Hilutungan Channel

Hilutungan Channel runs along the edge of Mactan’s marine sanctuary network, a stretch of coral garden protected under local ordinance since barangay-managed sanctuaries here began drawing dive operators in the 1990s. Coral cover is dense enough to support schools of damselfish and parrotfish close to the surface, which is part of why the channel works for both first-time snorkelers and certified divers. Sanctuary fees collected at the site go toward patrol boats and reef upkeep — a funding model used across most of the small marine protected areas scattered around Olango and the Mactan channel.

• Snorkeling stays shallow and calm inside the marine sanctuary boundary, with schools of damselfish and parrotfish visible near the surface.
• Deeper dive sites nearby include walls and gentle slopes suited to both beginner and certified divers.
• Outrigger boats (bangka) run from Mactan’s coast to the channel and are the standard way to reach it, along with most of the other sanctuary islands nearby.

Explore More in Lapu-Lapu City

• San Vicente Marine Sanctuary
• Cebu-Cordova Link Expressway
• Gilutongan Marine Sanctuary