Chocolate Island
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
Chocolate Island is a small island between Malapascua and the northern coast of Cebu, close to the port of Maya and about 20 minutes away by boat. The reef slopes gently towards a sandy bottom at approximately 18 metres, with dives described at depths between 3 and 17 metres. It is a shallow, mellow dive, and the reef is covered in soft corals, leather corals, sea fans, barrel sponges and elephant ears.
Nudibranchs and flatworms are especially numerous, along with large sea hares and Spanish dancers. Robust and ornate ghost pipefish are often seen, and seahorses, hairy frogfish, pipefish, shrimp and crabs turn up too. During the winter months this is one of the best places to spot blue-ringed octopus and flamboyant cuttlefish.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Blue-ringed octopusBlue-ringed octopusReported here · unconfirmed
CuttlefishCuttlefishReported here · unconfirmed
MandarinfishSynchiropus splendidusReported here · unconfirmed
Pelagic Thresher SharkAlopias pelagicusReported here · unconfirmed
Hypselodoris variobranchiaReported here · unconfirmed
Dusky NembrothaNembrotha kubaryanaReported here · unconfirmed
Squat Anemone ShrimpThor amboinensisReported here · unconfirmed
Blue LinckiaLinckia laevigataReported here · unconfirmed
Anemone Hermit CrabDardanus pedunculatusReported here · unconfirmed
FrogfishFrogfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Ornate ghost pipefishOrnate ghost pipefishReported here · unconfirmed
Hairy frogfishHairy frogfishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
PipefishPipefishConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
NudibranchNudibranchConfirmed present · 5 independent sources
Ghost pipefishGhost pipefishReported here · unconfirmed
SeahorseSeahorseConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
Mantis shrimpMantis shrimpReported here · unconfirmed
Clark's AnemonefishAmphiprion clarkiiObserved near here · iNaturalist
Spiny SeahorseHippocampus histrixObserved near here · iNaturalist
Whitetip Reef SharkTriaenodon obesusObserved near here · iNaturalist
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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