Sogod Bay, Philippines: The Ultimate Diver’s Guide for 2024
I had just quit my office job to dive and travel around the Philippines. Wanting to avoid an overcommercialized experience, our first stop in early May was Sogod Bay. Eclipsed by other touristy destinations, Sogod Bay’s pristine reefs blew me away.
Although I missed whale shark season by a week, I was enchanted by the vast gardens of healthy corals, dense schools of reef fish, giant frogfish, seahorses, and flamboyant cuttlefish. Having done liveaboards in Komodo and the Similan Islands, I was truly impressed by Sogod Bay’s extraordinary biodiversity.
I’ve since been to Malapascua where 11 other boats were moored around us at Kimud Shoal. In Sogod Bay, we enjoyed the tranquility of being the sole boat at the dive sites.
Making the trek to Sogod Bay was worthwhile, and the stunning variety of marine life and underwater topography makes it one of the Philippines’ hidden gems.
Sogod Bay Overview
- Philippines’ undiscovered treasure
- Ethical whale shark swimming
- Pristine reefs
Sogod Bay is located in the province of Southern Leyte on the island of Leyte. Leyte is in the Eastern Visayas region and is sparsely developed, except for the city of Tacloban.
Not well known internationally, Sogod Bay deserves to join the ranks of a world-class dive destination due to its flourishing coral reefs and ethical whale shark snorkeling tours from mid-November to April.
Sogod Bay is an absolute gem for adventurous divers who want to avoid the crowds, see an incredible array of large and small marine life, and have an off-the-beaten-track dive experience.
If you like glitzy resorts, mega malls, and nightlife, you’re definitely in the wrong place. Sogod Bay is all about unplugging from the world and exploring the authentic side of rural Philippines.
Sogod Bay Ethical Whale Shark Snorkelling
One of the best places to ethically swim with whale sharks in the Philippines is in Sogod Bay from mid-November to April. If swimming with the largest fish in the world is on your bucket list, Sogod Bay is a great place to do this sustainably.
What is Ethical Whale Shark Snorkelling?
- Whale sharks are not fed
- Interactions are limited to reduce stress on the animals (in Sogod Bay, a maximum of 3 hours of interaction is allowed)
- No touching rule is strictly enforced
- No scuba, snorkel only
Sogod Bay Ethical Whale Shark Snorkelling Tours
- Peter’s Dive Resort – Padre Burgos
- Sogod Bay Scuba Resort – Padre Burgos
- Pintuyan Dive Resort – Pintuyan
According to our dive guide, the whale shark tours departing from the town of Padre Burgos go to Pintuyan, a 1.5-hour boat ride across the bay. Local fisherfolk act as spotters for the resort boats.
Sogod Bay Dive Sites
Sogod Bay has 20+ dive sites accessible by boat and shore. Vibrant reefs, steep walls, colorful pinnacles, and sandy muck diving spots are great for macro and wide-angle photography.
📏 Visibility: 25+ meters / 82+ ft
🌡️ Average Water Temperature: 29°C / 84°F
Check out some of my favorite dive sites below.
- Limasawa Island (Gunter’s Wall and Adrian’s Cove)
A one-hour boat ride south of Padre Burgos, the spectacular Limasawa Island sits off the western entrance to the bay. Both sites have overhangs and steep walls of black coral, barrel sponges, and gorgonians. In the shallows are healthy gardens of soft and hard corals.
- Medicare North (Tangkaan Point)
Named after the nearby Padre Burgos medicare clinic, this site offers a relaxing dive with little current. In this haven for turtles, you can observe them napping, scratching their algae-covered shells on corals, and feasting on sponges and anemones (goodness, they’re messy eaters).
- Napantao (North and South)
Across the bay from Padre Burgos, this iconic site has moderate currents and steep walls enshrouded in schools of purple anthias and adorned with a kaleidoscope of colorful soft corals. Small caverns shelter shy white-tip reef sharks.
- Malitbog Lembeh
A 30-minute ride north by multi-cab to the village of Malitbog, this black sand muck diving spot is a macro photographer’s paradise. You’ll be rewarded with a treasure trove of photogenic critters such as flamboyant cuttlefish, thorny seahorses, ghost pipefish, long-horned cowfish, short-tailed pipefish, nudibranchs, and tiny anemone shrimp.
- Max Climax
This drift shore dive can be done from Peter’s Dive Resort. Let the moderate current take you south to Burgos Reef Boutique Resort. Zigzag across the gently sloping sand and admire the clouds of fish aggregating behind the giant coral heads, camouflaged crinoid shrimp, large spadefish, and ringed pipefish sheltering beneath underhangs.
