DIVING IN BORACAY

Scuba Diving is fun but is it fun in Boracay? Boracay is known for its white sand beach but scuba diving is not as popular than other destination in the Philippines. However, we do have good diving sites in Boracay, in fact we have more than 10 dive sites in Boracay and your diving experience depend on who you are diving with. 

Boracay diving cater for both novice and experience divers, there are numerous dive sites to choose. It is a great destination to take up diving courses and continue education in diving. Having a nice environment, it provides lots of comfort in learning. Easy diving for those who are inexperience. The following are few dive sites you do not want to miss if you are already a certified diver.

Yapak, the most famous dive site in Boracay, located at the North of Boracay with a depth range between 30m to 70m. The dive start with a spectacular blue water descent swimming towards the tip of the wall with close encounter with White Tip & Grey Reef Shark. As you swim along the wall, you may also see school of Dogtooth Tuna, Groupers, Napoleon Wrasses and Giant Trevallies. A dive site you do not want to miss if you are an Advanced diver and above.

Want to experience diving in a rapid current, try diving when the tide is going down at Channel Drift. Depth range between 20m to 35m, enjoy a ride through Canyons & Crevices and try to spot White Tip Shark and school of Trevallies. If you are lucky, you may have a close encounter with a Marble Ray. The dive usually starts off at Crocodile Island and end after Cagban Jetty Port.

Crocodile Island is a small-uninhabited island look like the head of a crocodile; the best diving is during high slack tide when visibility is at its best. The depth range is between 12m to 27m; there is a gently sloping wall with several canyons and caves containing a wide diversity of fish.

Do we have wrecks in Boracay?!? Yes, we do! In fact we have two wrecks, a shipwreck and a plane wreck. The shipwreck is known as “Camia II”, it was sank in January 2001 to make an artificial wreck in Boracay. Is a 30m long cargo boat with well developed artificial reef that include huge Red Bass, School of Batfish, Bluefin Trevallies and as you swim around the wreck, do beware of Scorpion Fish. The other wreck is a plane wreck and is known as “Tribird” which was sank in March 2014. It was used as an artificial wreck and an add on dive site in Boracay. The depth range for the site is between 24m to 28m, you need to be at least an Advanced Diver to experience these sites.

If you enjoy deep diving but don’t have the experience to go to Yapak then practice deep diving in Virgin Wall. Don’t know how it get its name but as you descend you will see the beautiful coral along the wall, try spotting different Nunibranch as you swim along the wall. Is a popular dive site for Technical Divers, depth range between 30m to 70m.

As mentioned, Boracay diving is cater for both novice and experience divers. If you are still a novice diver, fret not! We do have dive sites cater for novice divers. Do try diving in Punta Bunga or Santo’s Place, depth range between 18m to 24m and usually you can spot stingrays on the sandy bottom. As you swim along the wall, look out for Moray Eels, Lionfish and Groupers.

Next to it, is Balinghai. There are two walls running parallel to each other. The deep wall features Sharks and Tuna while the shallow wall is pockmarked by small holes that house Triggerfish, Banner fish, Puffers and Gobies. You will also get to see many artificial dome at a depth of 20m – 24m and see many reef grow on it.

Friday’s Rock is one of the open water training dive site with depth range from 14m to 18m. This famous fish feeding station is a large boulder which provides photographers a chance to capture close up shots of Emperors, Triggerfish, Red Bass, Scorpion fish and lots of Surgeon fish.

What if the weather is bad at the West of Boracay? Fret not! There are also some good diving sites at the East of Boracay. There is Laurel Island with two dive sites with depth range between 14m to 18m, the big Laurel and the small Laurel. The big laurel has a tunnel that you can swim through and as you swim, you can see many soft corals and Nunibranch, both Laurels are sloping wall with healthy corals and prolific fish life.

 On the east side of Boracay, there is also Tulubhan Reef  with depth range between 5m to 20m. You may start shallow but a slow steady current usually allow drift diving to cover a wide area. Sea snakes are common and many sea cucumbers. You will see wide vast of marine life as you swim along with the current.

There are about 38 dive centers in the Island under the Boracay Association of Sports Scuba Diving. The prices for Fun Diving are set at Php1,800.00 per dive with equipment rental and Php1,400.00 per dive without equipment rental. Dive Center are suppose to follow the prices set by the association or else they will be violating the regulation and may be fined.

You have choices to dive with any center in the island but choose wisely. One of the best center in the island is Calypso Dive Center, the only center with a swimming pool making training more conducive and their services are one of the best even though they may charge a little higher. If you are a micro photographer, ask for “Roy” one of the best Divemaster spotting micro marine life underwater.

