Aundanao

A partial guide to Aundanao

Aundanao is a named dive location on Samal Island in the Davao Gulf area. A PADI listing contributed by South Shore Divers describes a sloping coral reef and coral gardens, with reports of cuttlefish, moray eels and schooling fish. These are attributed descriptions, not independently confirmed sightings or a guarantee of what a visit will reveal.

Conflicting depth and access information

The same listing gives a 30 m maximum in its narrative but 18 m in its structured summary. Its narrative refers to advanced divers, while the training suggestion names Open Water Diver. Boat access appears in the description, but the summary also includes shore or beach entry. Those differences do not establish a single depth limit, qualification requirement or available entry route. Confirm the intended route with the operator rather than choosing whichever field best fits your plans.

A named site, with details still to confirm

The Island Garden City of Samal’s report dated 12 March 2026 names Aundanao Dive Site among tourism infrastructure projects covered by a provincial and city government agreement and turnover ceremony. This independently supports recognition of the site name. It does not supply a surveyed underwater boundary, current opening hours, fees or a dive briefing.

The map position retained here comes from the dive listing and has not been independently confirmed by a local diver. Exact site boundaries and local naming relationships remain unresolved. Typical current, visibility, water temperature and seasonal suitability are also unconfirmed; broader Samal conditions should not be assumed to describe this particular route.

Ask a local operator to identify the planned entry and exit, explain the depth discrepancy, and confirm current access before arranging transport. Agree a route suited to your training and the conditions assessed that day. This guide remains partial so that useful named-source information is available without presenting unresolved details as established facts.

How Aundanao entered the Samal dive list

Two SunStar reports from 2022 explain the name's recent prominence. A SunStar Davao article of 2 June 2022, indexed by SEAFDEC's Aquatic News Index, says the first Samal Dive Festival's fun-diving activity on 28 and 29 May 2022 drew around 70 local and foreign divers, who explored emerging sites such as Marissa 3 and Captains One Way on the first day and were introduced to new sites including Ligid Dako and Aundanao on the second. A SunStar article of 21 June 2022 quotes Department of Tourism Davao Regional Director Tanya Rabat-Tan saying the Island Garden City of Samal has at least 14 dive sites, with four new sites introduced on 28 May in Auntood, Ligid D, Aundanao and Purok 7, and that validation of further locations continues.

The PADI listing's structured summary, re-read in October 2026, gives a maximum depth of 59 feet or 18 metres, lists boat and shore or beach entry, and suggests a dive computer and surface marker buoy, while its common-sightings line names sharks, whales, dolphins and turtles. That line is a generic category field, not a report of sightings at Aundanao, and should not be read as an encounter expectation. The 12 March 2026 city report lists Aundanao Dive Site among province-funded tourism infrastructure projects turned over to the city, so facilities may be changing; confirm the current state locally.