Kalipayan

Overview

Kalipayan is a dive site off Panglao Island, Bohol, listed in the BPTO provincial tourist-attraction inventory under Nature — Dive Site. The site offers a depth range of 4–32 m and is classified as accessible for open water divers and more advanced divers. The underwater profile moves from a shallow sandy entry through a sloping reef, a deeper sandy floor, and back up a wall decorated with mixed corals.

Location

Off Panglao Island, Bohol. Panglao is the main dive hub of Bohol, with Alona Beach serving as the primary base for dive operators visiting sites including Kalipayan.

[TO ENRICH: GPS coordinates and which stretch of coastline the site faces]

Getting There

Panglao Island is accessible from Tagbilaran City via the Panglao Bridge (approximately 20–30 minutes by road). Dive operators based at Alona Beach organise boat trips to local sites. Confirm whether Kalipayan is accessible by shore entry or boat only.

[TO ENRICH: nearest boat entry point and typical boat ride duration]

Practical Info

• Depth range: 4–32 m
• Difficulty: Open Water and above
• Entry type: [TO ENRICH — shore or boat]
• Dive operators: Multiple operators based on Alona Beach

What to Expect

The dive begins in a shallow sandy area, with the reef starting at 7 m. As depth increases, divers encounter a sandy slope from 12 m onward. Species recorded at this depth include the Dragon Sea Moth. Continuing deeper, seahorses, ghost pipefish, and varied marine life are present until the maximum depth of 32 m. An old banca (traditional Filipino wooden boat) loaded with scuba tanks sits on the bottom and serves as a secondary point of interest.

On the return ascent, divers travel back up the wall, which is decorated with both soft and hard corals across its upper section.

Notes

Kalipayan appears separately from the “Kalipayan Dive Site” entry (entity_slug: kalipayan-dive-site), which is sourced from a different file and may describe an overlapping or adjacent section of the same reef. Cross-reference both entries when enriching.