Rock Point East
After a short trip ashore on Apo for a barbecue lunch featuring chicken, fish and fresh fruit, prepared by our dive leaders and boat crew, we headed out to this site, on the island's southeastern tip.
More brightly colored, striking hard coral formations are here, as are aggressive saddleback clownfish. How aggressive, you ask? So much so that when I tried taking pictures of a couple living in the anemone at the Atlantis Resort, one swam slowly toward my camera and began pecking at my fingers. Tough crowd!
But then again, how could I blame the clownfish? Papa clownfish is just trying to protect his home, his mate and most importantly, the couple's eggs from any predators, real or imagined -- even if they're much larger.
During the surface interval after the second dive, we explored Apo, which has a small village, all under a canopy of greenery. To reach the village, you leave the beach through a gate, where about a dozen local women are selling everything from t-shirts to sarongs. It's a good thing I picked up a sarong -- a beautiful dark blue one with prints in white of turtles -- because Atlantis was having an upcoming sarong night, where entry to the restaurant was only granted with the wearing of sarongs (the restaurant did provide its own, though, for people who didn't furnish them. Most of the houses on Apo are open-air ones made of concrete blocks and small general stores line both sides of the narrow path. One dreadlocked Apo resident runs a reggae-themed shop, where he sells pictures of Che Guevara and inside, he composed a poem about the election of United States President Barack Obama.
Dive Buddies: Ernie, Doc, Jim, Annette, Mike, Brittney, Rick, Eric, Steven, Paul, George
Dive Guide: Kim Zudero
Max depth: 57 feet
Total Bottom Time: 62 minutes
Water temperature: 82 degrees Farenheit
Exposure Protection: 3mm shorty wetsuit
Air source: Enriched Air Nitrox 32% oxygen
Photos Copyright Gil Griffin 2009. Top left: Angry looking saddleback clownfish viciously attacks dive journalist; coral formation
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