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Where to Stay for Sibaltan Manta Diving | Ursula Beach Club
Where to stay for manta diving in Sibaltan
Updated October 2026
The short answer
Sibaltan is on El Nido's east coast, about an hour from El Nido town by road. The manta cleaning stations in Imorigue Bay are reached by boat from the village. Divers who stay in El Nido town lose roughly two hours a day to the transfer; divers who stay in Sibaltan do not. Ursula Beach Club is on Sibaltan beach, a few minutes from the dive centres, with a restaurant, reliable power and hot water.
The diving
Imorigue Bay holds a resident population of reef mantas. More than forty individuals have been photo-identified, and Sibaltan-based operators contribute to the research. The main site, Saan Ka, is a cleaning station at 10 to 18 metres — shallow, gentle, and manageable for less experienced divers.
Mantas are seen year round and are never guaranteed. Published accounts agree the strongest months are March to June, and the flattest conditions on this coast run March to October. No honest operator here promises a sighting, and neither do we.
Why staying here changes the trip
Two hours a day
The round trip from El Nido town is about 100 minutes on the road, before the boat. Over three diving days that is five hours.
Morning dives
Mantas are most often seen in the morning. Staying here means being on the boat when the water is best, rather than arriving after a 6am departure from town.
More than one day
The dive centres build their trips around single-day visitors, because that is what guests staying in town can manage. Staying in Sibaltan, you can dive the reefs as well as the cleaning station.
Rooms
Ursula Beach Club — four beachfront rooms with a restaurant, gym and beach massage. The comfortable option and the one most divers book.
Kattala — two air-conditioned rooms in the centre of the barangay, with sea views. A short walk from the dive centres and from the village.
Kasitas — six rooms in the centre of the barangay, two minutes from the beach: two air-conditioned, two deluxe with fan, two standard with fan. The widest choice of the three properties, and the most practical for longer stays and for groups booking through one dive centre.
Getting here
About an hour from El Nido town by road. A tricycle costs ₱1,500 to ₱1,800 for the trip, not per person. The dive centres can arrange shared vans. Our full guide to reaching El Nido and Coron covers every route.
Honestly, who should not stay here
If you want to dive Bacuit Bay, stay in El Nido town — Sibaltan is too far from those sites. If you want nightlife, stay in town. Sibaltan is a quiet village with a long beach and not much else, which for most of our guests is the point.