Kalanggaman Island
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.
Kalanggaman is the postcard: a sliver of an island trailing a white sandbar into turquoise water, administered from Leyte and visited from Malapascua as a full-day outing. Underwater, both flanks fall away in walls that carry the area's cleanest water, frequently 25 m or more of it, over healthy hard coral, barrel sponges, and gorgonian fans. Turtles and Napoleon-sized wrasse cruise the drop, pyramid butterflyfish feed off the wall, and deeper ledges occasionally hide a resting whitetip. The diving is straightforward drift-and-gaze, and the surface interval on the sandbar does half the selling.
The moment you come for: Best visibility in the area, twin walls off a photogenic sandbar, relaxed drift profiles
Topography: Steep coral walls flanking a sandbar islet
Current: Walls catch passing current; dives run as easy drifts along whichever side is working.
Entry: A 1-1.5 hour crossing usually run as a two-dive day trip with a sandbar lunch stop; island fees apply.
Know before you splash
Hazards: Open-water crossing and current on the exposed corners.
Conservation: Day-trip visitor numbers and fees are managed by the Palompon municipality; pack out everything.
Nitrox: Worth it here — profiles sit in the range where enriched air meaningfully extends no-stop time (with the training to use it).
Who you'll meet
Green Sea Turtle
Hawksbill Turtle
Napoleon (Humphead) Wrasse
Nudibranchs
Whitetip Reef Shark
For photographers
Wide angle: ★★★★★ · Macro: ★★☆☆☆ — editors' 1–5 rating of what this site gives each style of shooting