Island Styling
THE ISLAND PROVINCE OF NEGROS
ORIENTAL IN THE PHILIPPINES IS A
HAVEN FOR EXPLORERS WHO PREFER
OFF-THE-BEATEN-TRACK ADVENTURESText Roni Ben-AharonWe pull off from the black sand beach
on a bangka (an elongated wooden
boat), heading southeast towards
Apo Island, a tiny green speck on the
horizon. Within minutes of leaving
shore, Atlantis Resort vanishes behind
the narrow shoreline amidst the tall,
swaying coconut trees. The island
becomes its own sea of green, set
against a dramatic backdrop: The
peaks of the dormant volcano Bukid
Talinis (bukid meaning “mountain”)
towering at 1,903 metres above sea
level, reach into a cloudless sky. From
this vantage point, it’s hard to believe
nearly 30,000 people live here, in
Dauin, as you can see little sign of
human life once you’re a mile offshore.
Apo means “grandchild” in
Tagalog, the Philippines’ national
language, and so this small island
is referred to as the “grandchild” of
Negros. Less than a square kilometre
in size, the island is surrounded by the
Philippines’ first community-organised
marine reserve, established in the
late 1980s. It is home to nearly 1,000
people; the waters hugging its shores
boast 650 documented species of
fish and over 400 species of corals,
allowing divers the opportunity to see
the majority of the 450 coral species
indigenous to the archipelago. The
reef is healthy and colourful, with avariety of both hard and soft corals.
While snorkelling, we spot jackfish,
barracuda, a banded sea snake and
hawksbill turtles.
Just seven kilometres away
from this diver’s paradise is the
southeastern tip of Negros Island in
Negros Oriental Province. Negros is the
fourth largest island in the Philippines,
home to four million people – only
two percent of the nation’s population
of around 100 million people, spread
around its 7,641 islands. This lush
volcanic island offers an abundance of
little explored terrestrial and aquatic
wonders, and a laidback environment
without hordes of tourists.
The name of the island is hardly
politically correct in contemporary
times; when the Spaniards arrived
in April 1565, they named it after
the island’s original inhabitants,
the negritos (which translates to “little
black people”). The volcanic land is
incredibly fertile, but there are only
two commercial farming industries:
sugarcane (Negros produces half of
the Philippines’ sugar) and coconut.{ philippines }
Apo Island is a short hop from the
Negros Oriental capital of Dumaguete
The reef is healthy
and colourful, with a
variety of both hard
and soft corals. While
snorkelling, we spot
jackfish, barracuda, a
banded sea snake and
hawksbill turtles