Tingko Beach
Tingko Beach is a popular getaway located in Daan Lungsod, Alcoy in Cebu, Philippines. It is situated in a small but deep lagoon across a coral island, called Mabad-on Reef, which is completely submerged during high tide and exposed during low tide. It is separated only by a very narrow channel from the mainland. Tingko Beach is characterised as an extensive stretch of arcing shoreline, more than a mile (1,600 m) long with very white sand and crystal clear water fringed with coconut palm grooves and limestone cliffs. A few feet from the shore the sea floor gradually plunges down to a depth of several feet below the surface.
The beach can be crowded during weekends where locals and city folks, and occasionally foreigners, flock to enjoy the beautiful sand, sea and sun. Because of its unique location, being an arcing shoreline on a lagoon, the sand at the southernmost end of the beach shifts northward during the northeast winter monsoon season, some time between late September and early December, thereby emptying the sand completely and exposing the rocky bed of the shore. The sand returns quickly starting in late December. The beach is hidden from sight of the road as it is situated below a low limestone cliff.
On a promontory a few meters beyond the northern reach of Tingko Beach stands the centuries-old Spanish-built Bantayan sa Hari (watch tower). Coordinates: 9°41′N 123°30′E / 9.683°N 123.500°E