It’s a close encounter of the rare kind and for one who loves to spend time in the water, swimming with the sea turtles, a unique experience in the world famous dive destination Apo Island off the coast of Negros Oriental.
“It’s a rare opportunity that one must not miss especially as it is within one’s reach”, says Danny Ocampo, a campaigner of the international environmental group Greenpeace and a diver who has been to several dive spots in and outside of the Philippines, but who considers Apo Island his “second home”.
Ocampo says that for many, it’s a chance to swim with and see these turtles up close in Apo Island, an event that can rarely be found “naturally” in other dive destinations elsewhere.
Swimming and feeding the sea turtles in Apo Island is gaining momentum as the next added attraction to diving, and many people who visit the protected landscape and seascape off the coast of Dauin, in fact, opt to go snorkeling instead to see and interact with these endangered species.
According to Ocampo, at least two marine turtle species have been reported in regular sightings, namely, the Green Sea (Chelonia mydas) and the Hawksbill (Eretmochelys imbricata), although a third, the Leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) was previously reported seen in the deeper portions off the island.
Sea turtles in Apo Island are aplenty, and while no formal documentation as to the exact numbers is available yet, many accounts say that one snorkeler or diver can encounter as many as six to eight of these creatures at one time.
Apo Island village chief Liberty Pascobello-Rhodes says on a clear day, one only has to stand on the beach to see a turtle swimming close by.
Snorkelers don’t have to go that far from shore, perhaps just two meters away, to come across a turtle either feeding on sea grass, grazing around on some coral formation or on the ocean floor or gliding up to the surface before diving down again, she said.
Some of them are so tame that they tend to ignore the people swimming around them, and usually do not mind if one or two snorkelers dare come closer to touch their hard shells, pet them or “ride” with them by holding on to their flippers.
Rhodes, however, cautioned against people touching the turtles as these could drive them away from their habitats.
“The wonderful thing about swimming with the turtles is that you don”ºt have to go far from the shore or into deep water. Sometimes, the turtles are right below you when you”ºre standing in chest-deep water!” said Alex Pal, a diver and a journalist based in Dumaguete who went snorkeling in a recent visit to Apo Island.
“The younger turtles are still afraid of humans but the older and bigger ones certainly don”ºt mind. They keep chomping on the sea grass and algae, unmindful of your presence beside them,” Pal added.
The turtles are very friendly and are not afraid of people, said village chief Liberty Rhodes, and that’s because they feel they are safe and protected in their natural habitats in Apo Island, she added.
“It was a fascinating experience seeing them alive underwater and it was amazing because they casually swim with people. They are very tame creatures”, said Msgr. Julius Heruela, a priest from Dumaguete who took some family members on vacation to Apo Island last year.
Majority of the turtles are found at Chapel Point and Coral Garden where sea grass and sea urchins, their staple, are abundant, Rhodes said.
They move towards Cogon Point on the other side of the island facing east towards Siquijor Island during the “habagat” or south monsoon season. But, the turtles can be found all year round in Apo Island where their natural habitats can be found, she assured.
A famous tale of old in Apo Island about turtles say that some 30 or 40 years ago, Chapel Point was a nesting place of turtles and those that have left these in the years past are believed to have started returning, an excited Rhodes explained.
Rhodes, who operates a resort and dive lodge, said her first encounter with sea turtles was in 1995 when she first went diving. There were only two back then, but by 2000, she said the number had increased to at least a dozen.
At the turn of the century, sea turtle encounters became more popular in Apo Island although it was not as widespread as now as it came in only second to diving then.
Still, village officials and the community, already empowered with a heightened awareness on environmental conservation, embarked on activities that ensured the protection of the sea turtles as well as other marine resources in Apo Island, which was declared by law as a Protected Landscape and Seascape.
Rhodes disclosed that over the past several years, there has been no report of poaching of sea turtles in the island.
Residents make sure that visitors to the island do not pose a threat to or harm the sea turtles, which, in recent years have also provided an alternative livelihood for islanders, she said.
Apart from the PAMB, the Bantay Dagat (fish wardens) and the community, six Bantay Pawikan (turtle guards) are being paid by Rhodes from out of her own pockets to keep an eye on the turtles and enforce measures for their protection.
Bonfires and picnics are among the prohibitions at the island’s marine sanctuary where turtles return during nesting season, according to Rhodes.
Danny Ocampo, who regularly visits the island and involves himself in some community activities, lauded the residents’ level of awareness and their passion in protecting the sea turtles.
He says swimming with the turtles in Apo Island is definitely a rare and unique experience as it is not easy to come across these ancient creatures.
If one goes to Tubbataha Reef or to some other dive destination, one would probably get to see a sea turtle glide by, but there’s minimal interaction compared to what one can experience with the turtles in Apo Island, Ocampo said.
“You don’t really have to seek them out when you go snorkeling or diving. They are just right there and they feel safe and comfortable even with humans around them,” he pointed out.
Fishermen and their families in the island benefit from the sea turtles in that during off-peak fishing season, they have an alternative source of income to tide them over, says Rhodes.
The males rent out masks and snorkels to visitors at P180 a set with no time limit. The women, meanwhile, sell T-shirts and souvenir items promoting swimming with the turtles.
The island’s income is also boosted by the fact that many visitors come over not just for diving but because of the allure in getting a chance for a close encounter with the turtles.
Boats that come to the island have to pay a one-time mooring fee, not to mention that boat operators plying the Apo Island route also earn extra income.
A budge traveler gets to pay at least P50 for a round-trip ride to and from Apo Island, with a jump-off point at Malatapay in Zamboanguita town.
For one who embarks from Dumaguete, Malatapay can be accessed via public transport at a minimal cost of P20 on board a jeepney.
By private vehicle or on board a motorcycle, it would take about half an hour to reach Malatapay from Dumaguete.
As the lure of swimming with the turtles is increasing by the day, some quarters believe there is a need for documentation to keep track of the number and the individual turtles that are in Apo Island.
Rhodes admits it is not an easy task but she hopes that eventually this can be achieved.
Tagging of turtles in Apo Island is out of the question as these would only drive them away, she said.
But, according to Ocampo, a British national, David Lewis, is doing a photo compilation of the turtles that can be found in the island to identify those that are returning every so often or the ones that are staying longer.
Photographs of turtles, especially those of the right and left sides, can provide information and assist in the identification of each individual, Ocampo explained.
Lewis is encouraging snorkelers, divers and photo enthusiasts to submit their photos of turtles taken at Apo Island to help him in his documentation.
Ocampo is optimistic that with proper documentation coupled with the right promotion, swimming with the turtles in Apo Island will soon become a big hit in the tourism industry.
A well-travelled environmental advocate and diver, Ocampo says he does not know of any other place in the Philippines where swimming with the turtles is an everyday occurrence at a very minimal cost.
“The experience is well worth it. It is simply majestic to be in touch with these creatures and it makes you want to keep on coming back for more,” he added.