Island blog
The NoaNoa Coral Reef – Best Snorkeling Holiday
Surrounding NoaNoa Island, under the clear turquoise water of the Sulu Sea, is a stunning coral reef considered one of the best in the Philippines. It is one of the only places in the world where you can reach a beautiful coral reef within a few meters of the beach and snorkel for hours and hours, so close to shore. The NoaNoa reef has been protected as an Official Marine Sanctuary since 2006 and covers a circumference of about five kilometers.
The NoaNoa reef is shallow which allows for clear visibility and easy snorkeler access and also features caves and a long, spectacular drop off on the Western side of the island. We have such an amazing coral reef at NoaNoa Private Island that marine biologists come to study it and document the diversity here.
Typical shapes for coral species are often named by their resemblance to wrinkled brains, cabbages, table tops, antlers, wire strands and pillars. As Andy says, there are tabletop corals at NoaNoa “as big as Cadillacs.”
NoaNoa guests love exploring the reef close to the beach and spend hours discovering its unique alcoves, drop-offs, crevices and plains. Take a walk to the “secret beach” of NoaNoa Island and just off the beach, there is a reef we call “Heart Reef” (shaped like a heart) which is a reef inside the main reef. A very unusual find. It like the heart of the main reef. Even though the heart reef is over 100m diameter, I swam in the NoaNoa reef for several years before I found it!
There are many unusual aspects of the NoaNoa reef, The longer you explore the reef, the more you will find and the more you will see. We used to say,”You’d be more likely to see turtles on the southern side of NoaNoa” but in recent years the turtle population has naturally expandedand with more Hawksbills, Greens and Leatherbacks. Now, it is not unusual to find a turtle anywhere in the NoaNoa reef. For me the greatest spectacle is still the Cuttlefish which looks like an alien and acts like one too with the ability to changes the colors of it’s body to match the environment and flash many colors when irritated. So much to see. Come and see what you will see. Even with just a quickest dip, no one goes home without checking in with Nemo and friends.
You will be provided snorkeling gear for the duration of your stay. Fins, mask and snorkel. We can also provide life jackets if you like. We recommend you bring a rash shirt to swim in (a waterproof long sleeve shirt) This simple shirt is one of the best protectors from sun burn and also protects from anything itchy like plankton or little jellies when they are in season and we require all guests to use the sunscreen we provided which is reef safe.
Coral reefs are often referred to as “rainforests of the sea” and make up some of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth. While coral reefs only occupy about one per cent of the world’s ocean surface, they provide a home for at least a quarter of all marine species including fish, mollusks, worms, crustaceans, echinoderms, sponges, turtles and other beautiful creatures. Read all about the Crown of Thorns here – an important part of the ecosystem when kept in check.
Protecting the reef
We take our job as custodians of the island and protectors of the coral reef seriously. We do not allow fisherman on the reef and it has been decades since blast fishing occurred near the island. If you ask we can show you a few spots of destruction left behind 40 years ago when local fishermen used to use explosives to detonate the reef to catch fish. The satisfaction from protecting a large reef and watching it grow and thrive is a special feeling beyond words.
This Australian guest NoaNoa guest said, “I have snorkeled and scuba dived all over the world including the Great Barrier Reef, but NoaNoa Private Island was the most beautiful, easy-to-access reef I have ever seen. Too many fish to name, huge clams, stingrays and turtles but most of all the colourful coral in so many different shapes and textures, it just takes your breath away. At night I would close my eyes and all I could see were fish!” Lachlan, Australia.
When you stay at NoaNoa Island and you go snorkeling you are likely to see on your daily swim the following:
Surgeonfishes, Unicornfishes, Cardinalfishes, Silversides, Trumpetfish, Triggerfishes, Blennies, Needlefish, Shrimpfishes, Fusiliers, Jacks, Butterflyfishes, Angelfishes, Porcupinefishes, Pufferfishes, Batfishes, Moorish Idol, Gobies, Gurnards, Sweetlips, Squirrelfishes, Soldierfishes, Wrasses, Emperors, Snappers, Filefish, Goatfishes, Cornetfishes, Coral Breams, Boxfishes, Sandperch, Mullets, Jaw fishes, Catfishes, Damselfishes, Anemonefishes / Clownfishes, Rabbitfishes, Dartfish, Parrotfish, Lionfish, Flatheads, Lizardfishes, Groupers, Barracudas, Pipefishes, Grunters, Archerfishes,
Why don’t we offer scuba diving at NoaNoa Island? Because we don’t need to. The beautiful coral reef is so accessible, visible and close to shore, you only need a mask and snorkel to see the underwater beauty that in other destinations you would need to dive to see. Welcome to NoaNoa Private Island. Let us show you the best snorkeling holiday you’ll ever have!
-Andy Bowers