Verde Island is a one hour boat trip away from Puerto Galera. There are a few dive sites around the Island, all offering amazing visibility (normally 30m+), and an abundance of marine life. Verde Island is not for the beginner. Strong up and down currents are common, so Verde is usually visited when the currents are small.
Verde Island DiveSites
Verde Island Drop Off
The only sign that there is a world class dive site just meters below, are two pinnacles piercing the surface of the water. These pinnacles drop down deep, offering an amazing wall dive that can be dived again and again, without the fear of getting bored.
You drop in at the top of the pinnacles, at around 5m. Negative entry might be a requirement if the currents are playing up, as the wall protects you from the current. Here is when you will gasp at the crystal clear waters and the abundance of fish. As you follow the wall down, you will see thousands of Red Tooth Triggerfish, Antheas and Butterfly Fish. Whip corals and Gorgonian fans scatter the wall, with there macro inhabitants, Whip Coral Shrimp and Pigmy Seahorse, thinking they can hide from our guides. Verde Island is often referred to as ‘Fish Soup’ due to the huge numbers of fish that swim in its waters.
Verde Island also holds a huge amount of Nudibranch that rivals Anilao. Thousands of species can be found everywhere here, including the Spanish Dancer. Also beware of touching the reef, as there are some of the largest Scorpionfish you can find, lying, waiting for an unaware fish to swim into its sights.
As you reach the edge of the pinnacle, there is a ledge at 18m. Here is where you will find the larger inhabitants of Verde Island. Here the wall ends, so the current soars. Not to worry, as you can just hold on to the ledge and look above you at the schools of Barracuda, Giant Trevally and Tuna play in the current. Here you can also find mating Jacks, pairing up and swimming in unison together in the current at certain times of the year.
Often we do two dives on the Drop Off. One dive on the wall side, and the other on the other side. Here is a sloping reef, rich in volcanic activity, with volcanic bubbles, streaming from the sea floor. This side of the Drop Off is where the larger fish are, where you will find sweetlips, Bannerfish and Sargent Majors swimming in the currents above. Make sure you stay behind and pay close attention to your guide, as the current picks up on this dive. You start a slow drift, normally at a giant Gorgonian Fan located at 27m, and slowly go with the current. As you get closer to the end of the wall, the current starts racing, and you have to make sure that at the right time you nip back behind the Wall. Otherwise you are in the blue, and its time for your accent.
The Washing Machine
Not for the feint hearted, the Washing Machine is a high octane adrenaline dive. On slack tide it is a very beautiful series of canyons at 15m. Yet, when the current is running, the current shoots over the canyons causing a ‘washing machine’ effect. You’ll get thrown up, down, left and right. Gloves are very useful on this dive as you can use them to hold onto some dead coral or a rock if needed. Reef Hooks can be used also, but make sure you don’t attach them to any live coral.
