Apo Reef Apo Reef Apo Reef is a coral reef system in the Philippines situated on the western waters of Occidental Mindoro province in the Mindoro Strait. Encompassing , it is by no means the world's second-largest contiguous coral reef system, but is the largest in the country. The reef and its surrounding waters are protected areas in the country administered as the Apo Reef Natural Park (ARNP). It is one of the best known and most popular dive sites in the country. It is listed in the tentative list for UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Apo Reef can be found around west
Apo Island has a land area of approximately 74 hectares and rises to a height of 120 meters (390 feet) above sea level at its highest point. It can be reached by a 30-minute motorized boat ride from the village of Malatapay, Zamboanguita, Negros Oriental. Apo Island was a community-organized marine sanctuaries, and as such it has been well documented by the global science community. The project was started when Dr. Angel Alcala, a marine scientist from the Silliman University Marine Laboratory introduced to the local fishermen the importance of creating a marine sanctuary in the area. Initially, there was hesitation on