Regions / Asia / Philippines / Apo Reef Club

Apo Reef Club

$1,080 / 7 Days, 2 Divers

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Apo Reef Club opened in 2007 and has 5 hectares of land that is nestled between the sea and mountains. It is located in Concepcion in the province of Occidental Mindoro in the Luzon Region. The only airline that flies from Manila to San Jose is Cebu Pacific Air, and the resort provides a shuttle service from San Jose Airport to Apo Reef Club. Travelers also take a 12-hour bus trip from Manila to San Jose Occidental Mindoro. The bus takes a ferry that departs from Abra de Ilag Port to San Jose. The island of Mindoro lies like a crescent moon about one hundred fifty kilometers south of Manila and is northeast of Palawan. The island is made up of largely untouched cloud forests that reach from the mountain peaks down to the river valleys.

Apo Reef Club WEATHER

The resort offers four styles of accommodation: the beachfront bungalow, beachfront room, garden bungalow, and backpacker room. The beachfront bungalow has A/C, a private bath, security box, mini bar, fans, and a king-sized bed. There is also a terraced area outside that is perfect for relaxing with a view of the ocean. There are three beachfront rooms that have A/C, a private bath, security box, mini bar, fans, and queen-sized beds. There is a furnished terrace that faces the sea. There are also three Garden bungalows with A/C, a private bath, a security box, fans, and queen-sized beds. The furnished terrace faces the sea and is surrounded by greenery. There are five backpacker rooms that have fans and cold running water. All rooms have a breakfast buffet and dinner included. There are four toilets and bathrooms with cold showers separate from the rooms. The resort’s bar is located on the beachfront and opens daily at 4:00 pm. The resort’s restaurant is home to delightful cuisines that include local and European foods. Breakfast and dinner are buffet style and lunch is ala carte.

Apo Reef Natural Park is the second-largest coral reef in the world. It is the largest atoll in the Philippines and has been a protected area since 1996. The surrounding zone consists of 27,460 hectares and three islands. The Apo Reef is clearly the main attraction at this resort. There are more than thirty dive sites at Apo Reef and almost no other dive boats will be found here. Divers will experience some of the most untouched dive sites in the Philippines.

To explore the reef, divers take a trip on one of the two dive boats: Apo 1 and Apo 3. Both boats have a dining area and kitchen where divers and guests can enjoy meals. Apo 1 can transport 10 to 12 people, and Apo 3 can transport 10 to 15. On both boats, there is a set area for divers to get their gear ready before they dive. There is also a compressor on board to refill tanks. It takes about two and a half hours to travel to Apo Reef and an overnight stay is planned. On day one of the trip, divers will depart from the resort at 6:00 am and there are 3-4 opportunities to dive. On the second day, there are 3-4 more diving opportunities before returning to the resort. Visibility typically ranges from 20-60 meters and the water temperature is typically about 26-30 degrees Celsius. The resort has also added a speedboat that offers day trips to the reef and the ride is about thirty minutes.

The resort also offers SDI and PADI diving courses, and they are active members of DAN. Guests can also take part in island hopping between Apo Reef Beach & Dive Resort to see macro life in Anilao and Puerto Galera or to see the wrecks in Coron. The Apo Reef Club offers nitrox but does not support technical diving or rebreathers.

When guests are not diving, they often explore Baco National Park and its eight rivers, rugged terrain, gorges, and 97,000 acres of plateaued walking paths. Guests also go to the Purnaga Cave, just outside of San Jose. It is surrounded by jungle and is easily accessible for nearly every guest. Experience the huge stalactites and stalagmite formations while bats fly above you. This trip is approximately ten hours and lunch and dinner are both provided.

The Philippines offers three tropical climates; the rainy season from June to November, the cool season from December to February, and the hot dry summer from March to May. The best dive season is mid-December to mid-May. Air temperatures are normally 25° C to 38° C. Water temperatures are normally 25° C to 29° C.

Hyperbaric chambers are located: 1) St Patric's Hospital Medical Center, Batangas City; 2) LCP Hyperbaric Medicine Center and Wound Care Facility, Quezon City; 3) Advance Hyperbaric Life Support Inc, Quezon City and Mandaluyong City.

Narrative text and photographs courtesy of the Apo Reef Club.

