Dio Island, Tacloban: The Tiny Island With a Secret Tunnel

The entrance was the first strange thing. On most islands, a hidden tunnel would sit behind rocks or thick trees. On Dio Island, it sits beside an old swimming pool — right next to the slide.

For years, people around Tacloban have passed around a story about this island. They say a tunnel runs beneath it, and that it stretches all the way under the sea to mainland Leyte. The island is only about two kilometers from shore, but for us it might as well have been the moon. We did not know who to approach, and we did not know if it was open to outsiders at all.

This trip, we finally got our chance to cross — and to walk inside the tunnel ourselves.

The Island You Can See From the Airport

Our day began near Daniel Z. Romualdez (DZR) Airport, where a big expansion is underway. A new control tower now stands just a few meters from the existing passenger terminal, and a wide new access road — about four lanes with a center island — is close to finished, though it remains closed to motorists while the new terminal building goes up.

From there, a quick two-kilometer drive brought us to Pacific Point, one of the most popular beach resorts in Tacloban and our jump-off point. The trip took barely two minutes; the road is wide, and there was no traffic.

In the resort’s parking area, we got our first hint of this coast’s past: a Japanese pillbox from the Second World War, still intact. A small hole in its wall let soldiers peek out for approaching enemies, and its thick body served as protection against American bombings. This part of Samar and Leyte witnessed some of the heaviest events of the war, and old military bases, cannons, and shelters built by Japanese and American soldiers still stand around these waters.

Fifteen Minutes Across the Water

Joining me were Karl Patrick, JD, and Luther, with Ma’am Niña of Pacific Point guiding the trip. Before we boarded, she pointed at the water. “Here in Tacloban, the water is crystal clear,” she said. “It’s just not appreciated because of the black sand.”

The crossing took only about fifteen minutes. Dio Island sits so close to the city that it still falls under Tacloban.

Even from afar, we could see a white bay waiting. One side of the island is lined with rocks and corals. The front, facing the airport, is wrapped in white sand. It is not as fine as the sand of Canigao Island and other famous beaches of Leyte — but from our drone, Dio Island could stand beside the paradise islands of the province.

Into the Tunnel

Most of the buildings on Dio Island are ruins now. Of all of them, only the small chapel still has its roof. Then, beside the old swimming pool and its slide, we found the dark doorway we came for.

One by one, we went in.

The rumor was true — at least the first half of it. There really is a tunnel under Dio Island, and it is longer than the stories say. It runs for more than half a kilometer, curving around the island — from a house on one side, out to the mangroves at the far end, and back again.

Breathing inside was easier than I expected. The tunnel runs shallow, just a few meters below the ground, so air still moves through it. Deeper tunnels elsewhere run short of oxygen; this one does not. In some sections, we stepped over sand that recent typhoons had pushed inside. We joked about snakes, kept our lights up, and kept walking.

I will be honest: Dio Island surprised me. We expected the usual island — a nice beach, clear water. Instead, under those beaches, we found this.

The Rumor, Answered

So does the tunnel reach mainland Leyte? No. That part of the story is not true. The tunnel is long, but it begins and ends on Dio Island.

Then comes the harder question: who dug it, and what was it for? Here, the trail goes cold. The reasons behind the tunnel, we were told, are confidential. No one on the island would say more than that. Dio sits in waters filled with wartime history, from the pillbox at Pacific Point to the old bases around the gulf — but whether the tunnel belongs to that story, nobody would confirm.

For now, the tunnel keeps its secret. And that, more than anything, is what makes this tiny island strange.

Three Hectares Shaped by Storms

Dio Island covers only about three hectares. Packed inside that small space are coconut trees, mangroves, a lagoon, and rock formations, all surrounded by clear water. Almost all the houses on the island are destroyed. This part of the Philippines lies along the path of strong typhoons, and the island takes the sea head-on. Its mangroves stand exactly where they are needed most — on the side where the big waves come in whenever a storm hits Eastern Visayas.

From the shore, the view explains Dio’s place on the map better than words can. Across the water on one side is Basey — its town proper clearly visible — along with Jinamoc Island and Marabut in Samar. On the other side is Leyte. Dio floats between the two provinces, yet it belongs to Tacloban City.

One of my companions, a Tacloban local, summed up the day best: “There was a nervous part, excitement — amazing. In my 26 years, this is the first time we explored this. We are from Tacloban, and this is the first time we saw the whole of Dio Island.”

What Comes Next

For now, Dio Island is not open for regular visits. Pacific Point, which manages access to it, is still studying the best way to welcome tourists to an island that, until now, most people have only seen from across the water at the airport.

The plan starts small: day tours first, with no overnight stays yet, plus boodle fights — shared feasts laid out for the whole group. Glamping is also on the list, though the resort’s glamping project at Baluarte comes first.

Back at Pacific Point, we ended the day with a boodle fight and a look around the resort: the Tagpuan Beach Bar, with barbecue and a live band every Friday to Sunday; kayaks, hydro bikes, and skimboards for rent; Queen’s Gambit Cafe, a coffee shop by day that will soon open as a sports bar at night with billiards, beer pong, and darts; and Studio 88, a high-end bar serving cocktails you will not find anywhere else in Tacloban. There is even dirty ice cream — the classic Filipino sorbetes — in a different flavor every day.

Crossing back to the mainland, I kept thinking about that doorway beside the pool slide. We answered one question that day: the tunnel is real, and it does not reach Leyte. But the bigger question — who dug more than half a kilometer of tunnel under a three-hectare island, and why — is still waiting for its answer.

Some islands hide their stories in old ruins. This one keeps its story underground.

Watch the full expedition

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