Pungtud Wall Dive

Overview

Pungtud Wall is a dive site off Panglao Island, Bohol, most productive between 7 and 15 meters, where hard and soft coral cover the face of the wall. Marine life includes anthias, raggy scorpionfish, ribbon eel (Rhinomuraena quaesita), and one-striped fusiliers (Pterocaesio tessellata). Small caves along the wall reward anyone carrying a dive light; the site shows no recorded dynamite-fishing damage.

Below 25 meters the wall becomes less interesting. The shallower sandy pads at around 4 meters offer good conditions for a safety stop and are themselves worth exploring.

Location

Off Panglao Island, Bohol. The entry point is fixed by lining up a stilt fishing hut in the water with the south point of Panglao on a bearing of 125°. The site is connected to the broader Danajon Bank / Double Barrier Reef system.

Getting There

The site is accessed by banca from dive operators on Panglao Island, most based at Alona Beach. [FACT NEEDED: approximate travel time from Alona Beach by banca; GPS coordinates of the entry point.]

Practical Info

• Entry: line up the stilt fishing hut at 125° bearing from the south point of Panglao
• Dive profile: most interesting 7–15 m; less rewarding below 25 m
• Minimum certification: PADI Open Water or equivalent
• Bring a dive light to see into the small wall caves
• Current: a slight reverse current may be encountered at the end of the dive — return via the shallows at 4 m if it strengthens
• Dynamite fishing impact: none recorded at this site

What to Expect

Divers enter and proceed with the wall on the right shoulder, heading northwest. Coral gardens line the wall face. The small recesses and caves along the wall are the highlight — without a light, they are easy to pass by. The 4-meter sandy pads near the end of the dive are active with reef fish and serve as a productive safety-stop zone.

Notes

• Danajon Bank (Double Barrier Reef) is the wider reef system this site sits within — one of only two double barrier reefs in the world
• [FACT NEEDED: dive shop operators who regularly run trips to Pungtud Wall — not resolved by research]
• Most standard Panglao dive sites carry an environmental fee of approximately ₱100 per diver (separate from the higher ₱250 fee specific to Balicasag Island); this likely applies here too, though not confirmed specifically for Pungtud Wall.
• Naming cross-reference: “Pungtud” is the same place-name that gives Puntod/Pungtud Island its name — the small sandbar between Panglao and Balicasag more commonly marketed to tourists as “Virgin Island” (see the puntod-reef and wiesl-tours-virgin-islands entities). It is plausible that Pungtud Wall is the drop-off/wall side of this same island system, with Puntod Reef describing its shallower coral-garden side, though this has not been confirmed as the identical feature.

Source: Virgin Island, Bohol: Sand-Bending, No Trespassing, accessed 2026-07-17 — “the actual name of this island is Puntod Island, but most commonly known as the Virgin Island… lies in the middle of a relatively shallow area between Balicasag and Panglao Islands.”