El Dorado

El Dorado combines a couple of sunken boats with an artificial reef, and together they draw in plenty of life. It is a muck dive with a difference: alongside the critters on the sand, you get structure, shade and schooling fish. The site lies inside a marine sanctuary.

The dive

The maximum depth is around 22 metres. The sunken boats and the artificial reef give the dive a clear focus, and the sand in between is worth searching for smaller life.

What you might see

• Schooling fish gathering around the boats and the reef
• Groupers sheltering in and around the structures
• Bannerfish over the artificial reef
• Blue-spotted stingrays on the sand, which glide gracefully away as divers approach

When to dive El Dorado

El Dorado is good all year, with water temperatures of about 25 to 29°C. See when to dive Dauin.

Who it suits

Divers who like a mix of fish life and macro, and photographers who want both wide-angle and close-up subjects on the same dive.

Our tip

Approach the stingrays slowly and low, and stop a little way off. If they don’t feel chased, they often settle again and give you a better view.

Good to know

• El Dorado is a marine sanctuary. The standard sanctuary fee is included in our dive price; with a camera, add PHP 50 per dive.
• Don’t enter the sunken boats; enjoy them from outside.
• For more artificial reefs, try Pyramids and Ginama-an.

Dive El Dorado with us

We dive the Dauin coast every day, with full rental equipment included in our dive rates. See our Dauin diving and prices, or build your dive trip and tell us which sites you would like to see.