Cathedral Rock

Batangas, Philippinesreef43 m maxbeginner

Conditions & tides

Channel site — tidal current funnels through here and can run fast, changing quickly with the tide. It is usually strongest around mid-tide and eases near the slack windows below. Dive with a local operator who knows the timing.

Cathedral RockBatangas

Good · 5/5

conditions visualisation

Good5/5

Calm and diveable right now — best window today 8 AM–6 PM.

Wind8 kn E

Current~0.1 kn WSW · model

Swell

0.1 m · 3s · SE

Water

30 °C

Max depth

43 m

Conditions through the day

7 AM7 PM

Calmest current near slack — 15:30 & 05:00 local

Sunrise 05:53 · Sunset 17:27 local

Show details

Tide · local

Outlook — select a day for full conditions

On-face swell 0.3 m — the component of the swell aimed at this site’s exposed face. Strong-current reef: plan a drift and enter near the slack windows above. Current is a regional model value (Copernicus, ~9 km grid) — a guide to the area, not a precise reef measurement. Imagery © Esri · not depth or visibility.

Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model

Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.

Dived here today? How were conditions vs. what we showed?

About this site

Cathedral Rock is one of Anilao's most recognisable dive sites in the Philippines, reached by dropping down a mooring line. Two massive rock outcrops rise from the seabed and form a roofless underwater amphitheatre. Light filters down between the rocks, and on a clear day the scene looks like an open-air chapel, which gave the site its name.

At the centre is a large cement cross set between the rocks at about 15 to 18 m. Local stories say it was blessed by Pope John Paul II before being sunk by then-president Fidel V. Ramos. Divers and conservation groups have transplanted coral fragments around it over the years, turning a bare rock face into a living reef. Most dives begin by circling the cross.

Schools of snapper, surgeonfish and batfish swirl between the rock walls, and clouds of anthias and damselfish hover off the coral. Moray eels and clownfish are also seen. The rock surfaces carry hard and soft corals, sponges, hydroids and feather stars.

Read the full guide

Depths run from 5 to 25 m, and the site suits almost every certification level. Newer divers can stay on the upper parts of the rocks, while more experienced divers can drop deeper along the outer slopes or search the overhangs for macro life. Currents are usually manageable, and sunny days with mild current are best for photography. The season runs from November to May.

AI-written site guide