Los Bamboos
11.3431°N 124.1089°E · reef
Los Bamboos is a reef dive site in Philippines Malapascua, Asia.
Overview
Los Bamboos is a coral slope on the southern side of Malapascua named for the bamboo fish traps that local fishermen once set along this stretch of reef. The site descends from a shallow reef crest rich in branching corals down to a rubble and sand bottom at around 20 meters, where garden eels sway in the mild current and burrowing gobies dart between shrimp burrows. It makes an excellent second or third dive of the day when the water is at its warmest and the fish feeding activity picks up in the afternoon light.
Site Information
- Location: Philippines Malapascua, Asia
- Entry Type: Boat dive
- Site Type: Reef
- Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Maximum Depth: 20 meters
Marine Life
Los Bamboos is a productive reef slope for classic Visayan reef fish, with garden eels swaying in clusters across the sandy bottom at depth and burrowing gobies darting between shrimp-goby burrows. Wrasse, butterflyfish, and parrotfish dominate the mid-reef, while the rubble patches yield the occasional seahorse and small nudibranchs. Sea turtles are frequently seen resting on the coral heads in the shallower sections of the slope.
Sources: Malapascua Thresher Shark Divers - Dive Sites, ZuBlu Thresher Sharks of Malapascua, Thresher Shark Divers Resort, Diving Squad Malapascua Guide, Divernet Malapascua Diving Guide. Last updated 2026-04-04.
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
539 verified species observations (204 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1908 and 2025, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Alopias pelagicus
- Sphenanthias
- Cetorhinus maximus
- Bathycongrus
- Clavelina moluccensis
- Goniobranchus reticulatus · チリメンウミウシ
- Nembrotha cristata · トサカリュウグウウミウシ
- Tambja morosa · ミドリリュウグウウミウシ
- Hypselodoris variobranchia · カグヤヒメウミウシ
- Thuridilla lineolata · ソライロミドリガイ
- Nembrotha kubaryana · アカフチリュウグウウミウシ
- Hypselodoris bullockii · ゾウゲイロウミウシ
Scientific survey records skew toward sampled taxa (molluscs, corals) and do not reflect what you are guaranteed to see on a dive.
Source: OBIS (obis.org), aggregated Darwin Core occurrence records.
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