Boho Rock

Boho Rock sits on the rugged coast of Poro Island, part of the Camotes group in Cebu province, where the shoreline drops more sharply into open water than it does on the sand beaches that make up most of the group’s coast. Concrete staircases have been cut directly into the rock face here, replacing what was once an informal scramble down bare rock to reach the water — a local infrastructure upgrade, built and maintained by the barangay, that turned a known swimming and diving spot into a stop visitors can reach without technical climbing experience. Viewing decks and diving platforms are built into the staircase system at a few different heights, each dropping straight to open sea below.

The platforms range from a modest jump close to the waterline up to a considerably higher one near the top of the staircase, and most visitors work their way down rather than starting at the highest point; local guides posted near the platforms generally advise checking water depth and current before any jump, since conditions at the base of the cliff shift with the tide over the course of a day. The rock formation itself is part of the same limestone coastline that runs along much of Poro’s shore, shaped by wave action against the raised coral base that underlies most of the Camotes group.

Camotes’ coastal barangays, including the stretch around Boho Rock, run largely on fishing and seaweed farming rather than tourism, and the income tourism does bring to a site like this is a smaller, seasonal supplement rather than the main livelihood for most households nearby. Parking fees, guiding, and a handful of small refreshment stalls near the entrance provide that supplement, run by families from the surrounding barangay rather than an outside operator. The staircase and platform system, while a genuine improvement in safety and access over the old scramble down bare rock, is still maintained with local rather than commercial-scale resources, part of why entrance stays inexpensive and the site keeps a fairly unpolished, working character rather than one built out for tourism.

The water below the platforms sits over the same reef systems found along much of Poro’s coast, and the site has increasingly attracted snorkelers and casual divers alongside cliff-jumpers, drawn by the same clear water and reef access that makes the rest of Camotes’ coastline worth diving into. Because the diving and jumping happens directly above the reef, local guides ask visitors to stick to the designated platforms rather than jumping from unmarked points along the cliff, both for visitor safety and to avoid damaging coral directly below the more heavily used jump spots.

Shaded gazebos near the top of the staircase offer a place to rest and watch other visitors jump before or after a swim, and the view from up there — open water framed by the cliff edge and the staircase switching back down the rock face — is as much a draw for some visitors as the jumping itself.

• Cliff-diving platforms range from moderate to high jumps into open water below.
• The staircase system doubles as a photo point, framing the coastline on the way down.
• Shaded gazebos near the top offer a place to rest after the swim.
• Check with local guides on water depth and current before jumping — conditions at the base shift with the tide.

Explore More in Poro (Camotes)

• Nuestra Se\xF1ora del Pilar de Zaragoza Church
• Tapilo Wreck
• Archbishops Palace