How do I get to Apo Island from Dauin?
Short answer
Apo Island is administratively part of Dauin, so you are already in the right municipality, but the island still sits several kilometres offshore and there are two different ways out to it. If you are diving with a Dauin resort, its boat usually leaves from the resort beach and no drive is involved. If you are not, you go to the public bancas at Malatapay in Zamboanguita, about 15 km south of Dauin, roughly 20 to 30 minutes by road.
From Malatapay the outrigger crossing takes about 30 to 45 minutes depending on the sea. Boat hire and the marine-sanctuary fee are arranged and paid at the port and sit outside our car quote. We drive you down for a morning boat and the driver waits through your day on the island so nothing is rushed at either end.
Step by step: Dauin to Apo Island
- 1Confirm which beach your boat uses
Resort dive boats leave from the resort beach in Dauin. Independent visitors use the public bancas at Malatapay. Confirm this first, it decides whether you need the car at all.
- 2Drive south to Malatapay
About 15 km down the coast road from Dauin, usually 20 to 30 minutes, timed to a morning boat.
- 3Arrange your boat at Malatapay
Bancas are hired at the beach. The boat hire and the marine-sanctuary fee are paid on site, outside our quote.
- 4Cross, then back the same way
The crossing is about 30 to 45 minutes and is calmest in the morning. Your driver waits at Malatapay and takes you home to Dauin afterwards.
Ways to travel, compared
- Private car to Malatapay, driver waiting (what we arrange)~20-30 min each way
Picked up at your Dauin resort, driven to Malatapay for your boat, and the driver waits through the whole Apo Island day. One fixed price for the car, request a quote.
- Malatapay → Apo Island banca~30-45 min
Outrigger boats cross from Malatapay beach. Boat hire and the marine-sanctuary fee are arranged and paid at the port, outside our quote.
- Resort dive boat (arranged by your resort)varies
Most Dauin dive resorts run their own boats to Apo Island from their beach. If yours does, no road transfer is needed for the island day.
- Ceres bus + tricycle (public)~40-60 min to Malatapay
Flag a southbound Ceres bus on the Dauin highway to the Malatapay junction, then a short tricycle to the beach. Cheapest, and awkward with gear or an early boat.
Dauin to Apo Island: FAQs
How far is Apo Island from Dauin?
Apo Island is a barangay of Dauin and lies a few kilometres offshore. By road you go about 15 km south to the boats at Malatapay in Zamboanguita, roughly 20 to 30 minutes, then cross by banca in about 30 to 45 minutes. If you are diving with a Dauin resort, its own boat usually goes straight out from the resort beach.
Do boats to Apo Island leave from Dauin itself?
Resort dive boats do, from their own beaches. The public bancas leave from Malatapay in Zamboanguita, about 15 km further south, which is where independent day trippers go.
Do I pay for the boat separately?
Yes. Our quote covers the private car and the waiting driver. Boat hire and the marine-sanctuary fee are arranged and paid at Malatapay, and they vary with boat size and group.
What time should I leave Dauin?
Early. The sea off Malatapay is usually calmest before mid-morning, which means better visibility and a smoother crossing, and you share the shallows with turtles rather than with the later boats.