Potipot Island

Other notable islands on the Zambales Coast are the islands of Potipot, 1 kilometer away from the mainland shore of Uacon, Candelaria, further north of Iba (roughly over an hour away). The island is reached by 5 minutes by boat and it has lush vegetation and white sand beaches as well. Grande Island in Subic Bay is great for wreck diving as well as if you want to increase your count of the number of islands you have been to in the Philippines- you might as well drop into Snake Island also in Subic and Hermana Mayor Island in Santa Cruz. Panatag Shoal (also known as Scarborough Shoal) 137 miles off the coast of Palauig town offers diving opportunities. As early as the 1500s, Filipinos have used this shoal to fish and seek shelter during bad weather. While being ridiculously claimed by China and Taiwan (Manila is heaps closer to the shoal than Beijing or Taipei), the shoal is being administered by the Philippine Navy and Panatag shoal falls within the baseline limits of the United Nations Convention of the Laws of the Seas (UNCLOS). Topographic, scientific and marine studies have been conducted by University of the Philippines and the Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the area. Chinese poachers continue to harass the area.