Sogod Bay in Southern Leyte is still one of the Philippines’ best kept dive secrets. There’s a smorgasbord of pristine reefs, abundant fish life, lots of critters and the promise of whale sharks – and very few other people there.
Napantao reef and anthias, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
Back to Sogod Bay in April 2024, my first visit post pandemic and the sixth time I’ve visited since first diving at Sogod Bay way back in 2007. As you can guess, I am most definitely a fan of diving here. Each time I’ve returned to dive with Sogod Bay Scuba Resort and it was extra special this time to see all the staff again after a four year absence. It was also great to see the resort building itself looking in good shape, as it was quite badly damaged by Super Typhoon Odette which passed through in December 2021.
Burgos Reef Boutique Resort (left) and Sogod Bay Scuba Resort © chris@divehappy.com
Despite the impact of the pandemic and the typhoon, Sogod Bay is still thriving as a dive destination and it’s becoming a little more well known. There’s no more obvious example of this than Burgos Reef Boutique Resort, the luxury new four star hotel that’s been built directly next door to Sogod Bay Scuba Resort. This is the first major hotel to open in the area, and its Art Deco inspired design sits well directly on the beachline, letting guests stare out over the ever changing Bay. If you’re travelling with non-divers to Sogod, this would be the place to stay.
Of course, you have the exact same view from the terrace at the dive resort, and for a fraction of the price – and as divers you get to go under the water and not just look at the top of it.
Sea snake on the reef, Max Climax, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
Sogod Bay Diving
Whereas many dive spots are either coral reef noodling or muck / critter diving, Sogod has a great mix of several kinds of sites with different topography, all within half hour’s boat ride of the resort. If you want gorgeously coloured, teeming with fish reef with literally thousands of anthias making it a wide angle heaven, then Napantao marine reserve is the place to go.
Harlequin shrimp on a Crown of Thorns starfish leg © chris@divehappy.com
If you want to play hunt the mimic octopus, head to the supposedly barren grey sands of Ghost Town and Little Lembeh. If you want a sandy reef dive with nudibranches, demon stingers and zebra crabs galore, explore Max Climax, the house reef just in front of the resort. And you have to do the "world famous in Southern Leyte" Padre Burgos pier night dive, where amongst the town’s detritus live seahorses, snake eels and stargazers.
Anthias and black coral, Napantao, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
Napantao and Limasawa Marine Protected Areas
Sogod has at least 20 sites and several are very much worth repeat dives, meaning you could be happily occupied here for a couple of weeks. Napantao is one of the standouts as the clouds of anthias around the corals are just endlessly beautiful, and the pristine reef continues further along at Olly’s Wall (actually more of a slope with wall-y interludes).
Clownfish family on the reef, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
Several kilometres away Limasawa island in the mouth of the gulf harbours another two sites that are also marine protected areas. Adrian’s Cove and Zach’s Cove are both remarkably pretty dives well worth the 30 minute boat ride to get down there.
Flamboyant cuttlefish, Little Lembeh, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
Both areas are MPAs – Marine Protected Areas, meaning by agreement with the local villages there’s no fishing at these sites. That means the corals are largely pristine, although in the shallows you can occasionally see some damage inflicted by Super Typhoon Odette. If it was your first time diving here you probably wouldn’t even notice until one of the guides pointed it out to you.
Coral bommie and anthias, Max Climax, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
Sogod Bay House Reefs
One of the other joys of the resort is that there is the house reef and then several other excellent sites that are essentially just a bit further along making them super accessible – 5 minutes travel time and you’re ready to descend on the site. There’s Max Climax, Baluarte and Bunga Bend all in close proximity to the house reef which shares its characteristics of a sandy slope interspersed with clumps of coral. Max Climax however has a gorgeous drop off at 15 metres where you suddenly feel like you’re in mid air. On my most recent visit I had a fantastic encounter with a big sea snake that was hunting through the reef.
Pook and the giant yawning frogfish, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
Santa Sofia lies south of the resort just by the town of Padre Burgos and it’s a lovely afternoon dive along a gentle slope as its home to several turtles, a couple of which are impressive sizes. We dived here a couple of times and the hazy afternoon light made me want to see it in early morning as the reef wakes up. Juvenile Barracuda are regularly spotted here, adding to the feel that the site is a sanctuary and something of an underwater nursery.
Turtle finding lunch, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
Sogod Bay Whale Sharks
Sogod Bay is part of the massive Leyte Gulf, with aqua waters of the shallow reefs by the shore quickly turning a dark inky blue as the reef drops off into abyssal depths.
