Cabilao Island: Dive Sites - South Point & Light House 2
Video taken: July 2025
West Coast, Cabilao Island: Stunning sunsets and direct access to the island’s top dive sites.
Images taken: July 2025
Diver's Guide to Cabilao Island, Bohol
Cabilao Island sits just off the west coast of Bohol, along the Cebu Strait. It’s part of the municipality of Loon and home to a small farming and fishing community of around 4,600 people.
The island’s western, southern, and northern shores are ringed by steep coral walls, overhangs, and sandy plateaus, with sites like South Point, Current View, and Lighthouse offering varied terrain and marine life. From large gorgonian corals, green sea turtles, and whitetip reef sharks to frogfish and nudibranchs, Cabilao delivers high biodiversity in a compact footprint — all within minutes of shore.
Even with its close proximity to the main dive areas of Panglao, Cabilao remains off the beaten track — a quiet alternative for divers who want uncrowded sites, a great mix of diving conditions, and a slower pace both above and below the water.
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Dive Map - Cabilao Island
Futures the main dive locations of the island and the staging point for picking up the bangka - Mocpoc Pier on Sandinghan Island.
Cabilao Island: Dive Site Map - Click the map pins for location snippets
Map Source: John Hawkins | Leaflet | 2025
Cabilao Island offers a great mix of reef and walls and is for divers of all levels.
Video taken: July 2025
Diving Highlights – Cabilao Island
Cabilao has 15 dive sites that circle the island, but it’s the seven along the western side — from Lighthouse 1 down to South Point — that offer the best diving. All of these sites feature dramatic wall diving, with South Point standing out for its shallow rock ledge and overhanging wall that drops to 50–60m. The site is scattered with caves, beautiful soft corals, and outstanding gorgonians.
Further up the west side, around as far as Lighthouse 1, the terrain shifts to sandy shelves dotted with coral outcrops and healthy reef patches. These sites are well-suited to slower, more relaxed dives and are often ideal for spotting macro life, schooling fish, and occasional turtles in the shallows. The conditions are generally calm, with good visibility, making them accessible to divers of all experience levels.
Dive Cabilao - Final Thoughts
I live and dive out of Panglao, Bohol, and in all the time I’ve spent diving this region, I’ve only had a handful of conversations about Cabilao Island. Most of those were with dive professionals on the boats — it’s certainly not on the radar of most travelling recreational divers.
If you're coming to Panglao for its fantastic diving — including Balicasag and Pamilacan Island — set aside a few days for a trip to Cabilao. It really does offer something special. The wall diving here is among the best in the region, and if you enjoy a beautiful sunset and a cold beer at the end of the day, I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Reaching Cabilao: Transport Options and Routes
Starting Point
In most cases, the starting point for dive trips to Cabilao Island is Panglao, Bohol. You can fly directly from Manila to Bohol–Panglao International Airport, or take an international flight to Cebu, followed by an OceanJet ferry to Tagbilaran and a short tuk-tuk or van ride to Panglao.
Panglao to Sandingan Island - Mocpoc Pier
I have found the best option for this part of the journey is private car hire pick-up and drop off to Sandinghan Island Mocpoc Pier, for around 1500-2000PH. You can look at public transport options, but it will start to become challenging and time consuming, the main bus terminal in Tagbilaran has van rides to Loon, from Loon you will need then to take a tuk-tuk or tricycle to Mocpoc pier.
Mocpoc Pier – Cabilao Island
Mocpoc Pier is the main connection point between Sandingan and Cabilao Island. Its fleet of bangka boats serves both local residents and visitors. Most bankga captains will allow private hire directly to your resort for around ₱1,000.
Another option is to take the public bangka to Talisay Pier for ₱50, then continue to your resort by tuk-tuk or tricycle. Note that if you choose this option, the boat will wait to fill its maximum capacity of 16 passengers before departing.
Reaching Cabilao – My Preferred Route
There are certainly other options for reaching Cabilao Island. You can pay to leave motorbikes or hired cars at Mocpoc Pier, then simply hop on a bangka for the trip over. But for those who want to make the most of their time and be worry free, my advice is to take the private car and driver option. On my trips to the island, I usually leave home in Panglao at 6AM, arrive at Mocpoc Pier around 7AM, take a private bangka directly to the resort, and—with a bit of pre-planning with the dive team—can be in the water by 9AM.
Where to Stay on Cabilao Island
Dive Resorts
The island doesn’t offer a wide range of accommodation, but there are a handful of resorts in the northeastern barangay of Cambaquiz and three main dive resorts located directly on the west coast. It is these west coast resorts that offer the best diving experience and the most convenient access to Cabilao’s top dive sites.
The west coast resorts are made up of the Cabilao Sanctuary, Polaris and Cabilao Sunset. All have dedicated dive centres, support boats and direct access to the sea via beach front or boat mooring.
Cabilao Sunset Dive & Beach Resort
Images taken: July 2025
Recommendations
My first choice for accommodation on the island is the Cabilao Sunset Dive & Beach Resort. It is owned by a German guy who has been living on the island for over 20 years and has a deep knowledge of the dive sites, running a top-notch dive operation. The resort itself is peaceful, beautifully maintained, and set right on the water’s edge, with direct access to the tenders and diving bangka.
June - September: Low Season Advice
Cabilao Island typically sees its low season between June and September. This doesn’t impact the quality of the diving, but it does mean some resorts scale back operations. On my last visit in July 2025, Cabilao Sanctuary appeared all but closed, and Polaris had only maintenance staff on site and was running on a shoestring.
If you're planning to visit during the low season, my advice is to contact the resort directly, ask the right questions, and make arrangements accordingly. I personally love this time of year — the diving is still fantastic, it’s quiet and peaceful, and you often get one-to-one service, both in the resort and on the dive boats.
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