Drop Off

Drop Off, also known as the Pinnacle or San Agapito, is a wall dive site at Verde Island, located approximately 300 metres from shore in the Verde Island Passage between Luzon and Mindoro in the Philippines. The site is characterised by spires of coral whose tips break the surface, descending as a steep wall to 70 metres or more. The wall is densely covered with gorgonian fans up to 3 metres across, basket sponges larger than a person, and extensive nets of anemones, while cavelets and ridges between the corals provide shelter throughout the structure.

The reef holds an impressive variety of marine life: moray eels, lionfish, mantis shrimp, sea snakes, and scorpionfish occupy the crevices and ledges of the wall, while schools of jacks, sweetlips, tuna, and snapper move through the water column in the currents further out from the reef.

The site is reached by a 25-minute speedboat ride or close to an hour by banca outrigger, and dives are conducted as boat dives. Visibility ranges from 5 to 25 metres. Currents around Verde Island can be strong, particularly at the corner where the water runs fastest, and the wall descends well beyond recreational limits, making this site suitable for Advanced Open Water certified divers and above.