Tinoto Village in General Santos City - Philippines

Tinoto Village is home to one of the prime diving spots of Mindanao, which is the Tampuan or Tinoto Wall Complex, otherwise known as The Wall. It is situated about 30 to 50 kilometers from the Tuna Capital, which is General Santos City. Getting to Tinoto Village is easy because of the access road going to it that is funded by the United States Agency for International Development or the USAID. When one goes to Tinoto Village via this road, all it would take is a 45 minute ride down from General Santos City to get to the village. And then, once the tourist enters Tinoto Village, it would take just a 25 meter trip to get to The Wall.

As mentioned earlier, the main attraction in the Tinoto Village is the Tampuan or Tinoto Wall Complex, which is one of the diving spots that General Santos City is best known for. The Tinoto Wall is more popularly known as The Wall, mainly because of its structure. It is basically just that, a wall featuring series of dive spots for a total span of about ten kilometers. On this entire stretch, tourists mainly look for the Coral Gardens. This is, as the name itself suggests, all corals with a whole wealth of marine life in it. Divers would be sure to see here the famed yellow fin tuna of General Santos City, as well as hammerhead sharks, shoaling fish, manta rays and eagle rays. Also expect to see aquarium fishes such as the Napoleon wrasse, the bump head parrot fish, sea fans, nudibranchs, and sea cucumbers. There are even plenty of tunicates, reef fishes, sponges, hydroids, and crustaceans. And the best part of it all is that the deeper the diver goes into the water, the better the chances of seeing even bigger species of fish.

According to tourism officials, the waters in The Wall are about 200 meters deep. Visibility is still good up to ten meters; beyond that, it does get a bit murky. Diving should not be a problem even for amateur divers if the waves are not that strong, but when the winds start moving the waters, they'd better get a run for the shore, for there is a tendency for the strong waves to induce fear in the hearts of the not so adventurous.

Costs in having a diving spree in Tinoto Village would usually just involve the fare, the diving equipment, the accommodations, and the food. There are travel packages available but it is best to consult trusted locals or local tourism officials as per the exact costs associated with a diving spree in Tinoto.