CORAL ISLAND - Anilao
Coral Island, not to be confused with a similar site elsewhere, offers a proper wreck dive right in the heart of Anilao. We love this site because it’s a motor vessel that went down in 1982, sitting upright and mostly intact on a gentle slope. You can spend your entire dive exploring the wheelhouse, the cargo holds, and peering into the engine room, all while keeping an eye out for the residents. We’ve seen giant frogfish camouflaged on the deck, schools of yellowfin snapper weaving through the superstructure, and plenty of nudibranchs clinging to the corals that have started to colonise the metal. The maximum depth is 55 metres, so this is definitely one for advanced divers with good buoyancy, and we’d suggest timing your dive for slack tide to really enjoy the penetration opportunities. It’s a great chance to combine a bit of history with some solid reef diving.
- Location
- Anilao, Philippines, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 14.166667, 120.500000
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 55m
Marine Protected Area: Marine Reserve No.1
Best Time to Dive in Anilao
The warmest water temperatures in Anilao occur in June, averaging 30.9°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 27.5°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 27.9°C
- February: 27.5°C
- March: 28.1°C
- April: 29.2°C
- May: 30.3°C
- June: 30.9°C
- July: 30.4°C
- August: 29.8°C
- September: 29.6°C
- October: 29.4°C
- November: 29.3°C
- December: 28.9°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Anilao
- Agahuta - 10-25m (reef)
- Anilao
- Anilao Pier (muck)
- Aphol’s - 20m
- Aquaventure Housereef (reef)
- Arthur's Rock - 20m (pinnacle)
- Arthur s Rock - 5-30m (pinnacle)
- ASIAN LOGGER - 40m (wreck)
- Bahura Reef (reef)
- Barracuda Deep - 28m
- Basura
- Batalan Rock - 10-25m (pinnacle)
- Batangas Channel (drift)
- Beatrice Rock
- big apple
Nearest Dive Centres to CORAL ISLAND
Marine Life in Anilao
Home to 88 recorded species including 83 reef fish, 2 crabs & lobsters, 1 sharks & rays, 1 sea urchins, 1 sea snails & nudibranchs.
Notable Species
- Angel abu polos (Centropyge vrolikii) - Reef Fish
- Sunburst Butterflyfish (Chaetodon kleinii) - Reef Fish
- Orange-lined Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) - Reef Fish
- Comettailed wrasse (Oxycheilinus bimaculatus) - Reef Fish
- Scarlet wrasse (Pseudocheilinus evanidus) - Reef Fish
- Two-spot Bristletooth (Ctenochaetus binotatus) - Reef Fish
- Bridled Goby (Gnatholepis cauerensis) - Reef Fish
- Banded Toby (Canthigaster valentini) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) - Reef Fish
- Wrasse (Thalassoma lunare) - Reef Fish
- Bar Eyed Goby (Glossogobius giuris) - Reef Fish
- Bandcheek wrasse (Oxycheilinus digramma) - Reef Fish
- Blue-lined Tang (Zebrasoma scopas) - Reef Fish
- Charcoal damsel (Pomacentrus brachialis) - Reef Fish
- Black triggerfish (Odonus niger) - Reef Fish
- Soft Locust Lobster (Scammarctus batei) - Crabs & Lobsters
- Golden wrasse (Halichoeres chrysus) - Reef Fish
- Blackstriped Angelfish (Genicanthus lamarck) - Reef Fish
- Striped Triplefin (Helcogramma striata) - Reef Fish
- Crescent Grunter (Terapon jarbua) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for CORAL ISLAND
Based on average water temperature of 29.3°C, currents 15 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 29°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories