Daquit Shoal

What the sources describe

Marine Conservation Philippines places Daquit Shoal offshore from northeastern Siquijor, east of Enrique Villanueva. Its dedicated account describes a shoal with corals, large sponges and two overhangs called cathedrals. Bahura Dive Siquijor also lists Daquit Shoal among the sites in its boat-diving offer on PADI Adventures.

Planning a visit

MCP describes boat access and warns that currents can be strong. Ask a local operator to confirm current access, the intended route, conditions, required experience and equipment before arranging a trip. The advertised site list does not guarantee a departure or a particular dive.

What remains unknown

This English partial is based on published source accounts, not a recent Diveity inspection. Exact coordinates, independently checked depth limits, visibility, water temperature, seasonal suitability and certification requirements remain unverified. No precise navigation point or guaranteed wildlife encounter is supplied.

Sources: Marine Conservation Philippines: Siquijor dive sites; Bahura Dive Siquijor: boat-diving offer.

Shoal top and deeper overhangs

Marine Conservation Philippines places the shoal top at about 5 m and the two overhangs it calls cathedrals at roughly 20–25 m. Those figures describe particular features in its account, not independently surveyed limits for the entire site. A shallow shoal top does not establish a suitable snorkeling outing or permission to enter an overhead feature.

Finding the shoal and reading the current

Marine Conservation Philippines, whose page was last modified in April 2026, says the shoal "must be dived from boat as it's too far from land" but is "easy to find as the top of this shoal sits at just five meters", which it says also makes it a good snorkelling site. It adds that "the current is usually less at the cathedrals" even though currents can be strong, and advises watching the tide tables. Its sightings list names big bucket sponges, corals, plenty of anthias and damselfish, and blueside wrasses (Cirrhilabrus cyanopleura). PADI's Daquit Shoal listing records a reef and ocean dive with boat entry, a maximum depth of 30 metres, nudibranchs as a common sighting and Open Water or Advanced Open Water training as useful; that 30 metre figure is a listing value and not the depth of the overhangs described above.

A dated day-trip report

A ScubaBoard post of June 17, 2010 describes a one-day, three-tank banca trip to Siquijor with Seaquest Dive Center from Alona Beach, Bohol, which dived the east side of the island "as it is closest to Alona Beach" and made Daquit Shoal its first dive before two dives at Tulapus Sanctuary; the poster published a GPS reading for the shoal but no profile or sightings, and that reading is not adopted here. Bahura Dive Siquijor includes Daquit Shoal in the 33-site list reproduced on DivePlanner Pro, while the DivePlanner Pro site page itself carries unattributed descriptive text and is not used as evidence. Current strength, visibility and season remain unpublished by the sources captured for this guide, and the snorkelling remark is MCP's characterisation rather than a safety assessment.