I love diving in the Philippines, Balicasag Island is still my favourite location after my first trip in the early 1990s. After a long lapse, I have returned on many occasions enjoying every single trip.

Alona Beach itself has changed greatly since my first trip; sure, there has been plenty of development on the beachfront, however the basic vibe hasn’t. The actual diving around Panglao Island has deteriorated somewhat, the walls are fine but marine life is almost non-existent now. The quality of diving around Balicasag hasn’t deteriorated greatly with schools of jacks and barracuda frequently sighted around the island; the vertical and sloping walls maintain their world class appeal.

One side of the island offers vertical walls while the opposing side slopes away in a gentle fashion to about 16 metres before a more gradual vertical drop. Directly in front of the island offers a sloping reef with plenty of options to enjoy the barracuda. The schooling jackfish tend to congregate on the vertical wall but have been known to move around to the sloping area. I still try to get back to Alona Beach once a year to dive even after all this time.