From February to June each year guests of Marco Vincent dive resort can now visit the biggest continuous reef system in the Philippines. Apo Reef Natural Park is based on the West coast of Mindoro and is not to be confused by Apo Island which is near Dumaguete in Negros. Apo Reef is known to be like a little sister to the UNESCO world heritage site of Tubbataha Reef. If you would like to see big stuff then this is the place to go.
MV dive resort added a major string to its bow in 2014 when the Big Beth was launched. At 82 FT long and made of solid fiberglass she has quickly become a big attraction to people who have seen her diving around the Verde Island passage. Coming complete with GPS, Radar, depth finder, compressor, generator and a captain that has over twenty years’ experience the boat is well equipped to handle the 10 hour crossing from White Beach to Apo Reef.
With a maximum of 8 divers on board there is plenty of room to relax on board. Our staff will give our guests the 5 star treatment during the 3 nights that we spend on board. Our onboard chef will prepare 3 meals a day using only the freshest ingredients. Meals are served on the dive deck or up on the sundeck. Don’t expect to lose any weight on the trip as there is an ample supply of cookies and snacks in between dives. All soft drinks, tea and coffee are included, we will even give you a free beer after each days diving is complete.
Our guests are accommodated in 2 cabins and also a large room with 4 separate beds. The boat comes with A/C, linen, towels, toiletries, showers and a flushing toilet. The boat also has a WIFI connection so you can tell all your Facebook friends just how amazing Apo Reef is. For underwater photographers we have separate rinse tanks and ample room for charging batteries and changing lenses.
There will be 12 dives on Apo Reef over 3 days including a night dive. Nitrox can be prearranged on request; we also offer full rental equipment. Apo Reef has a great variety of dive sites. There are some very deep walls; here is where you’ll see a lot of the pelagic action. Always keep an eye out in the blue, you can see schools of Great Barracuda, large Dog tooth tuna chasing schools of fusiliers, Grey reef sharks prowling the reef waiting for an opportunity to strike. Majestic Manta rays can be seen being cleaned, Spotted Eagle Rays glide by in the blue. Look out for their cousins the Marble stingray resting on the sand, often among White Tip Reef sharks. If your luck is in then you might hit the jackpot and see the world’s biggest fish the Whaleshark.
The statistics for Apo Reef are pretty impressive with over 400 species of corals and 500 plus marine species. For fans of the smaller things in life there are plenty of macro subjects. You can see Flamboyant cuttlefish, Ornate ghost pipefish, Warty Frogfish and Mimic Octopus to name but a few.
You will have a chance to stretch your legs as we will make a visit to Apo Reef, there are many species of sea bird that live on the island, There is also the famous lighthouse and the squeaky clean white beach is a great place to relax and take in all the beauty.
On the way home there is sometimes sightings of Pilot Whales and Spinner dolphins which would round off the trip nicely indeed. We arrive back at Marco Vincent resort at around 11pm on the last night. We will then stay in the resort for the night and have a nice lie in after a hard 3 days diving. Breakfast will be served at the resort before check out. If you are still in the mood for more diving then ask about our trips to Verde Island and other diving areas in the Verde Island Passage. There is another 50 or so dive sites right on our doorstep which make up the ‘center of the center of the world’s marine biodiversity’
