Giant Clams

Giant Clams is a reef dive site in the Big and Small La Laguna area of Puerto Galera, Philippines, reached by a six-minute boat ride from shore. The site takes its name from resident populations of Tridacna gigas, the giant clam — the largest bivalve mollusk on earth — which can grow to over 130 cm across and weigh more than 180 kg. Thanks to protections enacted by the Philippine government and local authorities in Puerto Galera, the nationwide population has recovered to over 70,000; the clams at this bay may be more than 100 years old, with some individuals estimated at around 60 years.

The reef runs from 6 m down to a maximum of 16 m, with the giant clams themselves sitting at around 6 m depth — shallow enough to make this a popular freediving and snorkelling spot as well. Below the clams, the bottom opens into a sandy floor interspersed with small coral reefs. Visibility reaches up to 20 m in good conditions, water temperature ranges from 25–30°C, and current inside the bay stays mild, though divers should time the dive to avoid the strongest tidal phases.

The site is rated beginner level and suits Open Water-certified divers, diving at an average depth of around 9–10 m. Beyond the giant clams themselves — which open their mantles to allow their symbiotic zooxanthellae algae to photosynthesize and can be watched responding to light and shadow — patient observers regularly find hairy frogfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, mimic octopus, reef octopus, and a dozen or more species of nudibranch. The site is considered a strong macro and photography dive, and it is diveable year-round.