Apo Reef Natural Park
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
Dived here today? How were conditions vs. what we showed?
About this site
Apo Reef Natural Park lies off Occidental Mindoro in the Philippines. It is a protected area of 15,792 hectares, declared in 1996, with three islands: Apo Island, Apo Menor (Binangaan Island) and Cayos del Bajo. It is reached by day boat from Sablayan or by liveaboard, and is described as the second-largest contiguous coral reef in the world after the Great Barrier Reef. It is open ocean with great visibility, and the main season is March to June.
The steep walls are covered in corals, sponges, tunicates, nudibranchs and slugs, and the coral formation on the plateau is magnificent. Green and hawksbill turtles are common, along with damselfish, butterflyfish, batfish, surgeonfish, snappers, fusiliers and trevallies.
Strong currents here increase the chance of sighting sharks, including hammerhead, blacktip, whitetip, grey and thresher sharks, as well as great barracuda, tuna and manta rays.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
SurgeonfishSurgeonfishReported here · unconfirmed
SnapperSnapperReported here · unconfirmed
Whale SharkRhincodon typusConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
BatfishBatfishReported here · unconfirmed
Manta rayManta rayConfirmed present · 3 independent sources
NudibranchNudibranchReported here · unconfirmed
FusilierFusilierReported here · unconfirmed
TrevallyTrevallyConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Hammerhead sharkHammerhead sharkConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
DamselfishDamselfishReported here · unconfirmed
TunaTunaReported here · unconfirmed
BarracudaBarracudaConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Thresher sharkThresher sharkReported here · unconfirmed
Blackspotted PufferArothron nigropunctatusReported here · unconfirmed
Painted Spiny LobsterPanulirus versicolorReported here · unconfirmed
Whitetip Reef SharkTriaenodon obesusReported here · unconfirmed
Giant MorayGymnothorax javanicusReported here · unconfirmed
Napoleon WrasseCheilinus undulatusReported here · unconfirmed
Harlequin SweetlipsPlectorhinchus chaetodonoidesReported here · unconfirmed
Boring Giant ClamTridacna croceaReported here · unconfirmed
Sixbar WrasseThalassoma hardwickeReported here · unconfirmed
Neon FusilierPterocaesio tileReported here · unconfirmed
Bird WrasseGomphosus variusReported here · unconfirmed
Tiger SharkGaleocerdo cuvierReported here · unconfirmed
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
No notes yet. Dived here? Be the first to leave a tip.
Share a write-up or a photo. Submissions are reviewed before they appear on the page.
Nearby dive sites
Shops that dive here
No shops have listed this site yet.