As the name suggests, the Napantao Fish Sanctuary is a Marine Protected Area (MPA) that was established in 1996 and covers an area of 5 hectares. As a result of the MPA's, an abundance of life can be found on Napantao's reefs which guarantees a new experience on every dive. The fringing reef can be found from 3m down so it's inhabitants can be enjoyed whilst snorkelling on days off or between dives. It is certainly a case of the closer you look, the more you'll find on Napantao and is a thalassophile's dream! Descend below the waves and be greeted by an array of colours, from diverse coral lifeforms, to the smallest of Nudibranchs and giant ocean wanderers such as the Whale Sharks and Sunfish.

Leonie

This, coupled with the Napantao Fish Sanctuary's accessibility, has resulted in Napantao being our most surveyed location with additional studies also undertaken by independent researchers such as undergraduate and graduate university students. Each year of surveying, we expect some variation from the previous years, however, we have recorded greater fish abundance and hard coral cover inside the boundary in comparison to those recorded outside. Further, we also find the diversity of fishes and substrates, including hard coral, to be greater inside the MPA highlighting a more resilient community residing within the MPA boundaries. Although still relatively low, commercially important fishes such as Grouper and Parrotfish have also responded positively to the MPA, but we have noted that their respective response time is slower, most likely due to the slower maturation rates and larger home ranges.