Great Santa Cruz Island

GREAT SANTA CRUZ ISLAND

The Great and Little Santa Cruz Islands are, arguably, this city's best beaches, and one of the country's best island beaches destination.  In its ideal natural state, there is no comparison to the uniquely beautiful "pinkish" sand (a coloration effect of pulverized rare red Organ-pipe Coral ( tubipora musica ) from eons of surf erosion mixed in with the white sand) and colorful coral reef just a few feet away from the shore of the Great Santa Cruz Island.  The nearby Little Santa Cruz Island has beautiful white sand instead, and is a military installation (read: Navy resort).  Snorkeling and scuba diving are excellent diversions for the sun worshipers with lots of colorful marine life to experience in excellent water visibility, depending on weather conditions.  In the Great Santa Cruz Island, there are some covered huts around for picnicking (food and water can be brought in), and adequate bathroom facilities.

The Great Santa Cruz Island has a big mangrove laden lagoon with a small Badjao village and their increasingly larger burial ground  Zamboanga's Santa Cruz Island satellite viewnearby.  The island interior is lushly covered with island vegetationZamboanga's Great Santa Cruz Island and Little Santa Cruz Island and grass, with some flowering trees, providing a welcome shade from the near equatorial sunshine.  The Great Santa Cruz Island can be reached with any motorized vinta (outrigger) or boat from downtown in about 15-20 minutes, for about 800 pesos, depending on type of boat.  All trips must be coordinated with the Philippine Tourist Authority located in the Lantaka HOTEL front side.  The water current of the adjacent Basilan Straight is strong, and swimmers should proceed with caution - there are no lifeguards on duty.  The Basilan Straight acts as a channel between two vast seas (the Sulu Sea and the Celebes Sea) and a natural conduit for migrating fishes.  The underwater scenery here can be spectacular.  In the 1970's and early 1980's, Zamboanga and Santa Cruz Island was frequented by German and Italian tourists who called it their hidden paradise in the little Spain of Asia.