APO Island

The place , with the first sea life protection in the Philippines

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Expectations on APO

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Diving

What can a visitor expect and do on Apo Island?

 

 

 

Snorkeling to corals

Swimming in clean ocean water

Hiking to the top of island

nice view from the top of the Island

relaxation

dive shop and dive master

study village life

good food

no traffic like cars or Motorbikes or Taxi

no TV , no computer, no Internet.

no swimming pools

no air-condition

quietness

no crime, no violence

live with nature

intact community life

no begging

no stress

green island

peace

beauty of nature

white beach 350  meter

rocky beaches

corals

under water world

small village with friendly people

exercise meditation

shortage of water, collected in water tanks

western toilets

no shower, but scoop out of water tanks

limited times for electricity

cut off electricity at certain times of day

diesel generator

solar power

water conservation

 

 History of APO Island

 

In 1970, Apo Island didn’t have fish and corals, people of Apo Island went to another places to get fish for there foods, even they had to go to Mindanao and stay for 2 months harvesting fishes and then coming  back to the families in Apo Island.

 

In the year 1982, Silliman University Dumaguete City led by

Dr. Angel Alcala introduced about fish sanctuary in Apo Island, telling the fisherman not allowed to catch the fishes in fish sanctuary area.

 

 After 2 years fishes and corals have been seen within the sanctuary and outside. The fishermen were thought not to overfish. First Tourists started to come to Apo. In 1998 the Lode of Mrs. Liberty started, to accommodate Visitors.

 

By this project village people got their work. Over time Liberty employed 30 people, like cooks, waitresses, carpenters, dive master dive instructors, boat captain and crew and some workers for the utilities at the lodge.

 

That means, 30 families got a steady income and fishing was not any more necessary. The lodge extended its help also to the village such as:

Support the Elementary school, give Scholars to the young people going  to High School and University.

Visitors were told the story how Apo got up . They were impressed and gave donations to go on with all kind of developments like environmental activities.

First solar collectors were installed to bring light. Eco toilets started but we need more funding. Rain Water tanks collecting the precious drinking water. A filter system was added.

 

Meanwhile Apo island attracted more and more tourists. Boats with divers even come from Cebu and Bohol are coming.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Diving comparison to other places

 

“In my experience, the difference between diving Apo Island and diving other popular areas in the Philippines is night and day.  My first dive here after a week’s diving further north I was in shock.  Small and large fish were literally everywhere; add huge turtles, beautiful ‘small stuff’ and the density of healthy hard and soft coral cover – the effects of 20 years of marine sanctuary status are unmistakable. Apo has more fish and healthier coral than the near-Cairns dive sites I visited via liveaboard on the Great Barrier Reef.  The visibility here is also crystal clear compared to other reef and open water diving I did in the Philippines.

 

 APO as a model for other places

 

Apo’s model of conservation, community-based reef protection and

 sustainable development should be copied throughout the Philippines. This must be what all Philippines diving was like before destructive fishing practices and pollution took their toll.”

- Natasha Smith, Toronto ON