Manila Channel

About this dive site

This dive site offers a vibrant underwater experience starting at a depth of 5 meters. The initial area features a beautiful, stony hard coral reef teeming with small fish like antheas, butterflyfish, and sergeant majors. The reef gradually slopes down to a sandy bottom at approximately 18 meters. Divers can explore the reef's contour, utilizing flood currents for drifting into a channel – an option is also available during ebbing tides. Walls covered in 'potato coral’ provide habitat for large groupers and are further adorned with purple gorgonian sea fans and green tree corals. Venturing out from these walls into the channel reveals large barrel sponges and long whip corals, supporting a community of commensal shrimps. The sandy bottom is abundant with fire urchins, mushroom corals, cuttlefish (including flamboyant varieties), lionfish, scorpionfish, and occasionally mantis shrimp. Overhangs often host nudibranchs and giant frogfish. This site presents a diverse ecosystem suitable for experienced divers comfortable navigating currents.