The Hill

The Hill is a sheltered macro reef dive site in Puerto Galera, Philippines, situated a short boat ride from the Sabang Beach area and accessible by back-rolling from the boat. The top of the hill is visible at around 5 metres, covered with corals and sponges, and the reef slopes down in all directions to roughly 15–16 metres where a sandy bottom takes over, scattered with hard coral. The site runs between 12 and 16 metres (40–53 ft) at its typical dive depth, with the shallowest point at approximately 5 metres.

The Hill is rich in macro life and suits photographers and patient divers. Resident creatures include wonderpuss, nudibranchs, seahorses, frogfish, ghost pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus, mimic octopus, moray eels, elephant ear corals, and sponges, with large green tree corals and lush soft corals across the slope. Pink corals carpet the ocean floor. Around dusk, shy mandarin fish emerge from their fire coral homes to feed and mate, and shrimps, crabs, and brittle stars become active across the reef.

Entry is by boat, with divers back-rolling from the vessel; the site is well protected between three islands and is sheltered from exposure. Water temperature sits between 27 and 30°C. The current can be strong if the dive is not timed with the right tide, so timing the visit carefully is advisable. The site is rated beginner level and is diveable year-round.