Ego Wall

Ego Wall: a northern wall route at Apo Reef

Ego Wall is a named dive around the northern end of Apo Island within Apo Reef, off Mindoro. Pandan Island Dive Resort describes a steep wall and says that current can make it an advanced dive. Gustav's Place locates its named route at the northwest corner and reports giant trevally.

Plan the specific section

Pandan publishes a 15–40 m range and Gustav's lists 5–40 m. Those descriptions do not establish the same entry point or the full extent of the underwater wall. The shallower published value is not evidence that every route is suitable for a beginner. Ask the operator to explain the proposed depth, current, entry and boat pickup.

Remaining limitations

This partial guide attributes conditions to operator accounts rather than a recent site inspection. A universal minimum certification and a surveyed maximum depth remain unconfirmed. Confirm suitability for your training and recent experience with the dive operator; wildlife encounters are not guaranteed.

Where each source puts the wall

Operators disagree on the corner. The Marco Vincent Divers page archived on 28 October 2016 and Gustav's Place's current page both place Ego Wall at the north-west corner of Apo Island; Pandan Island Dive Resort describes a sheer drop-off and deep wall at the northern tip of the island; SSI's MyDiveGuide entry Apo Island - North (Ego Wall) says it is at the north-east corner and calls it arguably the most impressive site in the area, with big and small marine life. Schadow1 Expeditions' mapping report of 15 February 2014 describes a 10 to 20 m down-drift at the north of Apo Island and records the Ego Wall dive point at N12.66633 E120.41053, and the DENR Protected Area Office list in Figure 14 of the 2014 MBCFI Ecotourism Plan carries Ego Wall as site 2 at 120°24'29.1" E, 12°39'47.9" N. These placements are reported side by side, not reconciled.

What divers have reported

The Marco Vincent page gives 20 ft to over 200 ft and describes a sheer wall with a few interesting cuts, many sea fans, colourful sponges and soft corals, schools of midnight snapper and unicornfish, giant trevally feeding in large numbers on fusiliers near the surface, and scrawled filefish, false anemonefish and bluefin jacks in the hard-coral gardens. Gustav's Place repeats the snapper, unicornfish and giant trevally list with a 5 to 40 m range, and Diver Bliss (May 2019, updated July 2026) and Mabuhay Travel reprint the Marco Vincent text, so these pages are one lineage. Pandan's page gives 15 to 40 m, says current makes it an advanced but rewarding dive with many pelagics, and recommends the corals on the plateau to finish the dive. Schadow1's report includes photographs taken at about 20 m on the wall, and Diver Bliss's author dived Ego Wall in February 2019 and captioned a photograph of schooling surgeonfish and fusiliers there.

Reading the ranges

The quoted depths, 10 to 20 m, 15 to 40 m, 5 to 40 m and 20 ft to over 200 ft, describe different operators' routes and one visitor's profile, not a surveyed extent. The park list gives a position but no depth, and no source here states a minimum certification.