Napantau Marine Protected Area

Napantau Marine Protected Area is a world-class coral reef and the oldest marine sanctuary in Sogod Bay, noted for exceptionally healthy hard- and soft-coral walls encrusted with sponges, giant sea fans and black corals that form a dramatic underwater forest. The site is renowned for abundant marine life, with regular sightings of green and hawksbill turtles, blacktip and whitetip reef sharks, chevron barracuda, giant trevally, schooling reef fish and macro critters such as nudibranchs and frogfish. Dives range from a shallow house reef accessible from the beach at about 3-5 meters to steep reef walls dropping to about 50 meters; typical boat dives start on the wall at around 20-30 meters, follow the vertical face to 40-50 meters and return via a sloping reef. The southern side generally has milder, steady drift while the northern wall often has stronger currents that carry divers; strong reef currents are the main hazard, so divers should be comfortable with drift diving and buoyancy control. Visibility is usually good and water temperatures are tropical, generally in the mid-20s °C. Main walls are reached by boat, and the site is a no-take sanctuary with a small fee to support local enforcement.