One of the top tourist destination, not only in the Philippines, but also in the world is Cebu. This island’s central location in the country and its accessibility to a host of top-class facilities, historical sights, city comforts, and international airports draws leisure and business travelers alike.
A good number of those who visit Cebu for leisure also do so to scuba dive at its top diving spots. If you plan on doing so yourself, here is a list of some the best spots for Cebu diving.
Capitancillo Island
One of the top diving destinations in Cebu Island is the small islet of Capitancillo. Located in Bogo City, you can reach this island from Cebu City by taking a 2 to 3 drive, or by a 20-minite boat ride from the Marangog Cove in Bogo.
The normal visibility at this dive site ranges from 20 to 30 meters, while its maximum depth is 50 feet. Capitancillo features colorful corals, grey reef and white top sharks, various other kinds of reef fish, and small and large shoals of pelagic species,
The walls of the dive sites itself is covered in soft and hard corals, sea fans, and huge gorgonians. Also, expect to expect to see mackerels, schools of jacks, big groupers, snappers, yellowfin tuna, and a variety of other big fish when you take this drive safari.
Make sure you visit Rendez-Vous while in Capitancillo. This unique spot has a deep gorgeous wall that goes down to the depths of more that 180 feet on it northern side, and a vibrant underwater flora and fauna living in its much shallower southern wall.
All levels of scuba divers are welcome to dive at Rendez-Vous, with dives starting from the shallower slope of the spot to the top of the wall.
Nalusuan Island
Another top scuba diving and snorkeling spot in Cebu is Nalusuan. This marine protected area is perfect for all divers regardless of their skill level and features a steep slope, colorful shallow reef top, and world-class corals.
Getting to Nalusuan is also relatively fast and easy. From Mactan, you can hop on a boat ride that will only take you about 20 to 40 minutes to reach this island paradise. As mentioned above, snorkelers are also encourage to take a Nalusuan Island tour as its dive spot starts at a very shallow depth, and goes down steadily following a slopped wall that features a sandy bed leading to a seabed abundant in coralline algae, sponges, and soft and hard corals.
Don’t forget to pass by the marine sanctuary on your Nalusuan Island tour. The biodiversity here is impressive with barracuda, grouper, trevally, snappers, and a host of other magnificent sea creatures. You’ll also get an opportunity to swim among schools of triggerfish, angelfish, sweetlips, and other natural reef creatures living near the different coral species. Be on the lookout for passing sea turtles, stingrays, and even a statue of a mermaid while swimming at the Nalusuan Marine Sanctuary.
Hilutungan Island
The Hilutungan Island marine sanctuary is another great destination for both rookie and Cebu diving. The island offers a memorable diving experience to divers as they’ll have the opportunity to swim along schools of parrotfish, jackfish, drummers, turtles, batfishes, midnight snappers, and ribbon sweetlips.
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