Apo Island Philippines

“How long is this going to take?” I ask the two boatmen as we roll our trousers up above the knees and wade gingerly towards the boat. “Oh just about 25 minutes” says Romero, our captain for the voyage.

After the longest 25 minutes of my life and soaked to the skin, we cruise into the calmer waters of one of Apo’s small bays, marking our entry to the island and its surrounding marine reserve. 

Apo island is a 72 hectare volcanic island in the Visayas region of the Philippines where the majority of the island’s residents are fishermen. It’s perhaps surprising then that in 1985 the island authorities, after urging from a local university, agreed to make much of the island’s waters a marine reserve, and a portion of them a fish sanctuary. In this reserve, which stretches from the shoreline to 500 meters offshore, the island’s barangay, or local council, allow only traditional methods of fishing, and in the fish sanctuary itself, no fishing of any kind. This has meant superb diving and snorkeling opportunities for tourists as well as increased  catches  for local  fishermen.

About The Author: Joel has lived and worked in Asia for the last decade and has written for numerous travel magazines. He is the chief editor of Asia Travel Ezine and is also responsible for editing and managing the website, Asia Hotel Bookings . He currently resides in Hanoi.