San Miguel
Depth is the range from the top of the site to its usual maximum; "recommended cert" is the mainstream-agency level operators usually ask for, not a legal rule. Currents and visibility change daily — treat everything here as planning ranges.
San Miguel is the Dauin sand slope in its purest form, a dark volcanic grade where the critter list reads like a muck-diving syllabus. Flamboyant cuttlefish strut in warning colors, mimic and coconut octopus perform their respective cons, hairy frogfish gulp along the rubble lines, and seasonal finds run from Ambon scorpionfish to wonderpus. The gentle profile lets guides zigzag for an hour, working known burrows and sponge clumps like a trapline. There is no scenery to speak of, which is the genre's standing joke; the show is entirely in the finding, and here the finding rarely fails.
The moment you come for: Flamboyant cuttlefish and mimic octopus, hour-long guided critter traplines, textbook black-sand muck
Topography: Black sand slope with scattered rubble patches
Current: Gentle along-shore drift at most; entries adjust to it.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Blue-ringed octopus and stonefish among the residents; fine silt punishes sloppy trim.
Conservation: Muck sticks are for steadying on bare sand only; prodding animals for a pose is the local cardinal sin.
Who you'll meet
Flamboyant Cuttlefish
Frogfish
Mimic Octopus
Nudibranchs
Ornate Ghost Pipefish
Seahorses
For photographers
Wide angle: ★☆☆☆☆ · Macro: ★★★★★ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting