Attraction

Habagat Wreck Dive Site

The Habagat Wreck off Panglao is a steep-slope dive centred on a wreck at about 35 m, good for snorkelling in the shallows, for PADI Open Water divers and up; 15–25 m visibility.

Habagat Wreck Dive Site

Type: dive-site

Overview

The Habagat Wreck is a steep-slope dive site off Panglao Island suited to PADI Open Water divers and above. The centrepiece is a wreck sunk in the year 2000, lying at approximately 35 m. Visibility ranges from 15–25 m; depth runs 8–34 m with the most rewarding zone between 8–12 m. Current is minimal at 0–1. The site is free from dynamite fishing damage.

Location

Off Panglao Island, municipality of Panglao, Bohol. The site is identified on Panglao dive maps; exact GPS coordinates are held by local dive operators.

Getting There

Access is by banca from Alona Beach or other Panglao dive centres. Dive operators along Alona Beach organise scheduled and private trips to this site.

Practical Info

  • Difficulty: PADI Open Water and above
  • Depth: 8–34 m (most interesting at 8–12 m)
  • Visibility: 15–25 m
  • Current: 0–1
  • Snorkelling: possible in the upper slope (8–12 m zone)
  • Bring a dive light — useful for exploring the wreck interior and the small caves in the wall

What to Expect

Divers typically begin at the Habagat wreck at 35 m, then ascend along a sandy slope in a north-west direction toward an “S”-shaped wall with an overhang. Keep the wall on the right shoulder heading west. Monitor your no-decompression limit (NDL) when diving the wreck.

Marine life above the wreck includes Tall Fin Batfish (Platax teira). Under the wreck: Big Lionfish (Pterois volitans), Giant Angelfish (Catenaries commersonii) and several Cardinal Fish species (Apogonidae). At the “S”-shaped wall, look for Angelfish. Along the slope, search among feather stars for the Harlequin Ghost Pipefish (Solenostomus paradoxus).

The shallower slope (8–12 m) is suitable for snorkelling.

Notes

  • Wreck was deliberately sunk in 2000
  • The “S”-shaped wall with overhang is a secondary highlight beyond the wreck
  • Site is adjacent to the Danajon Bank / Double Barrier Reef system

Explore Panglao: Bohol's Busiest Beach and Dive Municipality

More to see in this area

The Alona Beach strip in Panglao municipality viewed from the water, dive boats anchored over the house reef with beachfront resorts and coconut palms along the shoremunicipality

Panglao: Bohol's Busiest Beach and Dive Municipality

Panglao is the island municipality behind Alona Beach and Bohol's reef diving, joined to the mainland by two bridges and drawing the largest share of the province's foreign tourist arrivals.

Best: Dec–Apr

More attractions in Panglao: Bohol's Busiest Beach and Dive Municipality

Other things to see nearby

Arco Point Dive Sitedive-site

Arco Point Dive Site

Arco Point is an easy wall-and-slope dive off Panglao for PADI Open Water divers and up, with 10–25 m visibility and depths of 4–27 m. It is most interesting at 10–15 m and is unaffected by dynamite fishing.

  • Balicasag Island Diving — Balicasag Island, a marine sanctuary off Panglao, offers vertical walls over deep water with strong currents, healthy corals and pelagic visitors; December–January can bring hammerhead and occasional whale sharks.
  • BBC Dive Site — BBC is a boat-access reef-and-wall dive off Panglao; the top reef averages 110 m wide and the wall ends around 18 m, with sponges, brown daisy corals, gorgonians, pygmy seahorses and schools of sergeant majors. Good for check-up dives and skills training.