Rico's Wall Dive Site

Overview

Rico’s Wall is a wall dive on the west side of Panglao Island, positioned in front of Belleview Rock resort. The drop-off features small caverns, ledges, and reef overhangs along its face. Divers encounter large schools of Vlamming’s Unicorn Fish (Naso vlamingii), Silver Jacks, Big Eye Trevally (Caranx sexfasciatus) moving in circular formations, Midnight Snapper (Macolor macularis), and several species of Sweetlips (Haemulidae family).

The site connects with neighbouring dive sites depending on direction: a northbound dive typically ends at Cathedral; a southbound dive finishes at Rudy Rock, the Panglao-side site of that name on the island’s west coast (a separate Rudy’s Rock, off Balicasag Island, shares the name but sits at a different location entirely).

Rico’s Wall sits within the same west-Panglao wall system as Black Forest, Rudy Rock, and Cathedral — a stretch of coastline within the wider Danajon Bank, one of only a small number of double barrier reef systems recorded worldwide. Dive tourism along this coast traces to the early 1980s, when small operators began running boats out of Alona Beach; today, most standard Panglao dive sites carry an environmental fee of roughly ₱100 per diver, separate from the higher ₱250 charged specifically at Balicasag Island.

Location

Coordinates: 09°31.048’N, 123°40.843’E. Bearing of 253° from Alona Beach, west side of Panglao Island, in front of Belleview Rock resort.

Getting There

From Alona Beach, arrange a banca boat through any dive shop or resort operator. The site is accessible from the main Alona Beach dive-boat departure area. Current ranges 0–2 knots; conditions are generally manageable for Open Water-certified divers.

Practical Info

• Dive type: wall
• Depth: 5–40 m (16–130 ft)
• Best depth: 10 m (30 ft) — most interesting at this level; below 30 m the wall loses interest
• Visibility: 15–30 m (50–100 ft)
• Difficulty: PADI Open Water and above
• Current: 0–2 knots
• Entry direction: wall on left shoulder going south; wall on right shoulder going north

What to Expect

A wall dive with consistent marine life: schooling pelagics working the open water off the face, reef species holding in the overhangs and ledges. The caverns give shelter fish somewhere to sit out current.

Directional diving connects this site to Cathedral (north) or Rudy Rock (south), allowing multi-site boat dives along the west Panglao wall system.

Boats running this wall system typically launch early from Alona Beach and return by midday, leaving the afternoon free. Back in Tawala, that’s when the beachfront strip gets going — Larsian-style barbecue stalls set up along the road from late afternoon, and kinilaw na tanigue, raw Spanish mackerel cured in coconut vinegar with ginger, chilli, and onion, is as close to a signature dish as Panglao’s coastal kitchens have.

Notes

• Part of the Panglao west-side wall system that includes Cathedral and Rudy Rock (Panglao side).
• Belleview Rock resort is the surface reference point.
• Danajon Bank (Double Barrier Reef) context: Panglao dive sites sit within Central Visayas marine corridor.
• Not to be confused with Rudy’s Rock at Balicasag Island, a separate site with the same name — see rudy-s-rock.