...Highlights: dolphins, turtles, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics...
...Diving environment: walls, drift diving, beginner and advanced divers...
30 kilometres south of Dumaguete, Apo Island rises from the Tañon Strait. This small volcanic outcrop is one of the Philippines' oldest marine protected areas, and the reef shows it. For anyone planning an Apo Island dive, that heritage matters. Hard coral coverage is dense. Fish biomass is extraordinary. And turtles, green and hawksbill, appear on nearly every dive.
An Apo Island dive is not about searching. It is about choosing where to look first. At Coconut Point, you drop into a drift and let the current sweep you over gardens of staghorn and table coral. Schools of jacks and barracuda hold station above the reef. Sea snakes hunt through the crannies. At The Chapel, a wall riddled with overhangs and small caverns hosts black and white snappers, dogtooth tuna, and leaf fish tucked into the coral. Bumphead parrotfish crunch past, unfussed by your bubbles. This is Apo Island diving at its most rewarding.
What makes diving at Apo Island different is the density. The marine sanctuary, managed with local fishing communities, has had decades to recover. You feel that the moment you descend. Visibility is reliably good. Currents range from gentle to strong, so there are sites for beginners and advanced divers alike. Katipanan, a shallow slope maxing at 18 metres, suits macro lovers and check-out dives. Mamsa Point, where currents can whip up, attracts eagle rays and reef sharks.
Named after the house of worship on the nearby Apo shore, this The Chapel can be a religious experience in itself. You will be gathered here to pay homage to this stunning site that has a little bit of everything. Your dive will begin as you descend into a heavenly shallow coral and sandy area. Then you cross over to where the reef drops away becoming a holey wall that won’t leave you wailing.
Priestly black and white snappers are cloistered together alongside barracuda and dog-toothed tuna. The foot of this divine wall is about 30m depth and there are a series of overhangs and caverns to explore. While this dive is suitable for all levels, some of the caverns may only be for more experienced divers since you need to bow your heads and control your fin kicks. Many reef fish, some in schools, will be all around the wall while small blessings such as leaffish and myriad nudibranchs can be spotted upon it. Sea snakes and bumphead parrotfish are also regular sightings amid the fishy throng. Amen.
Coconut Point is known as The Place in Apo for the best drift dive in the region. You can allow the current to do the work as you glide over the sloping reef which boasts an impressive array of soft corals and barrel sponges decorated with crinoids. Large schools are often present such as jacks, blue-dash fusiliers, barracuda and bignose unicornfish. There are also some pristine, expansive table corals passing beneath you as you drift. Sea snakes are common here and you can watch them hunting around the nooks and crannies of the reef.
This site is sometimes named ‘Washing Machine’ because of the currents and how they can change direction. There is a sheltered patch of sandy sea floor between 2 walls where you can slip out of the current and enjoy the eddy. This might be a good place to look around for turtles, manta rays or, if your luck is in, you might spot the unmistakable shape and coloration of a whale shark. For experienced divers, this is a highlight of any Apo Island diving trip.
A less visited site on Apo's eastern side, Cogon Point features a sloping reef that transitions into a gentle wall. The coral cover is dense with large table corals and branching staghorn dominate the shallows. Look for leaf scorpionfish hidden among the rubble and pygmy seahorses on the gorgonians beyond 20 metres. Turtles are common here, often resting under overhangs. Currents are mild to moderate, making it a good alternative when other sites are running fast.
Nestled within the protected waters of Apo Island Marine Sanctuary, Katipanan is a diver's paradise, offering a attractive underwater escape. This gentle slope is perfect for both beginners and seasoned Apo Island scuba diving enthusiasts since the best of the reef is no deeper than 18m and it features a stunning mix of hard and soft coral gardens teeming with marine life. As you glide over the reef slope, keep an eye out for green sea turtles grazing on the reef, schools of tropical fish darting through the corals, and hidden macro critters like nudibranchs and shrimp. With its calm conditions, excellent visibility, and rich biodiversity, Katipanan provides a peaceful yet exhilarating dive experience, showcasing the best of Apo Island's thriving marine ecosystem.
Mamsa Point - Mamsa is the local word for jacks and they are here, sometimes in incredible numbers. However as scuba divers might expect from Apo Island, the species are numerous. The currents can fairly whip up at Mamsa Point, so it is mostly for experienced divers, although at times the currents might be too much for anyone to enter the water. Other fish enjoying the nutrient bounty that the running currents deliver are groupers, big-eye trevally, blacktips and whitetips. Less mobile diners include large barrel sponges, sea urchins and lots of featherstars. Look out for sunburst butterflyfish, scorpionfish, lionfish, frogfish and moray eels all around the reef. If you turn to face the blue you might see pelagic tuna who have more than a passing interest in the massive school of jacks. You might also see one or several eagle rays seeming to hover in the current or swimming against it, apparently with the minimum of effort. This is advanced Apo Island diving at its most thrilling.
Marine Sanctuary is a no-fishing zone allowing for the marine life of the island as a whole to regenerate. It replenishes the entire island's fish populations. The dive is a gentle slope from 5 to 25 metres, covered in hard corals and anemones. Oblique banded sweetlips can be seen and expect dense schools of anthias, damselfish, and surgeonfish. Clownfish live in every available anemone. The real draw is the sheer abundance: you rarely swim more than a few metres without seeing a turtle, a banded sea krait, or a school of jacks passing overhead.
Hard coral lovers will appreciate the seascape at Rocky Point West. Many divers believe the coverage here to be the best in the Apo Island region. Competing for space on the reef are staghorn corals, table corals, mushrooms corals and also endless stretches of leather corals. Vast numbers of smaller fish are a feature here and you can see seemingly thousands of pyramid butterflyfish and red-toothed triggerfish swimming first out into the blue and then back to the safety of their ‘burrows’ in the reef. While mobula rays, manta rays and schools of fish are often present, this site is mostly prized for the smaller creatures living on the reef. Frogfish and cuttlefish are among the most sought-after residents of Rocky Point West. Banded sea kraits, adored by some, feared by others, are also commonly seen. You could encounter them in double figures on a single dive in Apo Island.
More of the best dive sites of Apo Island: Baluarte features geothermal bubble streams emanating from the sand which is an unusual sight. This little wall and sandy slope also feature many of the more usual sightings of Apo such as turtles, banded sea kraits and butterflyfish. Largahan has a sea bed of dark volcanic sand where you could spot octopus, nudibranchs, flatworms and ribbon eels. Scorpionfish and frogfish are also likely to be seen on the ledge-strewn reef. Streams of bubbles are present here. Kan-uran Point is a fantastic wall with numerous sandy ledges where nudibranchs and sailfin gobies can be found. You may even spot radial filefish (Acreichthys radiatus) as well as numerous bignose fieflish and surgeonfish.
Apo Island diving works well as a day trip from Dauin or as part of a longer liveaboard through the Visayas. Most divers spend 2 days here, one for the drift sites, another for the walls and the sandy slopes. Bring a reef hook for the exposed points. Bring a wide-angle lens for the schools. And leave time between dives to sit on the island's beach.
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Usually calm but can be choppy during monsoon squalls
Water temperature
25 - 30°C
Experience level
Beginner - advanced
Number of dive sites
12
Distance
30 km south from Dumaguete
Recommended length of stay
2-4 days
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