DIY Apo Island in Zamboanguita
August 4, 2015
Apo Island is located south of Dumaguete and is a popular spot for seeing sea turtles that's why we decided to go there. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a struggle when we went there because the waves were not suitable for swimming in the beach and the prices were absurdly high for the sea turtle activity.
2. Ride a bus (PHP25) heading south to Apo Island, Zamboangita.
3. Alight when you see the Apo Island sign located on the right side of the road.
4. Take a 5-minute walk to the street where the arrow points to and you will see the registration area for Apo Island.
5. Register and pay the boat rental.
6. Ride the boat to Apo Island. It takes approximately an hour to reach the island.
We finally arrived at the site where the turtles were and we saw them swimming at the shore. Yes, they were that near! We wanted to take a picture of them but the tourism people there prohibited us. They said that the shoreline was rocky and there are huge waves so we might slip and hit our head. Actually, this was a petty excuse from them. We were very much stable and grounded; we just wanted to take a picture of the turtles which were around 3 meters away from us. Due to this prohibition, we were not able to take any picture of the turtles.
After telling us that we were not allowed to take pictures of the turtles, they brought us to the board where their published rates were.
It seemed to me that they wanted us to pay these fees first before we can take pictures of the sea turtle. We told them that we all have these gears but they still wanted us to pay all of it which amounts to PHP475/head. Take note also that the waves were huge at the time we went there and was not suitable for snorkeling yet they still wanted us to pay all these things. We were very much dismayed by this obvious greediness so we just went back to the other side of the island and did some snorkeling.
The other side of the island was teeming with corals and fishes.
It was really a great place for snorkeling.
But better be careful as one of my friends saw a big sea snake which was longer than her.
As you can see, she was snorkeling near huge rocks and sea snakes are known for staying in those areas. So just snorkel on the not so rocky part of the shore.
While we were on the boat and about to leave the island, another mishap happened. The tourism people were shouting at us, telling us to pay the island fee. We really felt bad with how they treated us. They didn't talk properly and were shouting at us. We thought that we were only supposed to pay the island fee if we stayed on the side of the island where the turtles were. If they wanted us to pay the island fee, they should have approached us properly the moment we stepped on their island. But really, they were rude. So we just left since they were not approaching us properly in our boat and paid the island fee at the registration area in Zamboanguita.
2. Bring your own food and then eat at the boat. The cottage rental there costs PHP300 even if you will just use it for around 1hour.
3. Have lots of patience.
Apo Island is located south of Dumaguete and is a popular spot for seeing sea turtles that's why we decided to go there. Unfortunately, we had a bit of a struggle when we went there because the waves were not suitable for swimming in the beach and the prices were absurdly high for the sea turtle activity.
How to get to Apo Island:
1. From the Dumaguete Airport, ride a tricycle going to Ceres Bus Terminal for PHP10.2. Ride a bus (PHP25) heading south to Apo Island, Zamboangita.
3. Alight when you see the Apo Island sign located on the right side of the road.
5. Register and pay the boat rental.
6. Ride the boat to Apo Island. It takes approximately an hour to reach the island.
The Apo Island Experience
When we went there, the waves were huge and the boat cannot dock on the side of the island where the turtles were. Because of this, we docked at the other side of the island and had to trek 2 hills to get to see the turtles.
We finally arrived at the site where the turtles were and we saw them swimming at the shore. Yes, they were that near! We wanted to take a picture of them but the tourism people there prohibited us. They said that the shoreline was rocky and there are huge waves so we might slip and hit our head. Actually, this was a petty excuse from them. We were very much stable and grounded; we just wanted to take a picture of the turtles which were around 3 meters away from us. Due to this prohibition, we were not able to take any picture of the turtles.
 |
| The waves, the rocky shore and the tourism people in blue |
It seemed to me that they wanted us to pay these fees first before we can take pictures of the sea turtle. We told them that we all have these gears but they still wanted us to pay all of it which amounts to PHP475/head. Take note also that the waves were huge at the time we went there and was not suitable for snorkeling yet they still wanted us to pay all these things. We were very much dismayed by this obvious greediness so we just went back to the other side of the island and did some snorkeling.
The other side of the island was teeming with corals and fishes.
But better be careful as one of my friends saw a big sea snake which was longer than her.
As you can see, she was snorkeling near huge rocks and sea snakes are known for staying in those areas. So just snorkel on the not so rocky part of the shore.
While we were on the boat and about to leave the island, another mishap happened. The tourism people were shouting at us, telling us to pay the island fee. We really felt bad with how they treated us. They didn't talk properly and were shouting at us. We thought that we were only supposed to pay the island fee if we stayed on the side of the island where the turtles were. If they wanted us to pay the island fee, they should have approached us properly the moment we stepped on their island. But really, they were rude. So we just left since they were not approaching us properly in our boat and paid the island fee at the registration area in Zamboanguita.
Tips:
1. Be at the registration area as early as 7am because normally they do not let boats head to Apo Island later than 8am. The reason for this is because they do not want to encounter big waves as you go there.2. Bring your own food and then eat at the boat. The cottage rental there costs PHP300 even if you will just use it for around 1hour.
3. Have lots of patience.
Comments
Post a Comment