Kabog Marine Reserve in General Santos City - Philippines

The Kabog Marine Reserve is one of those dive sites in General Santos City that is currently undergoing rehabilitation. It is situated along the eastern portion of the Sarangani Bay. To get to the Kabog Marine Reserve, the only direct transportation available is by fisherman's boat. All the tourist has to do is to hail a boat that would take them to the Kabog Marine Reserve from any point in Sarangani Bay. Meanwhile, to go to Sarangani Bay from the General Santos City proper, one must get either a jeepney, a tricycle, or a habal habal ride going to the town of Tambler, where the Bay is located.

The Kabog Marine Reserve is especially sought after not just because of its corals, as with many of the dive spots in General Santos City, but because of the amazing array of turtles in it. If there is one place that can be named Turtles' Haven in General Santos City, it might as well be the Kabog Marine Reserve because of the constant sighting of turtles in here. Aside from turtles, the Kabog Marine Reserve is also popular due in large part to the so called Zillion Fish Rock, which is a rock that is always teeming with schools of small fish.

Since dive spots in the eastern portion of the Sarangani Bay are often prone to poor visibility and strong waves because of the erratic weather in here, chances are, the site will be just for the experienced divers. But those who simply want to take a swim or to snorkel would also find their haven in the Kabog Marine Reserve.

The primary purpose behind the ongoing rehabilitation of the Kabog Marine Reserve at the moment is the black algae scare that took place in it five years ago. Prior to the black algae scare, politics has already taken its toll on the corals in the area. But when industrial pollutants as well as those from aqua culture got their peak, these formed growths of black algae that ultimately destroyed some of the corals in the area. Up to this point, local officials are trying their best to reverse the damage done by the black algae to the corals.

Meanwhile, because the Kabog Marine Reserve is a protected area, one can expect that the entrance fees he pays for it go in part to the rehabilitation of the reserve. When it is peak season, costs are normally up, but when it is off peak season, that is also when costs go down as well as the traffic inside the marine reserve.