diver69
Contributor
Hi all,
I just read a post on Lonely Planet Thorn Tree that Apo Island seems to have slid downhill recently.
I'll try to paste the report below (Don't know how to link the page)
I'm actually in the process of planning a trip to Phil that include Apo Island in November. In fact, I just e-mailed Liberty's Lodge last night.
Can anyone confirm the situation at Apo Island?
Quoted Post below:
Apo Island - paradise lost?
I've just returned from diving Apo island in the Philippines and I really wanted to share my dissapointment with some of the things that are happening there. This was my third trip there as the diving is stunning but now I find that there are very few bigger fish left there. I also noted much more anchor damage to the coral than 2 years ago.
Firstly, of the three threasher sharks that were hanging around at Rock Point, two have been caught and killed - one sent to market, one consumed by the islanders - and I didnt see the one that is supposedly still there...
Then there WAS the school of jacks that used to hang off Coconut and Mamsa Points - while we were there a commercial fihing boat did what appeared to be a deal with the islanders - headed out there and when the boat left the isdland - no more Jacks to be found - we did numerous dives and only saw about 3 jacks around the whole island.
Then there is the hike in prices. $25US for a dive, in addition to 300 pesos per dive (not per day!) for a diving levy, the 200 pesos camera fee per dive, 100 pesos "entrence fee" to come onto the island, the 50 Pesos fee to dive or snorkel in the sanctury per dive, the 1100 peso boat fee to get to the island - (I've never been able to get around this so far and it's gone up 100 pesos).
Add to this that there is no running water on the island due to some problem with the village well/water supply and that all consumables have a 30% price hike. That 1/2 the islanders want diving and are warring with thoses that dont want divers and maybe this explaines why it seems to be going to ****.
Our contracted in, US divemaster Garry (The Philippino divemaster Renauld, who is brilliant, was injured at the time) was the only DM that I have ever experienced that has abandoned divers and just swum off without even looking up to see what has happened, while 3 of the group had not successfully decended. I ended up with my safey sauage up about 150 M away from the boat, my dive buddy aborted his dive because he couldnt find me and the DM wouldnt surface to find me and the third diver couldnt get below 8M due to being unable to equalise and was also abandoned by the DM. Suffice to say - Garry went in with 4 divers and came up with one. - he also NEVER shut up the whole time he was on the island! Anyway, just wanted people to be aware of the situation and to watch out for this DM - he's dangerous - it was only that my buddy and I are experience that prevented real trouble during that dive.
Oh, yeah, every BCD used malfunctioned in some way - the gear REALLY needs servcing!
I've had some stunning diving over the years at Apo but I'm afraid I'm not going back there - cheers
I just read a post on Lonely Planet Thorn Tree that Apo Island seems to have slid downhill recently.
I'll try to paste the report below (Don't know how to link the page)
I'm actually in the process of planning a trip to Phil that include Apo Island in November. In fact, I just e-mailed Liberty's Lodge last night.
Can anyone confirm the situation at Apo Island?
Quoted Post below:
Apo Island - paradise lost?
I've just returned from diving Apo island in the Philippines and I really wanted to share my dissapointment with some of the things that are happening there. This was my third trip there as the diving is stunning but now I find that there are very few bigger fish left there. I also noted much more anchor damage to the coral than 2 years ago.
Firstly, of the three threasher sharks that were hanging around at Rock Point, two have been caught and killed - one sent to market, one consumed by the islanders - and I didnt see the one that is supposedly still there...
Then there WAS the school of jacks that used to hang off Coconut and Mamsa Points - while we were there a commercial fihing boat did what appeared to be a deal with the islanders - headed out there and when the boat left the isdland - no more Jacks to be found - we did numerous dives and only saw about 3 jacks around the whole island.
Then there is the hike in prices. $25US for a dive, in addition to 300 pesos per dive (not per day!) for a diving levy, the 200 pesos camera fee per dive, 100 pesos "entrence fee" to come onto the island, the 50 Pesos fee to dive or snorkel in the sanctury per dive, the 1100 peso boat fee to get to the island - (I've never been able to get around this so far and it's gone up 100 pesos).
Add to this that there is no running water on the island due to some problem with the village well/water supply and that all consumables have a 30% price hike. That 1/2 the islanders want diving and are warring with thoses that dont want divers and maybe this explaines why it seems to be going to ****.
Our contracted in, US divemaster Garry (The Philippino divemaster Renauld, who is brilliant, was injured at the time) was the only DM that I have ever experienced that has abandoned divers and just swum off without even looking up to see what has happened, while 3 of the group had not successfully decended. I ended up with my safey sauage up about 150 M away from the boat, my dive buddy aborted his dive because he couldnt find me and the DM wouldnt surface to find me and the third diver couldnt get below 8M due to being unable to equalise and was also abandoned by the DM. Suffice to say - Garry went in with 4 divers and came up with one. - he also NEVER shut up the whole time he was on the island! Anyway, just wanted people to be aware of the situation and to watch out for this DM - he's dangerous - it was only that my buddy and I are experience that prevented real trouble during that dive.
Oh, yeah, every BCD used malfunctioned in some way - the gear REALLY needs servcing!
I've had some stunning diving over the years at Apo but I'm afraid I'm not going back there - cheers