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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Apo Reef location page.
Overview
34 km² coral atoll in the Mindoro Strait, roughly 28 km west of Occidental Mindoro — the second largest contiguous coral reef system in the world after the Great Barrier Reef. Two lagoons split by a sand channel are ringed by walls dropping past 40 m. Shark Ridge and The Cathedral pinnacle near Binangaan Islet reliably hold whitetip and grey reef sharks, with blacktips patrolling the outer reef and occasional scalloped hammerheads passing through. Oceanic manta rays cruise the perimeter from November to May alongside giant Napoleon wrasse, schooling jacks, and hawksbill turtles working a coral garden of more than 400 hard and soft species. Visibility past 30 m is routine in the dry season; strong currents along the outer walls keep most dives at advanced level.
Briefing note
Apo Reef Natural Park protection fee is required and collected by Sablayan rangers; a park ranger normally joins each trip. Fishing, anchoring, spearfishing and shark feeding are prohibited inside the marine park. Strong currents along the outer walls, especially at Shark Ridge and the Binangaan drop off, make advanced certification typical and a surface marker buoy mandatory for drifts. Southwest monsoon brings rough seas and frequent cancellations from June through October. Nearest recompression chamber is in Subic Bay or Manila — long medevac, plan conservatively on bottom time and gas.
What you'll see
7 species curated- year-roundWhitetip reef sharkPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundGrey reef sharkPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundBlacktip reef sharkPeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- rareScalloped hammerheadPeak: Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar
- seasonalOceanic manta rayPeak: Nov · Dec · Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May
- year-roundGiant Napoleon wrassePeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
- year-roundHawksbill turtlePeak: Jan · Feb · Mar · Apr · May · Jun · Jul · Aug · Sep · Oct · Nov · Dec
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Feb | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Mar | 27–29 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
| Apr | 28–30 °C | 20–30 m | mild |
| May | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Jun | 28–30 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Jul | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Aug | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | strong |
| Sep | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Oct | 27–29 °C | 12–22 m | moderate |
| Nov | 27–29 °C | 18–28 m | mild |
| Dec | 26–28 °C | 20–30 m | moderate |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Next step
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