Verde Island Passage
Philippines · Southeast Asia
The Verde Island Passage, a narrow strait between Luzon and Mindoro in Batangas province, holds the highest recorded concentration of marine shore fish species on Earth — a distinction scientists call the centre of the centre of marine biodiversity. Described by Dr. Kent Carpenter and colleagues in a landmark 2010 paper, the corridor hosts over 1,700 species of fish and extraordinary reef density compressed into accessible dive sites. Sheer walls plunge from the surface into blue water, while nutrient-rich currents sweep past schooling jacks, dogtooth tuna, and clouds of anthias. Macro life rivals anything in the Coral Triangle, and encounters with thresher sharks, hammerheads, and whale sharks are seasonal highlights.
How this reef is doing
ⓘ How we measure thisReef state
Live coral covers 22% of this reef.
Coral cover
Fish life
Heat
Fishing
Open to fishing, and the water is fairly quiet.
Sources · MERMAID and the survey teams · Global Fishing Watch and reef gravity
Coral cover over time
Live coral cover, by survey year
Across 3 survey years from 2022 to 2025, live coral cover here has fallen from 25% to 22%. Every point is a real survey reading, never a projection.
Live coral cover, percent by year
| Year | Coral cover |
|---|---|
| 2022 | 25% |
| 2024 | 23% |
| 2025 | 22% |
What you will see
29 species across the dive sites here
Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Seen 1 month ago
at Maricaban Island
Ocellaris Clownfish
Seen 2 months ago
at Sombrero Island
Least concern
Hairy Frogfish
Seen 2 months ago
at Caban Point (Anilao)
Least concern
Painted Frogfish
Seen 2 months ago
at Caban Point (Anilao)
Least concern
Robust Ghost Pipefish
Seen 2 months ago
at Maricaban Island
Least concern
Coleman Shrimp
Seen 3 months ago
at Maricaban Island
Mimic Octopus
Seen 3 months ago
at Caban Point (Anilao)
Least concern
Pygmy Seahorse
Seen 3 months ago
at Verde Island Drop-Off
Least concern
Barrel Sponge
Seen 4 months ago
at Sombrero Island
Mandarin Fish
Seen 5 months ago
at Sombrero Island
Least concern
Great Barracuda
Seen 7 months ago
at Sombrero Island
Least concern
Dogtooth Tuna
Seen 8 months ago
at Verde Island Drop-Off
Least concern
Bigeye Trevally
Seen Jul 2025
at Verde Island Drop-Off
Least concern
Giant Trevally
Seen Jul 2025
at Verde Island Drop-Off
Least concern
Crinoid
Seen Mar 2025
at Verde Island Drop-Off
Blue-ringed Octopus
Seen Nov 2024
at Caban Point (Anilao)
Acropora Coral
Seen year round
at Caban Point (Anilao)
Black Coral
Seen year round
at Maricaban Island
Feather Star (Crinoid)
Seen year round
at Maricaban Island
Giant Sea Fan
Seen year round
at Sombrero Island
Glassfish (Silversides)
Seen year round
at Sombrero Island
Lined Seahorse
Seen year round
at Maricaban Island
Vulnerable
Porites Coral
Seen year round
at Caban Point (Anilao)
Rainbow Runner
Seen year round
at Verde Island Drop-Off
Least concern
Soft Coral
Seen year round
at Verde Island Drop-Off
Hammerhead Shark
Seasonal visitor
at Caban Point (Anilao)
Critically endangered
Spanish Dancer Nudibranch
Seasonal visitor
at Verde Island Drop-Off
Thresher Shark
Seasonal visitor
at Sombrero Island
Endangered
Whale Shark
Seasonal visitor
at Maricaban Island
Endangered
Dive sites
Verde Island Drop-Off
dogtooth tuna · rainbow runner · mandarin fish · pygmy seahorse
Sombrero Island
glassfish (silversides) · giant trevally · great barracuda · ocellaris clownfish
Maricaban Island
flamboyant cuttlefish · robust ghost pipefish · coleman shrimp · lined seahorse
Caban Point (Anilao)
hairy frogfish · mimic octopus · blue-ringed octopus · hammerhead shark