Limasawa Island

This small island, 6km in length, is situated off Padre Burgos on the most southerly tip of Leyte. It has become noted now for its pristine coral reefs and there are a number of sites worth visiting. Large pelagic life abounds here and you can expect to come across barracuda, mackerel, tuna and jacks.

 

To the north is Max Climax wall which is reachable from the beach at Lungsodaan, Padre Burgos. The wall itself is dotted with crevices that are home to a multitude of fish life including snapper, grouper, sweetlips and many smaller tropical fish. Nearby Turtle Rock, at depths of between 20-35m, will give you the opportunity to see a myriad of smaller fish and as the name suggests, turtles. Larger fish can be encountered, including sharks, barracuda and rays.

 

To the south of Max Climax is Tangkaan Point. It is here that the chances of seeing a whale shark are highest, between November and May. Other fish life regularly spotted are mantas and whitetip and blacktip sharks.

 

Reef life is varied, especially around Barrel Sponge Garden. There are large table corals here, as well as gorgonians, whips and soft corals in the vicinity.

 

Libagon

Situated about 200m offshore is Peter's Mound which starts at 10m and drops off to over 40m. Currents can be strong which means that coral life is profuse.

 

Perhaps the main attraction here is that larger pelagics visit the area to be cleaned by smaller fish life. You can expect to encounter snapper, grouper, surgeons and wrasse together with other species of reef fish.

 

Pananon Island

The main site of interest here is Napantaw Fish Sanctuary, which is also known as Rio's or Toshi's Wall. It is certainly worth a visit for the diversity of marine life on offer.

 

If you have the time on the dive, there is a cave at 40m that is worth investigating. If not, the sights at shallower depths are impressive. There is a good chance to see turtles, barracuda, groupers and batfish among others. As currents are strong here, coral formations are impressive with gorgonians and black and soft coral everywhere.