Level: Resort nearby
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Last updated on January 10, 2021
If you are looking for a hotel with a house reef in the north of Palawan, Sangat Island may be a good option. The reef that stretches out in front of the hotel’s beach is easily accessible and is in good overall condition. Around the beautiful branching corals found just beneath the surface, you may encounter hundreds of species of reef fish, including angelfish, pufferfish and clownfish.
Sangat Island is part of the Calamians, in the province of Palawan. It is located south of Busuanga Island and west of Coron Island. It is a hilly island with some white sandy beaches.
The island is private and the only option to access it is to stay at the Sangat Island Dive Resort. The hotel offers its guests a transfer from Busuanga Airport (approximately 30 minutes by car + 30 minutes by boat).
The best entry point is from the hotel beach which extends to the right hand of the pontoon. Stonefish are sometimes reported in the shallow waters of the beach, so it is recommended to wear fins or water shoes to enter the water.
The most recommended area for snorkeling is to the right of the pontoon and the rocky islet that faces the beach. It is also possible to snorkel on the other side (left-hand), but watch out for boats around the channel (see map above).
From the beach, you have to swim about 100 meters above a seabed made of seagrasses and algae before reaching a reef flat, 1 to 2 meters deep. The corals are very healthy in places, with beautiful patches of lettuce coral, porous coral and fluorescent blue branching coral.
When the sea conditions allow, it is also possible to snorkel the other side of the reef, passing through the small pass near the islet (see map). On the outer reef, you’ll discover a spectacular drop off, which plunges into the blue.
While snorkeling at this spot, you may spot angelfish, several species of parrotfish (including the green humphead parrotfish), pufferfish, and triggerfish. Ocellaris clownfish also hide in the anemones found here and there on the reef.
This spot is Sangat Island Dive Resort‘s house reef.
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.
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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.
