Conditions & tides
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.
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About this site
Gato Island is a small island off the northern coast of Cebu, near Malapascua, in the Philippines, reached by a short boat crossing from Malapascua. It is known for its swim-through tunnel connecting two sides of the island, an overhead passage that divers should treat with care, and some reports describe additional caves, tunnels, and enclosed sections with limited exit routes along its edges. The reef bottom runs to a maximum depth of around 25 metres and is rated a beginner dive overall. Reef sharks rest in the crevices, and the site holds frogfish, nudibranchs, and seahorses, with divers also reporting cuttlefish, ghost pipefish, grouper, lionfish, mackerel, moray eels, pufferfish, pygmy seahorses, scorpionfish, and squid. Sea snakes have long been noted here as well, alongside the resident sharks.
AI overviewMarine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Reef sharkReef sharkConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
ScorpionfishScorpionfishReported here · unconfirmed
CuttlefishCuttlefishReported here · unconfirmed
Moray eelMoray eelReported here · unconfirmed
Pygmy seahorsePygmy seahorseReported here · unconfirmed
Chocolate Chip Sea StarProtoreaster nodosusReported here · unconfirmed
Magnificent ChromodorisChromodoris magnificaReported here · unconfirmed
Gloomy NudibranchTambja morosaReported here · unconfirmed
Peacock-tail Anemone ShrimpAncylocaris brevicarpalisReported here · unconfirmed
Hypselodoris variobranchiaReported here · unconfirmed
Anemone Porcelain CrabNeopetrolisthes maculatusReported here · unconfirmed
LionfishLionfishReported here · unconfirmed
PufferfishPufferfishReported here · unconfirmed
Ghost pipefishGhost pipefishReported here · unconfirmed
NudibranchNudibranchConfirmed present · 5 independent sources
FrogfishFrogfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
SeahorseSeahorseConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
GrouperGrouperReported here · unconfirmed
SquidSquidReported here · unconfirmed
MackerelMackerelReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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