Two lagoons ringed by wall that falls from 5m to well past 50m, with grey reef and whitetip sharks patrolling the drop-offs…Two lagoons ringed by wall that falls from 5m to well past 50m, with grey reef and whitetip sharks patrolling the drop-offs, big schools of jack and barracuda, turtles everywhere, and a small lighthouse island with a mangrove lagoon in the middle of the open sea. Apo Reef was fished with dynamite and cyanide for decades before being declared a natural park in 1996 and closed to all fishing in 2007, one of the strictest no-take zones in the Philippines. It sits on the country's UNESCO tentative list. Anchorage: Anchor in the lagoon off Apo Island by the ranger station and lighthouse; it is a genuine offshore overnight, not a day hop. Hazards: Exposed offshore reef with strong currents and no shelter if the weather turns. Watch the forecast, not the clock. Plus