Enchanted River (Hinatuan)
A popular spring-fed swimming spot in Mindanao whose pool hides an underwater cave entrance at about 30 m. Tidal flow and a halocline change cave conditions sharply; no dive access procedure is published.
The spring pool at the head of the Enchanted River is a busy public attraction managed by the Hinatuan municipality as an eco-tourism area. The cave entrance lies about 30 m down in the pool.
Filipino Cave Divers reports describe seawater entering on high tides, a halocline around 33 m, and a cave that cannot be entered near its peak outflow. The same reports note a partial ceiling collapse found in 2013 and concern that heavy visitor numbers may harm a fragile ecosystem.
The environment
Spring pool over an underwater cave; brackish to salt water can intrude with the tide, with a halocline recorded at 33 m.
Conditions
Conditions depend on the tide: FCD divers recorded inward current, seawater and very poor visibility above the halocline at high tide, and still, very clear water at another tide state.
Typical ranges from published sources, not current conditions.
For orientation, not navigation. Hollow dots are approximate.
Every fact on this page, with its source (6)
| Fact | Status | Source |
|---|---|---|
| The river starts from an underwater cave entrance at 30 m depth. | Reported | [1] |
| On a high-tide dive divers met seawater, an inward current and very poor visibility until a halocline at 33 m; on another dive there was no current and very clear water.Observations from August 2013. | Reported | [2] |
| The team found recent cave-in sites with loose limestone on the ceiling in August 2013. | Reported | [2] |
| The municipality owns 27 hectares around the river and has declared it an eco-tourism area.As of March 2015. | Reported | [1] |
| FCD gives the coordinates 8.458886 N, 126.354667 E.Public tourist site. | Reported | [1] |
| FCD gives the coordinates 8.458886 N, 126.354667 E.Public tourist site. | Reported | [1] |
Verified: stated by an official or primary source we opened. Reported: from a secondary source only. Sources conflict: the note gives both versions. May be out of date: the newest source we found is old.
Written in our own words from the sources above. Report a correction