South-East Asia
DUMAGUETE, NEGROS, THE PHILIPPINES
An underwater feast in the Philippines’ capital of marine conservation
Season: Year-round diving
Visibility: 25-50m/80-165ft
Water Temperature: 26-28°C/79-82°F
An anemone fish gazes up at Jeremy Cuff
Shore-based resort: Atlantis Dive Resorts Dumaguete
Liveaboards: Atlantis Azores (Atlantis Azores offers 7 nights cruises from June to September), Philippine Siren
Diving: Wrecks, Whale Sharks, critter diving, shore diving, boat diving, coral gardens, walls
Nitrox
Re-breather friendly
Tri-mix
Decompression diving (Atlantis Resorts)
Willing to share option on liveaboards
Can be combined with Micronesia
The Philippines, with its glorious beaches and fabulous diving, is often overlooked by divers seeking to visit Asia, but for those wanting a really good value destination with lovely diving (including a truly fantastic selection of ‘macro critters’), outstanding diving service, and comfortable and friendly accommodations, it is a natural choice. This huge archipelago possesses many thousands of miles of beautiful coastline and beneath the waves lie many thousands of miles of coral reefs! From shallow reefs ideal for underwater photographers, critter-watchers or those beginning their diving career, to tall, sheer and dramatic walls with schools of ocean-loving fish, you are sure to find what you are looking for in the Philippines. Here also you will find palm-fringed beaches with the softest, silver-white sand, cascading waterfalls and seas that shades from the palest blue to the deepest sapphire.
The southern tip of the island of Negros, 500 kilometres from Manila and twenty minutes by road from Dumaguete airport, is where you will find Atlantis Resort Dumaguete. Negros is the sugar cane island of the Philippines. Now there is also a thriving farming industry in Black Tiger Prawns, a delicacy much enjoyed by the Japanese.
Beneath the waves lies a whole host of diving favourites, with the House Reef being just one of many superb dive sites. During the day there is some spectacular marine life to be seen, but at night the list grows longer and longer. Look out for a Leafy Dragonet cryptically camouflaged in the sand. Pretty yellow and black spotted pufferfish hover over the reef. Cuttlefish, hermit crabs, many species of shrimps and technicolour nudibranchs in shapes that could be alien sculptures all reveal themselves under the diver’s light. Apo Island is within its own Marine Sanctuary and fishing is allowed for the islanders’ use only. There is usually an extra fee for visiting Apo Island, which is 3-dive day trip taking about 30 minutes to reach in the fast boat. The visibility is usually excellent around this small volcanic hump in the ocean. Due to its unique marine reserve, superb coral reefs and a good reef fish population have managed to survive. Here you will find a unique ‘clownfish city’, a rare phenomenon with literally hundreds of clownfish and their anemone hosts living side by side. Soft corals and hard corals are numerous. There can be some quite strong currents at some sites making for enjoyable drift dives.
Bahura is dived at dusk because this is when those tiny technicolour Mandarinfish come out to play. Dauin has both sandy areas and a ‘true’ reef and was declared a Marine Sanctuary in 2000. The reef is divided by sandy channels, which provide a habitat for a population of wavy Garden Eels, and here one can see some good reef life including schools of Bumphead Parrotfish noshing their way across the reefs like underwater bison (and dropping their ‘waste’ coral on you if you happen to be underneath them at the time!). Schools of Yellowtail Barracuda are often located here. Another Marine Reserve protects the reef at Masaplot where a couple of schools of mackerel and snappers hover above the reef. The ‘action art’ starts when the two schools combine in a swirl of colour and silver flashes. Look out for Epaulette Sharks (a member of the Bamboo Shark group). These blotchy individuals rest on the bottom of reefs or hide amongst the staghorn coral.
Atlantis Dumaguete Resort occasionally offer full day trips to seek out the very friendly Whale Sharks of Oslob, north-east of Dumaguete. Diving and snorkelling is possible with these fabulous creatures. The slightly smaller ones seem to really enjoy swimming through the bubbles of divers and are even swimming up to divers and hanging motionless, in a head down position, to let the bubbles hit their face and roll up their bodies! Boats depart Atlantis Dumaguete Resort at 0700 and reach Oslob approximately an hour and fifteen minutes later for two dives or snorkeling, followed by two dives at Sumilon Island. Trips run with a minimum of 6 divers.
COMBINATIONS: It is straightforward to combine a visit to Dumaguete with a stay at the Atlantis Resort at Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro, or a visit to one of the Philippines’ other premier dive locations. Alternatively, when you are in The Philippines you are not too far from extraordinary Palau with its famous ‘Rock Islands’ and some of the most exciting diving on our planet. Yap with its famous Manta Rays and Truk with its renowned wreck-diving are not that much further. Talk to us about the possibilities.
ATLANTIS AZORES: Price from about $2620. Includes: 7 nights cruise on Atlantis Azores on a twin/share basis with full board including non-alcoholic and local alcoholic beverages; 6 days of diving (up to 4 or 5 dives per day, including night dives). Manila Airport/Atlantis Puerto Galera Resort/Manila Airport transfers: about $230 per person for 2 or more people; about $260 for 1 person. Single Occupancy Supplement: 50% of the cruise cost (but you can avoid paying the supplement if you are willing to share a cabin).
PHILIPPINE SIREN: Price from about $3301. Includes: 10 nights cruise on Philippine Siren on a twin/share basis with full board including non-alcoholic and local alcoholic beverages; 9 days of diving (up to 4 or 5 dives per day, including night dives) plus 2 on the last day, air or nitrox fills; escorted shore excursions where appropriate. A Marine Park fee of €65 (subject to change) is payable on board. