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Dive Sites (Additional) | Dumaguete Info

Apo Island is a famous dive site in Dumaguete, Philippines. Apo Island is situated in the Mindanao Sea near Dumaguete. Apo Island is a volcanic rock island that is about 72 hectares in land area.

Apo Island has a number of dive sites that will fascinate every diver from Dumaguete and other places. The astounding underwater ecosystem of Apo Island has the coverage of 65% corals with 400 coral species and 700 fish species. In Dumaguete, Apo Island is the best dive site to go.

The Chapel is among the dive sites of Apo Island. It is named after the Catholic Church in Apo Island that is dedicated to their patron saint San Vicente de Ferrer, the Fishermen. When diving in the Chapel in Apo Island during daytime, divers will see various kinds of fish species like Butterflyfish, Damsels, Anthiases, Wrasses, and others. Thresher sharks can also be sighted in the Chapel.

The Chapel in Apo Island reef has caves with the largest being 15 meters in length. During nighttime, the Chapel in Apo Island turns superb. There are lots of sea creatures that divers can see that are not visible during the day such as Anemones, Decorators, and Hermit Crabs.

Another interesting dive site in Apo Island is Boluarte, named after the huge solitary rock jutting out into the open sea. Diving in Boluarte is like a mystery dive. Mushroom and plate corals adorn the reef plateau while branching corals are in the shallower parts. Fishes like Harlequin Hinds, Squarespot Anthias, Scribbled, Bluefin Trevellies, and other species are abundant in the Boluarte in Apo Island.

Largahan is also among the dive sites in Apo Island. Most of the dives in Largahan are done between the depth of six meters to 14 meters and there is little water current. Largahan in Apo Island has a high density of various coral species, from hard corals, to soft corals, to massive corals.

At the southern tip of Apo Island is the dive sites of Rock Point. The highlight of diving in Rock Point is a very large grouper that lives in a cave. Superb soft corals and large old coral heads decorated the plateau of Rock Point. These coral heads are estimated to be between 800 to 1,000 years old.

One of the dive sites of Apo Island is the Sanctuary. It is located at the east side of Apo Island. One of the highlights in the Sanctuary is the Clownfish City. A group of very large corals that is about half a dozen in number has anemones growing over them. The Tomato Anemone fish with other small fishes are populating these growing anemones. A school of juvenile Bigeye Jacks is another highlight in the Sanctuary.

Aside from these five dive sites in Apo Island, other dive sites can be found along the island. The other dive sites are Mamsa Point, Kan-u-ran, Coconut, and Cogon.

Apo Island is rich in marine life. Foreign and local divers come to Dumaguete to experience a different kind of diving adventure in Apo Island.