Balicasag is a small island but has a large marine sanctuary and it is an excellent place for scuba diving and snorkeling with clear blue water and abundance of sea life
Approaching Balicasag
Balicasag is a quick 30 minute boat ride from Alona Beach on Panglao Island. A small island with a rocky coast and strong currents during the winter months, it is one of the top snorkeling and scuba diving locations in the Visayan Islands. Currently there is only one resort on the island which has its own restaraunt. Although we did not stay over night we did enjoy a nice breakfast along the beach and a couple hours of snorkeling and shell collecting along the coral strewn beach.
Favourite spots:
Pedro our captain and guide
Right off the beach a few dozen meters is a steep shelf which is an excellent site for snorkeling. I think the fish were as curious of us as we were of them. Unfortunately, the water was a little choppy that day, but the water was still clear and you could see a whole new world just a few feet underneath us.
What's really great:
Dolphin!!
We had rented a very small pump boat with a local fisherman as our captain and guide to do some early morning dolphin watching between Panglao Island and Balicasag. The dolphins were incredible beautiful creatures-one of the highlights of the trip!
Accommodations:
The beach in front of the cottages
We did not stay at the resort, however, we did enjoy a delicious breakfast at their restaraunt. The resort is called Balicasag Island resort and it is the only resort on 1.5 acres on the island. It had approximately 10-12 cottages made of bamboo and typical filipino architecture.
Restaurants:
Waiting for breakfast
The Balicasag Island resort has a restaraunt and a fairly decent menu. I enjoyed a Spanish omlete and some instant coffee. The prices were reasonable and the staff was very friendly.