Best Time to Visit
Sogod Bay has a tropical climate and is diveable year-round. Visit between mid-November and April for the majestic whale sharks.
January to February: Heavy rain, but diving conditions are acceptable.
May to October: Excellent weather, though whale shark sightings are rare and the snorkeling tours have stopped. You might get lucky and see one while scuba diving.
☀️ Hottest month: May
26 – 32°C / 79 – 90°F
❄️ Coolest month: January
24 – 28°C / 75 – 82°F
How to Get to Sogod Bay
The main diving hub in Sogod Bay is the small coastal town of Padre Burgos on the western side of the bay’s entrance. Padre Burgos has minimal tourist infrastructure, three dive resorts, and a handful of other non-dive resorts.
Getting to Padre Burgos, Sogod Bay
- Recommended: Fly into Tacloban airport (daily flights from Cebu and Manila on Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines), then take a 3.5-hour private transfer to Padre Burgos (5,000 PHP for the transfer).
- DIY on a Budget: From Cebu, take a ferry to Hilongos in Leyte (4+ hour trip), then a 1.5-hour private transfer to Padre Burgos (2,500 PHP for the transfer).
Gabisan Shipping Ferry from Cebu to Hilongos
Ferry Schedules
We took the Gabisan Shipping ferry (vessel Gloria G-1) from Pier 3 in Cebu to Hilongos. I would not recommend it unless you have a lot of time, flexibility, and patience.
The trip is about 4 hours, and you’re supposed to show up one hour in advance of your departure time. On a Friday afternoon, it only took 12 minutes to pay the terminal use fee and get through to the waiting area. On weekends, however, the crowds are worse.
Roble Shipping also operates the Cebu–Hilongos ferry route, but it did not work with our schedule.
❗Warning: ferry companies are notorious for last-minute cancellations and don’t keep their websites up-to-date. Check their Facebook pages for any updates.
- Gabisan Shipping Facebook page
- Peter’s Dive Resort website with ferry schedules
Where To Buy Gabisan Shipping Ferry Tickets In Cebu
Gabisan ticket booth near Pier 3 at Cebu Port.
Gabisan Shipping
V. Sotto Street, Pier 3
Cebu City, Cebu
Ticket Prices for Gabisan Shipping
Tourist seat (with AC) – 700 PHP. Cushioned seat with TV screens at the front of the cabin that play loud movies.
You’ll pay an additional 25 PHP terminal use fee at the pier.
❗Ferry Ticket Scam Alert
Don’t buy tickets from middlemen (obviously). I fell for a scam on our first day in the Philippines when buying tickets for Hilongos at Pier 1 instead of Pier 3.
At Pier 1, we were walking around and saw zero signage for Hilongos. I kept being approached by folks trying to sell me tickets to other destinations. Pier 1 was a chaotic mess, and scammers take advantage of that. One opportunistic “entrepreneur” chatted me up and offered to buy me tickets to Hilongos if I just wait 15 minutes. The dude actually went all the way to Pier 3 to get them on his buddy’s scooter and then charged me 2x the ticket fare.
Our Take
Next time we dive in Padre Burgos, we’ll avoid the ferry hassle with our dive gear and fly into Tacloban instead.
Where to Stay
We stayed at Peter’s Dive Resort for two weeks and had a great experience diving around Sogod Bay.
Peter’s has options for a range of budgets, good wifi, and the accommodation quality is up to Western standards. Divers get a discount on accommodation (except for the dormitory).
I also loved the healthy house reefs, restaurant, and attentive crew. Our “eagle-eyed” dive guide, Arnel, was fantastic. He was the best guide a photographer could wish for!
Dive Resorts
📍Best Budget & Mid-Range – Peter’s Dive Resort has five bunk bed dormitory rooms for an unbeatable 400 PHP a night. Private rooms and entire cottages have a diver rate ranging from 1,200 to 5,200 PHP.
📍Mid-Range – Sogod Bay Scuba Resort. Small, highly-rated resort with a maximum of 24 guests.
📍Mid-Range – Southern Leyte Divers. Operated by a Filipino-German family for over 25 years.
Non-Dive Resorts
📍Best Mid-Range – JD Beachfront Hotel. Family-run and cash only.
📍Best Luxury – Burgos Reef Boutique Resort. Upscale hotel with all rooms boasting views of Sogod Bay.
Where to Eat
Padre Burgos is a small, non-touristy town with few restaurants. We mostly ate at Peter’s Dive Resort, but I recommend these options:
📍Southern Leyte Divers Restaurant. Good quality German, other European, and Filipino cuisines with a quaint island ambiance. Highly recommended by expats living locally.
📍MDJ Grill. Wide range of tasty Filipino fare and BBQ options, attentive and helpful staff.
