25 to 30 m. A mild current lets one dive cover both, over a wide reef holding shoaling unicorn surgeonfish, snapper, sweetlips and angelfish.
Also known as Medicare North, Medicare South.
Where it is and how deep
10.0277° N, 125.0214° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The reef is a steep rocky slope, and where you start decides how the dive runs. On Medicare South the slope descends to about 20 m; move north along it and the bottom steps deeper, to 25 and then 30 m. A mild current usually runs here, which is what makes the site work as one dive rather than two: drop on one section, let the water carry you, and cover both without swimming hard.
It is a wide reef rather than a single feature, so the interest is spread out. Shoals of unicorn surgeonfish share the slope with sweetlips, several kinds of snapper, a variety of angelfish and groupers. Pygmy seahorses and titan triggerfish are on the same reef, which means the dive rewards both a slow look at the reef surface and an eye out into the blue as you drift.
Marine life and season
- Groupers
- Pygmy seahorses
- Reef fish swarms
| 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
- The deeper northern half sits at 25-30 m on a continuous slope, so watch gas and no-decompression time while drifting away from your entry point.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Medicare dive site?+
The slope bottoms out at around 20 m on Medicare South and deepens to 25-30 m towards Medicare North, so 30 m is the deep end of the dive.
Are Medicare North and South separate dives?+
They are two sections of the same reef. A mild current normally allows a single dive to cover both, starting on one and drifting onto the other.
Sources
- Medicare — Scubago — Scubago
More dive sites in Southern Leyte
Day-trip walls from 20 to 50 m at the mouth of the bay
House-reef wall to 40 m with a whip-coral forest
Wall
The oldest marine sanctuary in Sogod Bay, walled to 50 m
Pelagic & blue water
Whale shark season and a current-fed point to 40 m
Reef
The peninsula corner where the reef drops to 36 m
Wall
Reef top at 3-5 m over a wall that bottoms out at 20-25 m
Reef
A shallow coral area at 2-10 m over a slope that drops past 32 m
Similar dives elsewhere
Panglao's critter slope, five minutes off Alona Beach
Rock corridors on the south coast where the mantas feed
A no-take reef since 1982, with turtles on nearly every dive
The protected shallows where Balicasag's turtles are thickest