Dive Conditions

There are three seasons that affect the diving conditions in the Philippines. The northeast monsoon brings strong winds from December to March. The southwest monsoon affects the months of July through November which are wet but the ocean waters are warm. April through June are the dry months with very little winds.

November to May is the dry season in the Philippines, offering little to no rain and a nice hot and humid weather. This period of time is often considered as the best time to dive in the Philippines and is the most popular time to visit the country. Regardless, the diving season in the Philippines runs year-round, keeping in mind that some of the areas and certain marine life sightings are either seasonal or weather dependent, this includes Tubbataha which can only be dived around the months of March to June. During the wet season, typically runs from May to October, most of the dive sites remain great, the waters are warmer, and divers have the advantage of having uncrowded sites. Typhoons may occur during the wet season, particularly around July to September.

Tubbataha Reefs National Park – amazing biodiversity. Tubbataha is home to no less than 600 species of fish, 360 species of corals (about 50% of the coral species in the world), 11 species of sharks (including tiger sharks, whale sharks, and whitetips), 13 species of dolphins and whales, nesting hawksbill and green sea turtles. You can also see manta rays, schools of barracuda and tuna, and smaller marine life like nudibranchs, ornate ghost pipefish, seahorses, and frogfish.

Anilao, Batangas – best muck diving. The long list of small-scale sea life and critters that you can find in Anilao includes nudibranchs, frogfish, seahorses, cuttlefish, and pipefish. But don't leave your wide-angle lens at home. Beautiful coral reefs, turtles, huge schools of jacks, jellyfish, and the occasional reef sharks await in Anilao.

Dauin, Dumaguete – the luxury destination. The variety of marine life that you can find along the Dauin Coast include various types of frogfish, dragonets, pipefish, nudibranchs, blue-ring octopuses, bobtail squids, mandarin fish, seahorses, cardinalfish (with eggs), various shrimps and crabs. The main diving season in Dumaguete is October to early June, but the prolific marine life of Dauin can be found all year round, so there’s no worry of missing out.

Moaboal, Cebu – amazing sardine baitballs. Scuba diving in Moalboal is diverse and very vibrant. Think big schools of fish, beautiful walls, canyons and caves, and fascinating macro life. Pescador Island offers some of the best dives in the Philippines, featuring a dramatic wall with colorful soft corals teeming with anthias. Then there is a large cathedral on the west side of Pescador which makes a nice background for dramatic underwater shots. You can also see schools of barracuda, beautiful caves, reef sharks, and also smaller marine life like nudibranchs and frogfish

Puerto Galera, Mindoro – stunning white sand beaches and diverse dive sites. Canyons provide plenty of action with strong currents. For divers interested in wrecks, the three sunken boats of the Sabang Wrecks offer a fascinating dive trip. Don't forget to include a day trip to dive at Verde Island during your stay in Puerto Galera. Its passage is known to offer some of the highest biodiversity in the Philippines. Nudibranchs, reef octopuses, frogfish, and seahorses can be seen in abundance in Puerto Galera. There are also many stunning soft and hard corals to be found while exploring the reefs of this dream destination. Like most of the Philippines, Puerto Galera can be dived all-year-round.

Anda, Bohol – the hidden gem. There are 17 kilometers of coastline to explore in Anda, with a good mix of walls, slopes and sandy muck dive sites as well as coral gardens. The diverse underwater topography and critter population in Anda are really worth exploring. Divers can see pygmy seahorses, skeleton shrimps, anemone shrimps, dragon sea moths, mantis shrimps, Napoleon snake eels, nudibranchs, and mating mandarin fish. Turtles and beautiful reef fish can also be seen in the area. Anda can also be dived all-year-round.

Malapascua, Cebu – thresher sharks abound. Malapascua is known to be the best place in the world to see thresher sharks. This tiny oasis is the only place in the world where thresher sharks are consistently seen daily. Combine that with its pristine waters and milky-white beaches, and divers have a perfect destination for a dive vacation.

Coron Bay, Palawan – the destination for wreck dives. The historical World War II shipwrecks of Coron are unique. Coron Bay used to be the harbor for World War II Japanese warships. Eleven of these ships were sunk during an air attack in September 1944. Today the wrecks of serve as reef systems, supporting a number of marine critters. Some of the residents of these wrecks include scorpionfish, nudibranchs, cuttlefish, and octopuses. Divers see the occasional reef shark or stingray, hovering near the wrecks.