Romblon

A day here is short on travel and long on water time. Centres run three or four dives, most of them a short outrigger hop to the neighbouring islets or a walk in from the beach, and the dives are slow: guides work a narrow band of slope back and forth with a pointer, and groups stay shallow enough that gas or bottom time, rather than depth, ends the dive. Cameras set the pace, and it is normal for a group to spread across ten metres of sand for the whole hour.

The ground itself varies more than the reputation suggests. Sheltered channels between the islands hold firm dark sand with sponge, whip coral and rubble patches; other slopes are soft silt where one careless fin stroke ends the sighting for everyone behind you; and a few sites break into short coral walls with fans. Current is mild enough that sites are dived on any tide and repeated whenever a guide thinks something has moved in, which is a large part of why the odd animals keep surfacing.

It suits photographers, and divers who have already worked out that finding things is a skill rather than luck, and anyone happy to stay put for a week instead of touring. Guides here dive the same slopes daily and track individual animals between dives, which is the actual product being sold. Divers who want big animals, blue water or a lot to do above the surface will find the week thin; the island is quiet, and the diving is the whole reason to be on it.