Level: Resort nearby
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Last updated on September 8, 2023
The small Cabilao island, laying a few kilometers west of Bohol, is renowned for its coral reefs, among the best in the Philippines for shore snorkeling.
Cabilao Bamboo Reef is a popular dive site located near the island. The reef fringes the northwestern coast of the island and is absolutely vibrant.
Because of the island’s remote location, the Cabilao Bamboo Reef does not have an overcrowded tourist population.
Cabilao hosts undisturbed and easily accessible reefs where hundreds of marine species, such as anemonefish, moray eels and sea turtles are easy to see.
Cabilao is a small island near Bohol, in the heart of the Philippine archipelago. From Bohol, head to Sandigan Island Pier, which is a 30 mile bus and taxi ride from Alona Beach. At Sandigan Island Pier, catch a bangka, which is a traditional Philippine boat, to cross to Cabilao. This takes about a 20 minute drive.
Once you arrive in Cabilao, ask a taxi to take you to Bamboo Reef, located on the northwestern coast of the island.
You can access the beach from the Bamboo Reef Resort or from the sandy beach south of the Lighthouse. Both of these areas are facing the spot.
If you are staying at any of the resorts in the area, direct transfers to the resorts from Bohol can be arranged. The various resorts are the Bamboo Reef Resort, the Cabilao Sanctuary Beach and Dive Resort, the Polaris Beach and Dive Resort, or the Cabilao Sunset Dive & Beach Resort. All resorts are seafront, with direct reef access.
You can enter the water from the small white sand beach facing the Bamboo Reef Resort (snorkel entry 1 on the map above), or from the beach extending between Cabilao Sunset and the Lighthouse (snorkel entry 2). Cabilao Sanctuary resort also has reef access from concrete steps that lead directly to the reef (snorkel entry 3).
Starting from the beach, you will first snorkel above a shallow reef flat ↕2-6ft. This reef flat is mainly made of sandy and grassy beds, interspersed with some coral bommies. On the reef flat are living sea stars from different species, sea urchins, blennies, small moray eels and sharpnose puffer.
After a hundred meters, the flat leads to a beautiful reef drop-off ↕6-18ft, teeming with marine life. Chocolate dip damselfish, golden damselfish and green chomis abound around the hard and soft corals.
Butterflyfish and angelfish come and go on the reef, where lionfish, pufferfish, and, for macro lovers, a beautiful diversity of nudibranchs and shrimps can be seen.
Several species of clownfish have also been spotted in Cabilao, including the ocellaris clownfish. Sea turtles and yellow-lipped sea krait are common at this spot. Be sure to check out the seagrass meadows. Although they are less colorful than the coral areas, they allow you to observe specific species.
Cabilao Island is still a bit removed from tourists and the reef is one of the healthiest in the Philippines. Underwater visibility is usually great, although it can deteriorate slightly, especially in the rainy season.
Several resorts including the Cabilao Sanctuary Beach and Dive Resort, the Cabilao Sunset Dive & Beach Resort and the Polaris Beach and Dive Resort are set on the beach, as is the Bamboo Reef Resort.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
the island is particularly known as a dive site. the snorkling was ok. saw 7 different species of sea starts, 5 anemone fishes, green turtles and a lot more.
Few points; – When the tide was coming up the current was very strong ( to the North). even to fast to enjoy a nice drift. the close to the lighthouse the stronger it seemed to become. this is something to be carefull with, you need to be a strong and confident swimmer. – corals were damaged by a typhone a few years ago. because of that snorkling was most likely a lot worse then the original report. soft corals seemed to recover well.
ps. we were here in August 2024.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