This great depth so near the shoreline means that some of the biggest, deep sea creatures are occasionally seen – whales have been spotted coming up for air and dolphins skipping around prow of a boat are a common sight. Most common of all though is the otherwise rarely seen whale shark.
(Watch this amazing video footage of Sogod Whale sharks shot by ace dive instructor Pedro Batestil on my Sogod Bay trip back in 2007.)
The world’s biggest fish usually start showing up in Sogod Bay around November and stay until April. However, their presence can’t be guaranteed. They only started appearing in the gulf in the early 2000s, probably attracted by the spawning of the healthy local coral reefs which had been rigorously protected by legislation from an enlightened regional governness which has largely stayed in place.
Diving with the whale sharks is not allowed, only snorkelling, and special spotter boats go out looking for them. It’s a sedate affair with only 1 or 2 boats in the water usually – unlike the whale shark circus at Oslob. Be aware that whale sharks may seem slow, but they move much faster than most snorkellers, so expect to jump several times as the boat repositions to place divers in the path of the oncoming whale shark.
You can see more videos of whale sharks on my Whale Sharks of Sogod Bay page. And if you’re interested in other places to see whale sharks, see Where To See Whale Sharks In Indonesia and Whale Sharks in Thailand – Where To See Them.
Frankly, the diving at Sogod is so good (sorry, had to do it) that the non-appearance of whale sharks is a mild annoyance rather than a major disappointment – those who don’t have too high expectations will be well rewarded.
Rich coral reef, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
How To Get To Sogod Bay
There’s several reasons why Sogod Bay has remained pretty much untouched – and that’s because getting there is still fairly hard work. You can get a domestic flight from Manila to Cebu and then get a ferry from Cebu to Leyte, and then it’s a couple of hours drive to Sogod Bay. Or, more typically, get a domestic flight from Manila to Tacloban which is in the northern part of Leyte island. The dive resort can send a driver to meet you, and then it’s a three and a half drive down to southern Leyte. Check on Skyscanner to compare prices and timings of flights to Manila, Cebu and Tacloban.
There are long-running plans to open Maasin airport in the south of Leyte so that tne island has two airports. Sogod Bay would be only a 45 minute drive from Maasin airport, making it far more convenient to visit. It would probably open the floodgates for development and tourism too – and the impact of that development on Sogod’s reefs, the very thing that makes it special, could be terrible if not handled carefully. But, locals think Maasin airport will take years to actually open – it’s been under discussion for a couple of decades already.
Car wreck, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
Until then, Sogod Bay is very much worth the effort to visit. The reefs are fantastic and there’s almost no-one else about – despite there being several dive operations here that have been in business for over a decade, it still feels like discovering a magical place that’s all your own. Go now before everyone else does.
Where To Stay At Sogod Bay
All three trips I’ve done to Sogod Bay I’ve stayed at Sogod Bay Scuba Resort – you can read previous guest reviews and book online at Agoda. You can stay at the newly opened Burgos Reef Boutique Resort next door the resort if you’re looking for a four star hotel experience.
There are a couple of other resorts in the area – Peter’s Dive Resort and Padre Burgos Castle. Unfortunately Leyte Dive Resort and Southern Leyte Divers both appear to have permanently closed during the pandemic.
Sogod Bay Liveaboards
Liveaboards sporadically visit Sogod Bay on their Visayas itineraries. (Visayas is the term for the central area of the Philippines). Liveaboards will typically depart and return to Cebu, doing a loop around Malapascua, Moalboal, Dumaguete and Apo Island, Bohol and Oslob. Sogod Bay does not seem to regularly feature on Visayas liveaboard itineraries, so check carefully with the operators.
Three liveaboards which run regular trips in the Visayas are the Philippines Aggressor, Philippines Siren and Atlantis Azores – follow the links to check dates, availability and pricing.
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Dive Insurance For Sogod Bay
Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities including scuba diving, as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. The nearest hyperbaric chamber to Sogod Bay is in Cebu City, and the nearest decent hospital too.
More on Sogod Bay
- Diving Sogod Bay podcast – talking to Phil McGuire of Sogod Bay Scuba Resort about what makes Sogod special.
- Sogod Bay Scuba Resort Facebook page – the team post near-daily photos and reels from their recent dives and whale shark expedition
- Sogod Bay whale shark videos – from my 2007 Sogod trip
- Sogod Bay Diving video – my good friend Kevin who was on the 2017 dive trip with me uploaded a great 20 minute video documenting our trip above and below water
Turtle sunburst, Sogod Bay, Philippines © chris@divehappy.com
