Diving Apo Reef National Park in the Philippines

Apo Reef scuba diving features

MARINE LIFE:

reef sharks
turtles
octopus

APO REEF'S TOP DIVE SITE
Shark Ridge

DESTINATION OVERVIEW
Apo Reef is the largest coral reef in the Philippines and a highly significant reef system. The surrounding National Park consists of three small islands and two separate submerged coral reefs, divided by a channel and providing a good, if small selection of dive sites.

This reef is not easy to reach as it lies 33 kilometres west of the town of Sablayan on Mindoro. This isolation has it's benefits though as the reef and its surrounding waters are now – finally – protected. For many years, Apo had it attracted divers but destructive fishing practices discouraged marine tourism. When divers stopped coming altogether, the situation worsened. However, several conservation bodies, working in conjunction with local government, culminated in submitting the project to UNESCO for consideration as a World Heritage Site.

There are several environments inside the park’s boundaries and the buffer zone. These include coral reefs, seagrass beds and a shallow lagoon ringed by mangrove forests, which acts as a spawning ground and nursery for marine species as well as a sanctuary for birds, however, the bonus for divers is the sharp drop-offs and steep walls that are patrolled by larger marine species. Turtles and sharks are fairly common and the corals are mostly in good condition.

Seasons
All year but rainy from June - September
Visibility:
10 – 40 metres
Water temperature:
25 – 29º C.
Deco chambers:
Manila and Batangas

Flights to Manila then a three hour road transfer to Anilao then overnight by liveaboard

Liveaboard operators are few and far between in the Philippines. The ones that do exist change their routes frequently so it's important to search for current schedules

PROS AND CONS
Like much of the Philippines, it require a bit of extra effort to reach you chosen destination as the diving areas are so widespread. For Apo Reef, there is no accommodation on the park islands so to get there you need to be on a liveaboard and again, these are not as plentiful as they are in other Asian countries. Many of the ones that do exist wll include Apo as a two day en route to another area - but this is certainly enough to see these reefs.

SCUBA DIVING
There are several environments inside the park’s boundaries including walls, sloping coral reefs and seagrass beds however, operators tend to stick to teh walls as these are where most big animals are seen. The dives are deep though, it is likely you will go beyond 40 metres if you want to see the sharks. Currents are variable, and can be strong at times.

OPINION
Apo Reef National Park is quite a contrast to other Filippino diving regions and is well worth seeing if you can find a boat that is travelling this way. We went on tge way to Coron and certainly enjoyed the differing styles.