Dimakya Island Coral Garden

Coron · Palawan · Philippines

Dimakya Island lies in the Calamian Group northwest of mainland Palawan, a small, thickly forested island encircled by a coral reef protected as a private marine sanctuary for over two decades. While most divers visiting Coron head straight for the famous World War II Japanese wrecks, Dimakya offers something entirely different — a reef where years of protection have produced coral gardens of exceptional health. The dive begins from a sandy entry off the island's east side, where the reef flat gives way to a gentle slope. The first thing you notice is the coral. Tabletop Acropora formations extend in overlapping tiers, their surfaces alive with darting anthias. Branching corals fill the gaps, creating a three-dimensional maze hosting schools of juvenile fish using the branches as nursery habitat. At 8 to 12 metres, the slope steepens and coral diversity peaks. Massive brain corals share space with delicate plate corals, leather corals wave in gentle current, and enormous giant clams sit embedded in the reef framework, their mantles pulsing with iridescent blues. I counted at least eight butterflyfish species within minutes, each pair occupying its own patch. Hawksbill turtles are the reef's celebrities. Two appeared within the first ten minutes, one grazing on soft coral from a massive Porites dome, the other swimming lazily across the slope. The sanctuary's protection means these animals are entirely relaxed, often approaching within arm's reach. The deeper sections to 22 metres feature scattered bommies on sandy bottom, where blue-spotted stingrays rest and cuttlefish hover with mesmerising colour-changing displays. Groupers of surprising size lurk under overhangs, proof of no-fishing enforcement. This is not a dive of big drama. It is a dive of quality — healthy corals, diverse fish, clear water, and the tranquil atmosphere that reminds you why you started diving.