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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Moalboal location page.
Overview
A volcanic island off the southeastern tip of Negros, ringed by one of the world's first community-run marine reserves — local fishers closed 450 m of reef in 1982 and the recovery is now a textbook case. Green and hawksbill turtles graze the shallow hard-coral gardens in such numbers that divers routinely share a single bommie with several at once, often within 5 m of the surface. The sheltered western sanctuary (Chapel, Rock Point West) suits any diver, while Coconut Point on the exposed tip rips with current that pulls in schooling bigeye trevally and jacks. Banded sea kraits hunt the coral heads, and the slopes pack more than 650 fish species and some 400 corals. Visibility regularly opens past 30 m.
Briefing note
Apo Island is a protected community marine sanctuary: a per-diver sanctuary/entrance fee applies and the no-take core has restricted entry points, so dive only with a registered local operator or guide. Coconut Point and the eastern side can have strong, unpredictable currents and downcurrents (advanced), while the western Chapel/Rock Point sanctuary is calm and shallow. Do not touch or chase the turtles. The amihan (northeast monsoon, roughly December-February) can make the exposed side rough.
What you'll see
7 species curated- year-roundGreen sea turtle
- year-roundHawksbill turtle
- year-roundBanded sea krait
- year-roundBigeye trevally
- year-roundTitan triggerfish
- year-roundClark's anemonefish
- year-roundGiant moray
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 26–27 °C | 15–30 m | moderate |
| Feb | 26–27 °C | 15–30 m | moderate |
| Mar | 27–28 °C | 20–35 m | mild |
| Apr | 28–29 °C | 20–40 m | mild |
| May | 28–30 °C | 20–40 m | mild |
| Jun | 28–30 °C | 15–35 m | mild |
| Jul | 28–29 °C | 15–30 m | moderate |
| Aug | 28–29 °C | 15–30 m | moderate |
| Sep | 28–29 °C | 15–30 m | moderate |
| Oct | 28–29 °C | 15–30 m | moderate |
| Nov | 27–28 °C | 15–30 m | moderate |
| Dec | 27–28 °C | 15–30 m | moderate |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Next step
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