Dolphin Island, MOAP

Summer is finally here! By this time you may have your own destination to visit and with summer, we usually find refuge in beaches and island resorts. If you happen to travel all the way to Mindanao, Dolphin Island in Misamis Occidental is one of the best places to go.

We actually visited Dolphin Island 2 years ago so I don’t know the latest improvements in this area. My hubby is from Ozamiz City and my mom is from Lanao but I haven’t explored Mindanao that much. And it was my first time to actually see this friendly sea creatures…

Others call this White Island but there is really no island. It is more of a small sandbar but the whole facility is man-made especially for these rescued dolphins. Dolphin Island is part of the Misamis Occidental Aquamarine Park (MOAP ) and I am proud of this place. They have a mini-zoo, a mangrove forest and many more. Such a lovely place to relax with your friends and family.

To reach Dolphin Island, you have to take an outrigger boat or bangka from the park.

A clear of the island from the banka. Main structure is their restaurant and viewing area. You can also bring your own food if you wish. It is fenced with these dolphins swimming with all their delight. Aside from the entrance fee, if you wish to swim with them you will pay extra along with a kilo of fish to feed the dolphins.

If you just wish to watch them and capture some photos, just walk around like we did. They are really lovely creatures!

You can also go snorkeling outside the “fence”. I forgot how much is the rent for their snorkeling gears. If you are an expert, you can have their flippers. The water is not that deep but amazingly full of fish. We opted to stay in this shallow area. For adept swimmers and divers, there are designated deep snorkeling areas.

This is the sandbar where I assume where they also get the name “White Island”. On our way home, it was already ow tide and the sand bar was very visible.

Of course, my then little tyke Akira was having a blast. Here he is feeding the fish with his Tito Roy. Never have I seen such school of colorful fish. This is the reason why my son and I was not that impressed with Manila Ocean Park. Sorry! After Ozamiz we flew to Manila before going home to Iloilo. Of course, you can’t blame me, nothing beats nature right?

As a freelance writer, traveler and a mother I highly recommend this place. Nice and natural to teach our children the beauty of nature.

Thanks for reading!

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