Apo Reef · Philippines · Wall · Coral garden
Aladin
North-east wall dived from a 10 m coral plateau to 40 m
Area photo: Wiki.mjmasangkay · CC BY-SA 4.0
Aladin is the wall on the north-east side of Apo Island, the reef's own islet. A coral plateau sits at around 10 metres and the dive works the face below it, over a published range of 10 to 40 metres, so it runs as a traverse along the drop with the shallow corals held back for the end. The operator running the reef recommends it in the morning, when the sun is on the wall.
Also known as Apo Island - Aladin.
Where it is and how deep
12.6626° N, 120.4169° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
You drop onto the reef top on the north-east side of Apo Island, where the coral plateau lies at about 10 metres, and follow it out to the lip. From there the face drops away, and the dive is worked between 10 and 40 metres as a slow traverse along the wall rather than a descent to any single depth: pick a level, keep the rock on one shoulder and step the profile up as the gas goes down.
Time it for the morning. Pandan Island Resort, which runs the site, recommends it early, when the sun is on the wall and lights the corals on the plateau at around 10 metres; later in the day the same face sits in its own shade. Work back up the wall into the shallows towards the end and finish over the plateau, which gives a long, unhurried safety stop with something to look at.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Off-season | Off-season | Off-season | Fair | Good | Prime |
Season follows Apo Reef: Nov–Jun is the season with Mar–May best; the south-west monsoon and typhoons close the reef entirely from July to September.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Aladin?+
The site is dived between 10 and 40 metres, from a coral plateau at about 10 metres down the face below it. Most dives stay along the upper part of the wall and finish shallow over the plateau.
What is the best time of day to dive Aladin?+
The morning. The operator recommends the site early in the day, when the sun is on the north-east-facing wall and on the corals of the plateau at around 10 metres.
Sources
- Apo Reef dive sites — Pandan Island Dive Resort
- Apo Island - Aladin — Scubago
More dive sites in Apo Reef
Coral garden
Coral gardens across the island's southern tip, 15 m to 40 m
Wall
Sheer drop-off at the island's northern tip, 15 m to 40 m
Wall
The afternoon wall, and the island's bumphead parrotfish schools
The island's most reliable edge for grey reef and whitetip sharks
Similar dives elsewhere
A wall to 40 m that turns a corner into a coral field
A cracked deep wall under a shallow coral garden
Steep wall to 30 metres, the strait's moderate-current option
A hundred metres of coral wall from 5 m to 60