Sardine Wall

The western face of Pescador Island is where the sardine run — one of the most photographed phenomena in Philippine diving — unfolds. Millions of sardines move in tight bait balls that twist and contract against the wall in response to the hunting passes of thresher sharks, jacks, and rainbow runners. The curtain of fish can be so dense it blocks ambient light, creating an otherworldly silver tunnel around divers who position themselves at mid-water. The wall itself drops from 3 metres to beyond 35, with sea fans and black coral providing structure for pygmy seahorses and ghost pipefish. The sardine aggregation peaks between March and June but is present year-round in smaller numbers.