Home Introduction Balicasag Island Bohol, Teeming with Underwater Glory, The Philippines

Balicasag Island Bohol, Teeming with Underwater Glory, The Philippines

It’s a diver’s paradise, I tell you. One of the best dive sites in Bohol, and in the Philippines, the island of Balicasag is an extraordinary marine sanctuary that will make your mouth drop a dozen times or more. This small island, located on southern Bohol Sea, a few minutes from Panglao Island, isn’t only thriving with an extremely diverse marine ecosystem but is also a visual feast with its line of palm trees and bougainvillea flowers and wide stretch of sparkling white sand.


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If you’re staying in Panglao, whether for a two-, three- or weeklong vacation, there’s no way you should miss taking a tour to Balicasag. Sure, the ambience in Panglao is so relaxing, it’s more than enough to make you want to stay at this place forever. But be sure to reignite the adventurer in you and see Balicasag for all its glorious beauty, or else you’ll be missing a lot.


The starting point: Alona Beach, Panglao. Here, there are plenty of boats that will take you to Balicasag early in the morning. Rise and shine at around 6 am and depart Panglao before 7. After a 35-minute boat ride, you’ll be at Balicasag, which welcomes you with four pristine dive sites: Black Forest, Divers’ Heaven, Balicasag Cathedral, and Balicasag Sanctuary.


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For our trip, we chose to see to Balicasag Cathedral, a divine dive and snorkel site teeming with incredible sea creatures like triggerfish, puffer fish, turtles, whip corals, angelfish, and more. There’s a shallow area of about 8 meters covered with hard corals and inhabited by reef fish. A whole day isn’t enough to marvel at the wondrous sights you’ll encounter in this paradise.


Just a few notes for traveling to Balicasag


If you’re on a budget trip like we were, it would be a smart move to bring your own lunch. An option would be to contact your hotel room service and order packed lunch. Food and drinks can be very expensive in this island. It’s also important to slather sunscreen of at least SPF 30 before leaving Panglao to protect yourself from the vicious rays of the sun. And of course, don’t forget to bring your underwater camera! Too many fantastic underwater sights to capture!


Have fun!

/// Written by Wendelou Valerie Garcia, The Philippines