Apo Island, Philippines

[ 0 ] February 10, 2013 | patwilsonIV

Short, sweet, sublime. That was our trip to Apo Island.

welcome to island paradise

the official mascot of Apo Island

A tiny island, Apo is 30 acres big (.3 sq miles) and located about 4 miles off the coast of Negros Island in the Philippines. Getting there is no easy feat either. We flew into Dumaguete City. A 30-kilometer car ride later we were looking out onto a black sand volcanic beach. A small Bangka (Philippine style outrigger canoe) was waiting on the beach to take us across the channel to the island. One hour later we finally arrived at paradise.

arriving at dumaguete airport, a small town on an island in the south of the Philippines

arriving at the airport in Dumaguete, a small town on an island in the south of the Philippines

all aboard - taking a bangka boat across the Bohol Sea toward Apo Island (seen in the background here)

taking a bangka boat across the Bohol Sea toward Apo Island (seen here in the background)

arriving by bangka to Apo Island - pop. 300+2

arriving by bangka to Apo Island – pop. 700+2

Village Life

There is a microscopic village on the island – about 700 people strong – and only two small lodges. With not much choice, we easily gravitated toward Liberty Lodge, which has the largest dive shop on the island. While certainly a bit rustic (no hot water and electricity is only turned on for a few hours per day), Liberty lodge is a gem of beachfront bliss. It is island living at its finest and makes you feel like you’re a living Robinson Crusoe.

Welcome to Apo Island and Liberty Lodge

our “chic and basic” home while on Apo Island

village children playing on parked bangka boats – aka the community jungle gym

who needs electricity with this view?

The Best Diving in the World!

People visit Apo Island for one reason, Scuba Diving. The entire island is basically one large reef. From sea turtles to trigger fish, eels, and even sea snakes, the entire island is alive with marine life.

Over the following three days we ate, slept, and dreamt about diving. We submitted ourselves completely to this one sole activity, pausing only to eat and wait for our next mandatory surface interval to lapse. We were able to squeeze in 12 dives in total during our stay on Apo (including an unforgettable night dive). While I know this might ring of hyperbole, nonetheless and in all truthfulness, these 12 dives were the 12 most extraordinary underwater experiences of my life. Better than diving in Greece or Zanzibar, better than the Red Sea, even better than the Great Barrier Reef, Alison and I both agree that Apo was hands down the best diving we’ve experienced on our RTW journey. We were basically living atop a giant piece of coral. Each corner, nook, and cranny of the island offered a new and unique underwater flora and fauna. I have no words. I can only hope that some of you reading this will have the opportunity to visit Apo and share this treasured experience.

The pictures clearly speak for themselves. Diving at Apo is clearly worth any minor discomfort on the land. I actually found it quite fun living like a marooned castaway for a few days. Its amazing how long a sunset can capture your full attention for under the right circumstances. In short, Apo Island is a true off-the-beaten-path treasure trove of adventure and experience.