Sombrero’s Tubastraea Heart
A hard coral haven, Sombrero Island is just a 3-hour drive from Manila, and 30 minutes by boat from Anilao. Called the birthplace of Filipino scuba diving by some, the stunning colours of Sombrero’s reef places it among the nation’s best
For several days, Kathryn and I had been gazing longingly at a hat-shaped island from Dive Solana Resort’s expansive compound. It felt as if Sombrero Island was calling to us, but we were being held back from making a dive there due to its exposed location and some rather impressive white-cap wave action generated by storm winds courtesy of a typhoon lurking ominously offshore from the Philippines.
Aptly named because its unique shape resembles that of a Mexican sombrero, this uninhabited island is situated off the eastern tip of
Tingloy Island in the Philippines
Anilao Batangas Marine Park Sanctuary, and is known as being one of the best diving and snorkelling spots in the park. On the morning the weather improved, we departed early to go for a splash to avoid currents and swell that tend to be strongest in the afternoon.
Fueled with anticipation, all the scuba divers on-board double-checked their underwater camera settings as our diving banca, a traditional Filipino boat, nudged itself closer to Sombrero’s northern shoreline to drop anchor. Stiff surge pushed and pulled us around the moment we slipped beneath the waves.
Once we descended closer to the seafloor, things settled down somewhat as we were able to use Sombrero’s numerous gullies and coral heads as cover from the liquid headwinds. Indeed, we were informed the diving here can be tricky at times due to ripping currents and formidable undertows that may flow from any direction, but occasionally no current. Yet, we felt quite at ease exploring Sombrero’s shallower coral depths amid the dense swarms of anthias frolicking in the water column.