Tubod Marine Sanctuary

A protected reef beside Coco Grove

Tubod Marine Sanctuary lies in front of Coco Grove Beach Resort in San Juan, Siquijor. The Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation’s 2025 field report describes a 7.5-hectare protected area, originally established in 1989 and re-established in 2003. It identifies the fishermen’s association, local government and resort as management partners. This is a dated management account, rather than a newly surveyed boundary or a guarantee of present reef condition.

Seagrass, coral steps and small walls

Coco Grove’s diving page, updated in August 2025, describes nearshore seagrass extending roughly 50 metres outward: that figure is distance, not depth. Farther out, coral becomes more prominent. Around 6 metres deep, the account describes coral steps separated by sandy valleys, followed by mini walls and overhangs reaching 15 metres or more. These are descriptions of particular terrain, not a surveyed site-wide maximum or a prescribed route.

The resort describes a coral pillar at the northern end and reports fish around that feature and nearby overhangs. It also identifies sandy valleys and whip corals as places where small animals have been observed. These habitat distinctions offer more useful context than a promise of turtle encounters or consistently calm mornings. The source does not establish current sighting frequencies.

What the monitoring report adds

CCEF’s comparison separates the sanctuary, an adjacent fished reef and the shallow snorkeling area. It reports declining hard-coral cover since the earlier peak in both protected and neighbouring surveyed areas, with a different pattern on the shallow reef flat. Protection therefore should not be described as proof that every section remains pristine. These are monitored areas and historical comparisons, not a live assessment of the reef that a visitor will see. The report also discusses tourism-supported management and remaining enforcement-training and record-keeping needs.

Beach Verdict describes currents within the protected zone as generally gentle. That report concerns the sheltered zone; it does not characterize every deeper route or establish current conditions for a planned dive.

Confirm access and restricted dates

Coco Grove describes shore access and boat moorings beside a boundary marked by white buoys; it says motorized boats must not enter or anchor inside the sanctuary. This does not establish unrestricted entry on every date.

The resort’s 2026 aquatic-activity notice reports restrictions on diving in San Juan municipal waters and snorkeling or swimming inside Tubod around monthly new moons. Its published calendar lists October 11–13, November 10–12 and December 10–12. The page also discusses a proposed revision that remained unconfirmed in its January update. Confirm the current notice and permitted activity before arranging a visit; the operator’s calendar is not an independently verified statement of today’s ordinance. No reliable site-specific visibility, temperature range or minimum certification is established by this review.