North Rock

Check availability before planning around North Rock

Tabanka's published North Rock entry says it is outside the operator's regular daily schedule following reported coral damage. This is an attributed operator statement, not proof of a destination-wide closure or a current condition survey.

Confirm the named route

El Nido Paradise lists North Rock Crossing. The relationship between that route and this existing North Rock record is not resolved by the reviewed names alone. Its measurements and qualification label have therefore not been transferred to this record.

What to ask

Before booking, confirm whether the operator currently visits North Rock, which route it means and what conditions it has observed recently. The review does not establish a reopening date, the present extent of damage, a surveyed depth range or guaranteed wildlife. Older descriptions of healthy coral should not be treated as a recent observation.

Sources and review status

Tabanka Divers; El Nido Paradise. Published sources reviewed on 4 October 2026; no local-diver verification is claimed. Source publication and field-observation dates may differ from the review date.

A contrasting operator description

El Dive's North Rock section describes rock formations, table corals, fan corals, pinnacles and a swim-through. It lists schools of bigeye trevallies and unicornfish alongside reef fish, while rays and sharks are framed as possible encounters. This undated promotional account supplies a different description from Tabanka's damage and scheduling notice. It does not establish when those features were last observed, negate the reported damage or prove that either operator currently runs the trip. Keep the published accounts separate when checking availability.

Further operator accounts

Aquanaut Dive Center's El Nido site page, retrieved 7 October 2026, says "North Rock is part of Tagbao Island, also known as Tres Marias, which is under a coral conservation program." It adds that "diving or snorkeling is strictly prohibited in the vicinity of North Rock, except for the areas where divers are permitted" and that "With good air consumption, it is possible to dive all around the rock." Aquanaut lists a depth of "7 to 32 meters", current "Moderate to strong" and levels "Intermediate, Advanced". Its marine life list includes batfish, trumpetfish, turtle, lionfish, nudibranch and mantis shrimp, with "Seasonal humphead parrotfish and blacktip sharks" noted.

A PADI blog article first published in June 2021 and showing a modification date of 20 July 2026 says "Located near Miniloc, North Rock is a 'must dive' site". It describes a swim through and a nearby cleaning station that "attracts amber jacks and pompano", names barracuda, big eye trevally, turtles and stingrays, and adds that whale sharks are "occasionally spotted here too". An SSI dive-guide listing retrieved the same day calls North Rock "a small, secluded rock that can be explored by divers in favorable currents".

Where the accounts differ

Tabanka says the site "was long one of El Nido's signature sites", blames "heavy storm damage from Typhoon Odetta in 2022" for severe impact on the shallow coral, and says it will "re-evaluate and announce guided returns" if recovery progresses. Aquanaut places North Rock on Tagbao Island under a conservation program, while PADI places it near Miniloc. Whether these accounts describe the same dive, the same entry point and the same present condition is not reconciled here. None of them gives a date for its field observations, so the wildlife lists should be read as what each operator or guide publishes, not as sightings to expect.