Guinacot Marine Sanctuary

Overview

Guinacot Marine Sanctuary is a community-managed marine protected area (MPA) in Barangay Guinacot, Guindulman, on the southern coast of Bohol. It is one of several marine sanctuaries in Guindulman municipality, alongside Basdio Marine Sanctuary and Cabantian Marine Sanctuary.

The site is classified under Nature — Marine Park in the BPTO 2025 provincial tourist-attraction inventory.

Barangay Guinacot recorded a population of 1,977 in the 2020 census — about 5.8% of Guindulman’s total — up from 1,425 in 1990, with a barangay centre roughly 13 meters above sea level. No published source in this research pass documents the sanctuary’s reef condition, species inventory, or management program.

[TO ENRICH: reef condition; species present; whether snorkeling or diving is permitted inside the sanctuary; entry fee or environmental fee; visitor management protocols; whether a community-run ranger or bantay dagat program is active.]

Location

Barangay Guinacot, Guindulman, Bohol. Guindulman municipality is on the southeastern coast of Bohol, approximately 65–70 km from Tagbilaran City.

[TO ENRICH: GPS coordinates of the sanctuary boundary; whether access is by foot from the barangay shoreline or by bangka.]

Getting There

From Tagbilaran City, take the southern coastal highway through Jagna to Guindulman — approximately 1.5–2 hours by bus or private vehicle. Buses on the Tagbilaran–Garcia Hernandez or Tagbilaran–Anda route pass through Guindulman. From Guindulman town proper, a habal-habal or tricycle serves Barangay Guinacot.

[TO ENRICH: bangka access from Guindulman bay if the sanctuary has an offshore component.]

Practical Info

• Type: Community marine protected area (MPA)
• Activities: [TO ENRICH: snorkeling, diving, or restricted no-take zone only]
• Fee: [TO ENRICH: environmental or visitor fee amount]
• Permits: [TO ENRICH: whether advance barangay coordination is required]
• Best visibility: Dry season — December to May

What to Expect

[TO ENRICH: reef type — fringing reef, patch reef, or wall; coral cover and health; typical fish species; visibility range. Note whether this is primarily a no-take conservation area with limited tourism access, or an actively managed snorkeling and dive destination.]

Notes

• Guindulman municipality has multiple marine sanctuaries — Guinacot, Basdio, and Cabantian — reflecting the community-level marine conservation framework common across Bohol’s coastal municipalities.
• Bohol’s southern coast (Jagna–Guindulman–Anda corridor) sees significantly less tourism pressure than Panglao, which generally means better reef condition in well-managed areas.
• Classified under Nature — Marine Park in BPTO 2025.
• [FACT NEEDED: sanctuary-specific reef condition, fee, and management details — no independently verifiable source found beyond general barangay demographic data]

Guinacot, Guindulman, Bohol Profile – PhilAtlas, accessed 2026-07-17.