Balicasag Island

Balicasag is a low coral island barely a kilometre across, and everything about its reputation is underwater. The shelf around it ends abruptly a short way from shore and falls away as a wall in every direction, so divers get sheer coral faces, sponges and gorgonians in clear water, resident green turtles that feed on the shallow flats, and at Black Forest and Diver's Heaven the schooling jacks and barracuda that make the site famous. Snorkellers get the same turtles without the depth. The pressure of that popularity forced the province to cap numbers: the island is a marine sanctuary with daily quotas on boats and snorkellers, mandatory local guides, and rules against touching or chasing the turtles - all of which are enforced, and all of which mean booking through a Panglao operator rather than turning up. A small settlement and a lighthouse occupy the island itself; day visitors mostly stay in the water.

History

Panglao flourished under the Kedatuan of Bo-ol, and finds of Tang, Song and Ming porcelain show that Chinese and other Asian traders came here long before the Spanish. A Jesuit mission became the parish of San Agustín in 1782, Panglao became a municipality in 1803, and its five-storey octagonal watchtower of 1851 is the tallest of its kind in the Philippines (Wikipedia, Panglao, Bohol).

Highlights

• The reef wall - the drop-off circling the island.
• The green turtles - feeding on the shallow flats.
• The jack school - the tornado at Diver's Heaven.
• The island itself - lighthouse, village and a strip of sand.

When to go

November to May for the calmest crossings and best visibility. Go early - daily quotas fill, and afternoon wind makes the return bumpy.

Things to know

Numbers are capped, so unbooked arrivals get turned away. Guides are compulsory and fees stack. Chasing or touching turtles is prohibited and policed. Currents on the wall can be strong.

Nearby

Pamilacan Island's dolphin trips run from the same coast; Alona Beach is the base.