Saavedra Marine Sanctuary
Also known as: Ronda Bay, Ronda Bay Marine Sanctuary, Ronda Marine Park, Saavedra Reef, Sanctuary, Savedra Marine Sanctuary
A fenced no-fishing sanctuary north of Moalboal: a coral slope that drops into a wall hung with giant gorgonian fans, protected since 1987.
Last updated October 2026
The dive
A hard and soft coral garden starts at about five metres and slopes out to a lip at 18 to 23 metres, where the wall begins. Operators describe two dives here: the garden first, with a cleaning station where turtles gather, up to ten in a dive though Moalboal has better turtle water, and then a wall dive that heads straight for the lip.
Below the lip the wall runs from about 23 metres. Giant gorgonians stand out from the face, pink and orange, and Denise's pygmy seahorses are reported on them, so ask the guide to point one out. Camouflage groupers a metre long hold at around 30 metres and blacktip reef sharks pass now and then. Fish life apart from the groupers is modest.
The two halves have gone different ways since Typhoon Odette in December 2021. The shallow garden is badly damaged, while the fans stand intact at 35 metres and deeper.
What makes it special
Giant gorgonians cover the wall below 23 metres, about a hundred by one operator's count, and they are the part of the site that came through intact.
The sanctuary is fenced and closed to fishing and has been protected since 1987.1 A 2013 reef survey found live hard coral here fair to good, in the shallow transects and the deeper ones alike.1 The groupers at 30 metres are put down to the zero-fishing area.
The season is inverted. One operator rates the site best from May to December, in southwest-monsoon weather, when waves are high along Moalboal's main strip and visibility here can be better. The area's peak runs the other way, through the dry December to April.
Know before you go
The fans start at the lip, so agree the planned depth before the boat leaves. Keep your hands off the fans and the seahorses on them.
The swim is one way along the wall, in visibility that one operator's chart puts at 8 to 18 metres, so keep the wall on one shoulder and the guide in sight.
Why Dive Saavedra Marine Sanctuary
What makes this dive site stand out.
- Giant gorgonian fan wall
Pink and orange fans standing out from the wall below 23 m
- Fenced zero-fishing area
Metre-long camouflage groupers hold at about 30 m
- Two dives, one site
A coral garden from 5 m above the lip, a wall dive from 23 m below it
- The wall outlasted the shallows
Typhoon damage fell on the shallow garden, not on the deep fans
- Rough weather option
A fallback when the main strip is blown out
Depth & Profile
Location
9.9991°N, 123.3832°E
Conditions & difficulty
Rated for southwest-monsoon weather, when waves are high on Moalboal's main strip. The area's peak season is the dry December to April.
Operators grade the site Open Water, which fits the 5 to 23 m coral garden and turtle station. The fan wall, the groupers and the seahorses sit at 23 to 40 m, below the 18 m Open Water limit, so an Open Water diver dives the site without reaching what it is known for.
Summary
The current is mild, so the grade comes from depth: everything the site is known for sits at 23 to 40 m and the wall continues below.
Safety considerations
What can go wrong here, and what divers do about it. Conditions change - take the briefing from the operator on the day.
- Depth: The fans start at the wall lip and the wall continues below 40 m, past recreational range.Agree the maximum depth at the briefing and turn the dive on depth and time.
- Visibility: Reduced visibility on a one-way swim along a wall face.Keep the wall on the same shoulder for the whole swim and hold contact with the guide.
- Remote location: The nearest recompression chamber is in Mandaue City, about 82 km and 2.5 hours by road from Panagsama, plus the boat leg from this site.Keep the profile conservative and carry insurance that pays for hyperbaric treatment.
Marine Life
Regulations
Saavedra Marine Sanctuary
A fenced zero-fishing sanctuary, established in 1987. Diving in Moalboal waters requires the municipal Environmental User's Fee ticket. P100 per diver, bought before the boat leaves; ask your operator whether it is charged per trip or per dive. Ordinance 74-2010 bans spearfishing and fishing with compressors in all of the municipality's marine sanctuaries.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Saavedra Marine Sanctuary the same dive as Copton Point?▾
No, but the names overlap. One operator says this dive is sometimes called Copton Point, which is also the name of the airplane-wreck dive roughly 1.1 km to the west, and operators publish separate positions for the two. Ask which one is on the briefing: the gorgonian wall of the sanctuary or the airplane on its sand ledge.
Does the wall carry on below 40 metres?▾
Yes. Operators put the base of the wall at 40 m, 45 m and 55 m, so it keeps falling past the 40 m recreational limit. The wall dive is described as running from 23 to 40 m, and the fans and groupers sit within that band. Agree the turn depth with the guide at the briefing.
References
- 1.Coastal Conservation and Education Foundation (CCEF) — Saving Philippine Reefs: Coral Reef Monitoring Expedition to Moalboal and Badian, April 2013
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