When diving in the Philippine Islands, it can be tough to decide which dive sites to visit, particularly if you are looking for something a bit more exciting than the standard resort dive sites. If you are an experienced diver, there are some truly amazing sites available. Cervera Shoal, which is sometimes known as Spaghetti Shoal, is one of those.
Location
Located at Libaong, off Panglao Island in the Bohol area, Cervera Shoal is situated about half an hour’s boat ride from the nearest dive operators’ headquarters, making it easy to access, yet far away from the most commonly visited sites to be interesting. In case you are diving from your own boat or are interested in renting a boat to dive from, the site’s GPS coordinates are N.09º29.371-E.123º50.756 with a bearing of 130º from Alona Beach, and a bearing of 270º from Pamilacan. There are no visible landmarks, so you’ll need GPS to find the site. It’s a good second dive after visiting Pamilacan, as depths are easy.
Conditions
Suitable for PADI AOW divers or equivalent, this shoal begins at a depth of 8 meters and meets the ocean floor at a depth of 35 meters. With visibility being very good most of the time at fifteen to twenty-five meters, the site is at its best between the top and a depth of about 15 meters, and is fairly barren below that. Although it was once subjected to dynamite fishing, it is recovering nicely, and the marine life is abundant.
Dive Profile
Diving here is usually pretty straightforward. As there is normally a current that can range from one to three knots, the site is almost always done as a drift. Monitoring your no deco level, start with the slope to your right, and continue. Once you are finished, you will need to make your safety stop in open water – be sure you have an SMB with you.
Marine Life
Despite the previous dynamiting that occurred here, there are quite a few sponges and plenty of soft coral, along with a few hard coral trees. The source of the site’s nickname, Spaghetti Shoal or Snake Island, is immediately evident once you arrive at depth 0 there are lots of black and white banded sea snakes here, and there are also white-eyed and starry moray eels living among the rocks. In addition the site is home to several different nudibranch species, plus there are lots of reef fish, including Moorish idols, anthias, chromis, wrasse, and damsels. Be very careful where you put your hands, and watch your buoyancy – there are sea urchins everywhere, plus there are poisonous stonefish and scorpionfish here. Off in the distance, you may see schooling jacks and trevally, along with the occasional white or black tipped reef shark or group of patrolling barracuda.
There are many other dive sites in the area, plus there are some fantastic resorts on Panglao and at Tagbilaran. Be sure to bring your camera with you on this dive – everything you’ll see is incredible.