📍Ystambai Cafe. Downstairs from MDJ, this cute coffee shop offers delicious cookies, cakes, and brownies (although pricier than standard offerings at local bakeries).
📍Alma and Jerry’s Kitchen. Tasty homestyle Filipino cuisine in a clean, quiet beachfront setting at resort prices.
FAQs
Traveling around rural parts of Southern Leyte comes with unique considerations. Padre Burgos was one of the towns ravaged by typhoon Rai (Odette) in 2021 and still faces infrastructure challenges.
Are there ATMs in Padre Burgos?
I was told there’s only one ATM in Padre Burgos (Land Bank) at Municipal Hall. I tried it, but it didn’t have money.
Although not technically an ATM, employees at Peter’s told us that Mel Pharmacy has a cashback option for a 5% fee. I didn’t have to enter a PIN and “withdrew” 40,000 PHP (minus fees) in cash. Conventional ATMs elsewhere are limited to 10,000 or 20,000 PHP per withdrawal.
Maasin (30 km from Padre Burgos) is the next closest town with ATMs.
Can I use credit cards in Padre Burgos?
No, outside of the resorts (which will charge a credit card service fee), credit cards aren’t accepted in Padre Burgos.
Is there car or scooter rental in Padre Burgos?
Car and scooter rental are not available in Padre Burgos or in neighboring towns.
Can you use rideshare apps or get a taxi in Padre Burgos?
No, Grab (rideshare app) and taxis don’t operate in Padre Burgos. Flag down a tricycle to get around (10 PHP to go into town).
How much time should I spend in Sogod Bay?
Spend at least 3-4 nights in Sogod Bady to enjoy whale shark snorkeling and world-class diving.
Are there supermarkets or convenience stores in Padre Burgos?
No, the nearest ones are in Maasin.
Are there power outages around Sogod Bay?
Yes, there are occasional power outages in the region (and throughout the Philippines). During our two-week stay, we had a power outage on the last day.
What language is spoken around Sogod Bay?
In Southern Leyte, Bisaya is the primary language. Bisaya is the local informal term for what English calls “Cebuano.”
English and Tagalog are also widely spoken. Everyone from shopkeepers to tricycle drivers spoke to us in English.
Useful Bisaya phrases:
Maayong adlaw – Good day
Maayong gabii – Good evening
Salamat kaayo – Thank you so much
Lami – delicious
Tiki-tiki – whale shark
Isda – fish
Bao – turtle
Boko-boko – cuttlefish
Can I walk around town in a bathing suit?
You shouldn’t. Padre Burgos is not like touristy Boracay or Siargao where bikinis and board shorts are the outfit de rigueur. The locals dress modestly, so respect the cultural norms when you leave your resort.
Is Sogod Bay good for kids?
No, not for young kids, but ok for tweens or older. Although Filipinos are very friendly and love kids, the limited modern infrastructure in Southern Leyte makes it challenging to travel with them. Access to appropriate medical care and beach safety are the main considerations.
Lack of quality medical care – Access to quality medical care is difficult in Southern Leyte. An ailment like an ear infection (common among infants and young children) would have to be treated by a specialist in a larger town like Maasin or Sogod.
My experience: I got a middle ear infection while diving in Padre Burgos. Luckily, a fellow diver who lives locally graciously drove me to the doctor(s). Neither Padre Burgos Hospital nor Havilah Polymedic Hospital in Sogod town (1 hour away) had an otoscope to look in my ear. So I had to go to an ENT in Sogod town.
I made an appointment with the ENT, but he appeared nearly 1.5 hours late. The waiting room was hot with no AC and we were crammed shoulder-to-shoulder on wooden benches.
I was prescribed Amoxi-Clav, a decongestant-antihistamine combo, and God as he handed me a religious pamphlet. The bill was 1,500 PHP for the consultation, about twice the rate of a hospital consultation. I wasn’t given a receipt and it’s unclear whether I paid the tourist rate.
The prescribed decongestant (phenylpropanolamine) was removed from the U.S. market in 2005 by the U.S. FDA due to safety concerns (risk of hemorrhagic stroke in women). Do your research when prescribed an unfamiliar medication in the Philippines.
Beach safety – The beach in front of Peter’s Dive Resort in Padre Burgos is made of coral (not sand) and is uncomfortable on bare feet. Depending on the tides, the currents close to shore can be very swift, so it’s not safe for small children.
Final Thoughts
Sogod Bay is calling all adventurers to explore its underwater wonders. Whether you swim alongside awe-inspiring whale sharks or marvel at the mesmerizing displays of flamboyant cuttlefish, you’ll have an unforgettable experience at one of the Philippines’ best-kept secrets.