Apo Reef · Philippines · Reef · Wall
Shark Ridge
The island's most reliable edge for grey reef and whitetip sharks
Photo: Wiki.mjmasangkay · CC BY-SA 4.0
Shark Ridge is a sloping reef with sandy patches between 15 and 30 metres, running along the reef edge close to Apo Island. Current brings grey reef and whitetip sharks in along it, which makes this the most reliable spot around the island for sharks and other pelagics, with eagle rays, giant trevally and napoleon wrasse over the same ground.
Where it is and how deep
12.6680° N, 120.4220° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
You drop onto the sloping reef at around 15 metres and work out towards the edge, checking the sandy patches between the coral heads as you go: whitetip and blacktip reef sharks are often found resting on the bottom here. Visibility along this stretch is usually excellent, so you tend to see them well before you reach them. The slope runs down to about 30 metres before the reef edge falls away below it, and that edge is where the current runs and the fish gather.
The wall below the edge is heavily textured, full of small caves, crevices and overhangs worth probing for sleeping sharks and nudibranchs. Face out into the blue for grey reef sharks, eagle rays, giant trevally, napoleon wrasse, barracuda and snapper, with turtles working the shallower coral. Hammerheads and mantas turn up occasionally rather than reliably. Finish back up on the shallow reef with the slope behind you.
Marine life and season
- Reef sharks
- Hammerheads
- Manta rays
- Eagle rays
- Sea turtles
- Barracuda
- Trevally & jacks
- Napoleon wrasse
- Nudibranchs
| 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.
Know before you go
- Current along the wall can be enough to make the edge hard work; experienced divers handle it best, and dropping back onto the slope gets you out of it.
Photos from Shark Ridge
Ervin Malicdem · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
Shark Ridge · roverdive on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is Shark Ridge?+
The dive runs along a sloping reef with sandy patches between 15 and 30 metres, and the reef edge falls away into deeper water below that. Visibility along it is usually excellent.
Are shark sightings reliable at Shark Ridge?+
Grey reef and whitetip reef sharks are the regulars, and whitetips and blacktips are often found resting on the sand. Eagle rays, giant trevally and napoleon wrasse are seen here too, with hammerheads and mantas as occasional visitors rather than a reason to book.
Sources
- Apo Reef diving sites — Dive The World
- Liveaboard Diving in Apo Reef — LiveAboard.com
Photo credits
- Whitetip reef shark cruising low over coral at Apo Reef by Wiki.mjmasangkay, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Large napoleon wrasse hovering over coral at Shark Point, Apo Reef by Ervin Malicdem, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
In The Logbook
- Where to see reef sharks on your first divesBig animals · 14 min read
More dive sites in Apo Reef
Wall
North-east wall dived from a 10 m coral plateau to 40 m
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
Similar dives elsewhere
Schooling barracuda and trevally when a current is running
The protected shallows where Balicasag's turtles are thickest
An islet shaped like a nudibranch, ridge-linked to Tank Rock
A macro and photography reef of coral and nudibranchs