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 the world's second-largest contiguous coral reef system and 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.GeographyApo Reef can be found around west of the nearest coast of the Philippine island of Mindoro. It is separated from main island by the Apo East Pass of the Mindoro Strait. Politically, the reef lies within the jurisdiction of the Province of Occidental Mindoro in Region IV-B of the Philippines and more accurately of the Municipality of Sablayan. Tourism activities are administered by local government of Sablayan and the local office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).Reef systemApo Reef is roughly a triangular coral atoll formation approximately from the north to the south tip, and from east to west. It is separated by two lagoon systems, the north and south lagoons which are bounded by narrow reef platforms. It is a almost triangular northern and southern atoll-like reefs separated by a deep channel that is open to the west. The channel runs east to west from 1.8to deep with a fine white sand bottom, numerous mounds and patches of branching corals under the deep blue water.