Small Laurel

Small Laurel is a named reef dive in the Boracay area of Aklan. WaterColors and DiveGurus distinguish Small Laurel from Big Laurel. Combined descriptions of the Laurel sites do not establish the depth or entry arrangements for this exact point.

Location uncertainty: this guide follows the SSI/Scubago point named Small Laurel southeast of Boracay. DiveGurus describes the Laurel sites as north of Boracay. Those descriptions conflict, and the intended location has not been independently confirmed for this guide. Big Laurel is a separately named site; this guide does not establish a Laurel Tunnel alias or include Big Laurel's tunnel. This source point is approximate, has not been surveyed or verified by a local diver for this guide, and is not a confirmed entry or navigation waypoint.

This partial guide leaves current access, currents, visibility, seasonal conditions and diver suitability unknown. Confirm the intended site and a suitable dive plan with a local operator.

What the Laurel pages say

Most published descriptions treat the Laurel sites together, so what follows is labelled as Laurel-pair material unless a source names Small Laurel. The SSI Scubago entry for Small Laurel says the island lies a 15 to 20 minute banca ride from White Beach on Boracay's southeast corner, that these privately-owned islands can have strong currents, and that common small reef fish such as anthias live among whip corals, sea fans and leather corals, with soft corals opening on a rising tide. DiveGurus Boracay's Laurel Island page, read in October 2026, gives 5 to 20 metres, calls Laurel two sites, Big Laurel and Small Laurel, with sloping reefs, and specifically credits Small Laurel with fields of branching corals and dense schools of reef fish; it lists anthias, parrotfish, butterflyfish, wrasses, shrimp, crabs, nudibranchs and flatworms, with occasional turtles and blue-spotted rays. WaterColors Boracay gives 5 to 20 metres, Open Water, 12 minutes from Station 3 and 16 from Station 1, says Big Laurel and Small Laurel are two separate but very similar sites close together, and describes both as sloping walls with healthy corals.

Laurel Island as a whole

Eclipse Dive Center places Laurel Island in the southeast opposite Crocodile Island, says it is dived less often than other spots so the corals are well preserved, and gives a maximum depth of 20 metres with occasionally strong current. Wicked Squid Divers lists Laurel Island at 8 to 22 metres with mild to strong current and describes sponges, table and soft corals, many nudibranchs, blue ribbon eels, morays, lionfish, scorpionfish and boxfish, and pygmy seahorses on the sea fans. Divezone's review says the two small islands sit a few hundred metres from Boracay and that the diving is quite shallow, around 10 metres. The Alta Vista de Boracay blog of November 2024 says the island is reached by a 50-minute boat ride, which conflicts with the 12 to 20 minute times above; Traveloka's August 2026 article lists 5 to 20 metres and macro subjects such as thorny seahorses, ghost pipefish and frogfish. None of these pages separates its depth or wildlife claims for Small Laurel from Big Laurel, and the north-versus-southeast location conflict noted above remains unresolved.