Дайв-сайты: Eastern Visayas

From Cebu City, take a bus or private car to Maya port on Cebu's northern tip, approximately four hours. From Maya, catch a ferry to Palompon on Leyte's western coast, roughly 90 minutes. From Palompon, boat transfers to Kalanggaman Island take about 45 minutes. Alternatively, fly from Cebu to Tacloban and drive west to Palompon in about three hours. Day trips from Palompon are the most common way to visit. An environmental fee and registration are required at the Palompon tourism office.

Yes, overnight camping is permitted on Kalanggaman Island with advance registration through the Palompon municipal tourism office. Basic facilities including cottages, restrooms, and fresh water are available. Camping on the sandbars under the stars is the main draw for overnight visitors. For divers, staying overnight allows early morning dives before day-trip boats arrive, offering the best visibility and the highest chance of pelagic encounters at the reef edges. Bring all your own food and supplies.

The reef around Kalanggaman is remarkably healthy due to the marine sanctuary protection enforced by Palompon municipality. The northern wall hosts dense gorgonian fans, barrel sponges, and schooling fish including jacks and barracuda. Green turtles are common on the reef flat, moray eels occupy crevices in the wall, and the sandy areas near the sandbars are productive for macro life including nudibranchs, mantis shrimp, and sea snakes. Reef sharks occasionally cruise the deeper slopes beyond 20 metres.

Surigao Strait demands advanced diving skills and experience with strong currents. Tidal flow through the narrow passage between Leyte and Mindanao can produce currents exceeding three knots, with unpredictable surges and down-currents possible. Diving is only conducted during slack water windows or when current runs along the reef rather than pulling divers away from it. Local operators know the tidal patterns intimately and cancel dives when conditions exceed safe limits. Surface marker buoys and experienced boat crews are essential. This is not a site for divers without significant current diving experience.

The Battle of Surigao Strait in October 1944 was the last major naval engagement involving battleship-to-battleship combat, and several Japanese warships were sunk in these waters. Most wrecks lie in water too deep for recreational diving, but scattered debris, metal fragments, and smaller wreckage has been found at diveable depths along the strait's edges. The historical context adds a sobering dimension to the diving, knowing that these waters witnessed one of World War II's most decisive naval actions. Dedicated wreck hunting requires technical diving capabilities and local knowledge.