Explore, experience, enjoy the beauty of the underwater world in an exotic environment in Boracay Island.

Peter Tay

PADI Master Instructor

EFR Instructor Trainer

TDI Advanced Trimix Instructor

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TIDES & CURRENTS

Tides

Have played in the beach for more than 6hours? Did you realise the same spot that you were playing become dry? Where is the water? When I was young, I thought it was magic but as I grow older than I understand that these changes are called tides due to the result of the gravitational pull of the moon and to a smaller extent, the sun.

Tides affect divers by exposing or concealing rocks that are or near the water's surface. For example, a low tide may expose rocks that make the entry and exit hazardous, but when the tide rises, these rocks may be completely submerged and safe to swim over. You may also avoid long surface walk if you are diving in high tides.

Currents

In the ocean, currents are formed by winds, waves, tides, and the rotation of the earth. In the northern hemisphere, currents move clockwise and in the southern hemisphere, current move counterclockwise.

As divers, we need to know the different kind of currents and to response correctly to avoid any accident. There are few currents that I would like to share with you; Longshore, Rip & Tidal Currents. 

Longshore Current

Longshore currents run parallel to shore. Like offshore currents, they are considered standing currents, which means they rarely change direction if ever at all. It can move you far from your entry or planned exit location. To avoid a long surface swim or losing your dive party, you must determine the direction and speed of the current and plan your dive accordingly.

There are several indicators that can help you determine the direction of a longshore current. One indicator is the direction from which waves approach shore. If the waves approach the shore from the south, the current is likely to come from the same direction. Another indicator is the direction anchored boats face. Most boats are anchored from their bow, so they face against the current.

Rip Current

Rip currents move perpendicular to the shore, and are common at most beaches. These are transitory currents, which means they can suddenly appear without warning. Rip currents are form when backwash from surf is forced to travel back into the water through a narrow passage such as a reef or sandbar. They are identified by a stream of foam traveling away from the surf zone.

While rip currents can be too strong to swim against, they are also quite narrow in size. If you become caught by one while trying to swim to shore, the best response is to swim parallel to shore until you exit the current. Some rip currents can be beneficial. If you are surface swimming to a dive site, a rip current can assist you during your swim and carry you closer to your destination.

Tidal Current

Tidal currents form when incoming or outgoing tides force water through a narrow passage. Since tides move in and out several times a day, the direction and force of tidal currents changes throughout the day. Currents of this type are often too strong to swim against, so careful planning is required before diving in areas with tidal currents. The safest diving is during slack tide, which is the period when tides are about to change direction.

Diving In Currents

The direction and speed of currents are major factors to consider when planning your dive. Most dive plans require that you exit at or near your entry point. If you allow a current to carry you away from the boat, you may have to surface before you reach your exit location. This will require you to make a long surface swim against the current to make it back to your exit location.

The best approach to diving in a current is to begin your dive against the current. This allows you to turn around half-way through your dive, ride the current back to your exit location, and remain there until it's time to surface.

When strong currents are present, a rope should be extended behind the boat. This is called a current line, and is used to pull yourself against the current and back to the boat. If you are diving into the current, it is important that you always dive with a safety sausage so that even you are far away from the boat, the boat is still able to locate when you surface from the dive. It is also advisable to have an audible devise while diving so that you are able to get attention when you surface.

Current In Boracay Island

The usual question I usually received when divers asked about diving in Boracay; what are the currents situation in Boracay? Can I dive in Yapak now? Can I do a Channel Drift now? Diving in Boracay is relatively easy but there are few dive sites that we need to consider the current of the day. If we plan to dive in Yapak or Crocodile Island, it is important that we dive when tides are going up. 

Yapak that is situated at the Northern part of the island, the current will move in clockwise direction and as you descend, you will be swimming towards Yapak. In Crocodile Island that is situated at the Southern part of the island, the current will move in counter clockwise direction and you will be swimming towards Crocodile Island.

However; if you are planning to dive in Channel Drift or Santos, do make sure that the tides are going down when you dived in these sites. When tides are going down, the northern part of the island is going counter-clockwise and the southern part of the island will be going clockwise direction. Diving in Santos during low tide will bring you towards Balinghai, the southern west of the island. 

When you want to dive in Channel Drift, you will get into the water perpendicular to Crocodile Island and as you descent you will be swimming towards the southern west of the island. Remember diving in these sites, for the sake of safety, you are required to dive with a visible & audible devise. If you are drifted too far away, these devises will assist you to get attention from the boat. 

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