Nalasuan and Gilutongan islands.

Gilutongan and Nalasuan Islands.

Do you have a favourite place that, when you go there, you don’t want to leave? Well for me Gilutongan and Nalasuan islands are the places I don’t want to leave.
There is nowhere like these islands for peace, tranquility and excellent diving and, when the sun is out, they are also two of the most serene and beautiful places to spend a day out on a boat.

To the unititiated Gilutongan and Nalasuan islands are situated about 3 miles south of Mactan Island and are easily accessible by boat in about 20 minutes and 30 minutes respectively.

They are also Marine Park sanctuaries where fishing of any sort has been banned and, for the snorkeller and the diver, they both offer a tremendous variety of marine life, which it is difficult to find anywhere else within a three hour drive of Cebu City.

The underwater realm is a paradise of exotic colours, clear water, tranquility and as diverse a range of abundant marine life as you will find anywhere else in the world.At Gilutongan shoals of Batfish and Surgeonfish will shadow the divers everywhere looking for food. Jacks, Barracudas, Trumpetfish, Sweetlips, Groupers and Needlefish are also prevalent. It is seldom that you will see less than four at a time of any variety of fish. Of course, there is also an abundance of common reef fish aswell. Amongst the corals are hundreds upon thousands of Damselfish, Wrasse, Basslets, Gobys, Blennies and Anthiases. Also in abundance are Angelfish, Parrotfish, Triggerfish and Butterflyfish. If you look more closely you can find Scorpionfish, Filefish, Nudibranches (amazingly colourful sea slugs), Pipefish, Conger eels, Stonefish, Razorfish, Shrimps and many more varieties.

At Nalasuan the diver is in for more of a treat. At 20M or so a colony of Blue Spotted Rays have made the Sea floor their home. They can be found resting on the sand or sometimes gliding just above the sea floor.
As long as you approach them slowly and make no sudden movements you can get within a few feet of these majestic creatures before they make a hasty retreat. There are not many dive sites in the World and certainly no others in the Philippines where there are so many Blue spotted rays in one place. Not only that but Nala-suan is blessed with very healthy colonies of Groupers, Jacks and some interesting underwater ‘statues’ which add a further dimension to the diving there.

It always amazes me how abundant the marine life is around Gilutongan and Nala-suan compared to other parts of Mactan and the surrounding areas where fishing is allowed. Fishing cannot be banned in the Philippines because too many people rely on it for a living but, with a little education, the local fishermen will hopefully begin to realize that destructive fishing practice such as cyanide fishing,the use of dynamite and muro-ami are counter-productive to their welfare. Perhaps in the not to distant future the fishermen will realize that a better living can be made from dive guiding tourists on preserved reefs. If there are no preserved reefs there will be no corals , no fish and no tourists.

Thank goodness then for Gilutongan and Nalasuan marine parks. Here you really can witness an underwater paradise unscarred by destructive fishing practices, a realm where nature has been allowed to flourish and develop safely away from the selfish attentions of man. A rare utopic underwater realm and, it’s on your doorstep.