LOCAL ISLAND TOURS & DIVING 海豚/鯨魚觀

Go watch whales and dolphins in the Bohol Sea with the locals of Pamilacan. Ex-whale-hunting boats called canter have been refitted specifically for a safe and comfortable trip. The boats, measuring 15 to 20 meters in length, can accommodate up to seven passengers. Each of these crafts is furnished with seats and roofing, and equipped with life vests. You will be accompanied by skilled spotters whose familiarity with the area also makes them excellent guides. The best season is the months from March to June, but resident dolphins and small whales can be found all year round. Tours are dependent on weather and sea conditions.

Wear light clothing preferably with a bathing suit underneath, soft-soled flat shoes or slippers, sunglasses, sun hat and sun jacket. Expect a rough ride and expect to get wet! So bring extra clothes, a towel and take motion sickness pills. Other important things to bring include binoculars, video and still camera, skin lotion, snorkeling equipment.

Packages and Rates:

• Dolphin and Whale Watching Tour
• Dolphin and Whale Watching plus Island Hopping Tour
• Bohol Countryside Tour
• Combined Dolphin & Whale Watching and Bohol Countryside Tour
• Tour Package Rates

(Whole Day Tour with Lunch)

Schedule:

(Whole Day Tour with Lunch)

Schedule:

(Whole Day with Lunch)

Tour Itinerary

Blood Compact Site (Tagbilaran City) – View the spot where the Spaniards and the Filipinos fostered friendly relations through blood. This is considered as the first Seed of the United Nations and first Treaty of Friendship between the Malay and the Caucasian races.

Baclayon Church (Baclayon) – Behold an old stone church along with its religious relics dating back to the early 16^th century inside the museum. It is considered as one of the oldest stone churches in the Philippines.

Loay Backyard Industry (Loay) – Observe the local pandays (craftsmen) as they make bolos (machetes) and other metal crafts. Witness also as the men and women make the Nipa leaves into roofing materials.

Clarin Ancestral House (Loay) – Visit a typical Boholano home which was declared by the National Historical Institute as a heritage site. View the collections of the Clarin Family displayed inside the house.

Tarsier (Loboc) – See the smallest (primate) monkey in the world along the forests of the Loboc River.

Man-Made Forest (Bilar) – Feel the coolness of the air and view the awesome display of thousands of Mahogany Trees painstakingly planted by the local people.

Chocolate Hills (Carmen) – Feast your eyes on the breathtaking work of nature, one thousand two hundred sixty eight (1,268) haycock hills which turn brown during the dry season. These has been considered as one of the wonders of the world.

Loboc-Loay River Cruise (Loboc) – View the majestic panorama of the Nipa Palm Plantation along the Loboc - Loay River. Sometimes wild ducks are seen feeding and swimming on the river. While cruising, lunch is being served on board.

Trip Inclusions:

• All Entrance Fees
• Air-con Land Transfers
• River Cruise
• Tour Guide
• Lunch on board
• Tour Departure 08:00 A.M.

(Whole Day Tour with Lunch)

Schedule:

Location:

The Northeast of Balicasag Island 4 miles southwest of Panglao Island . Average Depth: 65 ft Maximum Depth: 130 ft The island is 35 minutes from Alona Beach by banca, southwest of Doljo Point. Normally calm with strong current, but can get really rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 130 feet.

This is a deep sandy slope from the beach to 130 ft plus, with coral heads, whip corals, soft corals and gorgonian sea fans on the sand, until you get down to below 100 ft where you'll find a forest of black corals. The deeper waters have large groupers, Napoleon Wrasse, barracuda, tuna, batfish and snappers. The shallow waters have garden eels, moray eels, titans and orange striped triggerfish, schools of surgeonfish, moorish idols, bannerfish and jacks, Emperor and Royal Angelfish, and pufferfish.

Location:

The Southwest wall of Balicasag Island , Southwest of Panglao Island. Average Depth: 50 ft, Maximum Depth: 165 ft .

Rudy's rock is a continuation of Rico's Wall and much the same, except that large Green Turtles are often seen here. Huge schools of Big Eye Trevally can be frequently found swimming amongst sweetlips. They will circle you for several minutes before becoming bored.

Rico's Wall and Rudy's Rock – are both world-class dives.

Location:

The Southwest wall of Balicasag Island, Southwest of Panglao Island. Average Depth: 50 ft Maximum Depth: 165 ft. Balicasag is 35 minutes by banca from Alona Beach to the southwest of Doljo Point. Normally calm with variable currents, but it can be rough and have fierce currents. Visibility can reach 130 feet.

Rico's Wall has a coral garden on a shelf from 23 ft to 36 ft, beyond is a wall that drops to 115 ft. The coral garden is rich in soft, leathery and stony corals, hydroids, nudibranchs, sea stars, crinoids, all the smaller reef fish, anemones and clownfish. Shoals of fusiliers, jacks, snappers, moorish idols, anthias, chromis, pennantfish and bannerfish frequent the reef edge and shallow waters.

The wall itself has everything - small caves, overhangs and crevices with soldierfish, squirrelfish, lionfish and moray eels. There are huge gorgonian sea fans, Elephant Ear Sponges, barrel sponges and basket sponges and crinoids everywhere. Deeper down there are larger groupers, Napoleon Wrasse, tuna and the occasional Grey or Whitetip reef sharks. Barracuda and Rainbow Runners often appear out of the blue.

At the eastern end, Rico's Wall joins with Rudy's Rock. These are both world-class dives.

