Balicasag Island is a small, roughly circular island of about 0.25 square kilometres, 8 kilometres southwest of Alona Beach on Panglao, administered as a barangay of Panglao municipality. The island and surrounding waters are a marine sanctuary designated by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and the reef encircling it consistently ranks among the top five dive sites in the Philippines. A single TIEZA (Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority) resort provides the only formal accommodation, alongside a fishing community of a few hundred residents in one coastal barangay; there is no other commercial development.
The draw is the combination of an intact fringing reef and sheer underwater walls on the island’s southern and western faces, dropping past 40 metres. The nutrient-rich channel between Balicasag and Panglao funnels large schools of jacks, barracuda, and snappers to the walls year-round, and green and hawksbill sea turtles are resident, reliably seen at named sites like Black Forest and Rudy’s Rock.
Visayan fishing families settled the island in the pre-colonial period to work the reef fishery; Spanish records list it as a dependency of the Panglao parish. The marine sanctuary designation dates to the 1970s, with enforcement strengthened through the 1990s and 2000s as dive tourism grew, and the TIEZA resort was built to manage visitor access without day-tripper pressure overwhelming the reef. The resident community still marks Our Lady of the Assumption on 15 August as a simple barangay fiesta, and continues to negotiate fishing rights against sanctuary enforcement rules with TIEZA and the municipal government — an ongoing governance tension between artisanal fishing and conservation.
What’s here, briefly
- Black Forest — the southern wall named for dense black coral colonies, depth 5–40+ metres, with strong currents drawing jacks and barracuda.
- Rudy’s Rock — a western-face pinnacle with a consistent turtle cleaning station at 15–20 metres.
- Cathedral — a southeastern underwater cavern system for open-water-certified divers.
- North Reef snorkelling — the designated shallow snorkelling area, with dense reef fish including juvenile sharks.
Getting there
Balicasag is reached only by sea. Dive boats and outrigger bancas from Alona Beach make the crossing in 30–45 minutes; most visitors come on day trips bundling two to three dives with boat transfer through Alona dive shops. Overnight guests use the TIEZA resort’s own transfers from Tagbilaran or Panglao. There is no scheduled public ferry, and crossings can turn rough or be suspended during the June–September southwest monsoon.
Travel tips
The TIEZA resort is the only overnight option and should be booked well ahead given its limited capacity. Day-trip packages from Alona run PHP 1,500–2,500 per person including boat, guide, and gear rental — confirm inclusions, as pricing varies by operator. Wall diving requires certification; snorkelling at the North Reef is open to all. The marine sanctuary fee (roughly PHP 100–150) is separate from dive operator charges. Bring all food, water, and cash — nothing is sold beyond the resort, and there is no ATM.
Other places to consider
- Panglao — the departure point and the logical overnight base.
- Pamilacan Island — another offshore Bohol dive and whale-watching island reached from the same coast.
- Tagbilaran City — the provincial gateway for resort and dive-shop bookings.
Location and travel detail reflect publicly available information as of 2026-07-16. Confirm resort availability and dive conditions before travel. bohol-philippines.com earns a commission on bookings made through partner links at no cost to you.