Doljo Point Dive

Overview

Doljo Point is a wall dive on the western (Doljo) side of Panglao Island. The dive begins with the wall on the left shoulder, heading west. Depth management is a priority here — it is easy to descend too deep early in the dive. Entry and exit by boat can be difficult when the Amihan (northeast) wind is blowing.

The reef connects into the wider Danajon Bank system — one of only a handful of double barrier reefs in the world — which helps explain the density of both hard and soft coral on the wall. In the water, divers encounter giant sea fans, bucket sponges, elephant ear coral, and green leather corals. Angelfish are common, with occasional mackerel, squid, and juvenile barracuda. Whitetip or hammerhead sharks turn up with reasonable regularity in deeper water during February and March.

Double barrier reef systems are rare enough globally — the Great Barrier Reef and Belize’s barrier reef are single systems by comparison — that conservation groups treat Danajon Bank’s condition as a bellwether for reef health across northern Bohol and Panglao’s western coast. Decades of blast and cyanide fishing damaged large sections of the bank before enforcement tightened; the coral density divers find at Doljo Point today reflects both the site’s relative isolation from heavy boat traffic and the slow, ongoing recovery of the wider system.

Location

Doljo Point sits on the western coast of Panglao Island, municipality of Panglao, Bohol. The site faces away from the main tourist area of Alona Beach, closer instead to the quieter, family-oriented Doljo Beach on the island’s north-facing shore, where accommodation is limited to a handful of smaller properties rather than Alona’s dense resort strip. The surrounding reef is part of the broader Panglao marine ecosystem.

Getting There

By boat: The route from Panglao’s populated eastern side requires going all the way around the shallow east tip of the island. Outrigger bancas cannot take a shortcut except at maximum high tide, making the boat trip relatively long.

Overland: It is also possible to reach Doljo Point by jeepney or car and enter directly from land. Land entry and exit are straightforward, though care is required at the reef top.

Practical Info

• Difficulty: PADI Open Water certification minimum; experience with walls recommended
• Dive type: Wall dive
• Key hazard: Depth creep — easy to go deeper than planned in the early descent
• Best months for sharks: February and March
• Entry type: Boat or shore
• Amihan season (November–April): Boat entry/exit can be rough on this exposed western side

What to Expect

The wall’s species mix echoes what divers find at Alona-side sites, but Doljo Point sees markedly less boat traffic — a function of the long detour required to reach it by sea. That relative quiet is part of what keeps the site productive, and it’s worth tracking your gauge closely given how easy the early depth creep is on this wall.

Notes

The site reference mentions the Danajon Bank (Double Barrier Reef) in connection with Doljo Point’s broader reef context. Dive-operator guides describe a first wall dropping to 18–20 m before a second wall continues to 40–50 m, with average visibility around 22 m and exposure to steady currents off the open Bohol Sea — consistent with the Amihan-season entry/exit difficulty already noted above. Sierra Madre Divers (smdiversbohol.com) and Divescotty both run trips to the site. Source: A Complete Guide to Diving Doljo Point, Sierra Madre Divers Bohol, accessed 2026-08-03.