Location:

14 miles east of Balicasag Island. 35 minutes by banca southwest of Alona Beach. Average Depth: 65 f t , Maximum Depth: 100 ft plus . This site is normally calm with medium to strong currents and visibility can reach 130 feet.

Pamilacan translates as "nesting place of Manta Rays", these impressive creatures are occasionally seen here. A good drift dive, the reef is a sandy 45-degree slope with many coral heads, anemones with clownfish, Napoleon Wrasse, schools of fusiliers, mackerel, barracuda, jacks and dogtooth tuna. There are some good gorgonian sea fans, and flashlight fish inhabit some of the crevices.

Cabilao Island is southwest of Pangangan Island, which is connected to the west coast of Bohol by a causeway. It is directly east across the Bohol Strait, from Argao to Cebu. Like Balicasag Island and Pescador Island, Cabilao has some of the best diving in the Philippines and is particularly noted for sightings of Hammerhead Sharks in the deeper waters off the northwest point, an exciting dive for the more experienced divers.

Location:

Arco Point. 10 minutes by banca northeast of Alona Beach. Average Depth: 33 ft, Maximum Depth: 80 ft. This site is normally calm with little current and visibility can reach 100 feet.

On a short wall where fish are regularly hand-fed there are small groupers, wrasse, triggerfish, butterflyfish, moray eels, and sea snakes. This site is sometimes called the "Hole in the Wall" because there is a vertical funnel which you can enter at 60 ft and exit at 30 ft.

Location:

Just off Alona Beach. 5 minutes by banca from Alona Beach. Average Depth: 33 ft, Maximum Depth: 65 ft . This site is normally calm with no current and visibility can reach 80 feet.

Known as the "Happy Wall", this is a pleasant short wall from 10 ft to 65 ft, with soft, leathery and stony corals, some small gorgonian sea fans, lots of small reef fish, small groupers and small barracuda.

Location:

Outer edge of Puntod Islet . Average Depth: 33 ft Maximum Depth: 65 ft . Puntod Islet is 30 minutes west by banca from Alona Beach to the western edge of the reef at the southwest end of Panglao Island. Normally dived only in calm conditions, though there can be strong currents. Snorkelers should have banca cover when the currents are running. Visibility can reach 100 feet.

This beautiful coral garden sloped from 7 ft to 65 ft with good soft, leathery and stony corals with lots of small fish, sea stars, and sea urchins, anemone with clownfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, pufferfish and wrasse.

Balicasag Island Balicasag Island, 4 miles southwest of Duljo Point, is a microcosm of some of the best diving in the Philippines. On the south side, from the buoy outside Balicasag Dive Resort, is a Marine Sanctuary that has been successfully protected. Vertical walls over deep water in strong currents mean healthy corals and good fish life with plenty of pelagic visitors. Hammerhead Sharks and Whale Sharks have been seen here in December and January.

Location:

9 & 1/2 miles east of Balicasag Island. 30 minutes by banca southeast of Alona Beach. Average Depth: 50 ft. Maximum Depth: 200 ft plus.

This site is normally calm with currents and visibility can reach 100 feet. Often called "Snake Island" because it harbours several black-and-white banded sea snakes (hence the spaghetti), this sunken island is a sea mount rising to 40 feet. It is not too good for corals but recommended as a dive into the blue, with lots of snakes and chance of seeing some large pelagic fish. Novices should stay close to their Divemaster.

Location:

Northwest point of Cabilao Island, by the lighthouse.

3 hours from Panglao Island. Average Depth: 100 ft , Maximum Depth: 130 ft plus This site is normally calm, even during rain, with strong currents but can really get rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 130 feet.

An interesting double drop-off, first to 100 ft and then into deep water. With strong currents, this dive is noted for small shoals of Hammerhead Sharks in December and January. Grey and Whitetip Reef Sharks are common, as are barracuda. There are lots of small gorgonian sea fans, large barrel sponges covered with Alabaster Sea Cucumbers, Linckia Sea Stars and crinoids. The numerous small shoals include fusiliers, jacks, moorish idls, pennantfish, butterflyfish and sweetlips.

This dive has everything, but most divers would particularly want to go deep hoping to see Hammerhead Sharks, large groupers and large Napoleon Wrasse.

Location:

Southwest point of Cabilao Island. Average Depth: 100 ft , Maximum Depth: 130 ft. This site is normally calm, even during rain, with strong currents but can really get rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 130 feet.

Drifting north with the current, you are taken along a typhoon-damaged reef-top at 13 ft, from which a wall goes down in two steps beyond 130 ft.

There are lots of small gorgonian sea fans, large barrel sponges, smaller Elephant Ear Sponges, basket sponges, good soft corals, whip corals and more fire coral than is normal in the Philippines. Many varieties of nudibranchs and colourful crinoids nestles between corals.

The reef is teeming with angelfish, butterflyfish, chromis, anthias, needlefish, fusiliers, soldierfish, squirrelfish, scorpionfish, lionfish, snappers, sweetlips, moorish idols, and trumphetfish. Larger groupers and Napoleon wrasses in deeper waters.

Location:

Southwest point of Cabilao Island. Average Depth: 65 ft , Maximum Depth: 130 ft plus . This site is normally calm, even during rain, with strong currents but can really get rough with fierce currents. Visibility can reach 130 feet.

From a typhoon-damaged reef-top at 13 ft, a good wall drops to 130 ft plus. Huge gorgonian sea fans, lots of black coral and Elephant Ear Sponges covered with Alabaster Sea Cucumbers, together with profuse fish and invertebrate life, make this a fine dive. There are many species of sea cucumbers and sea stars, anemones with clownfish and the rare tube anemones.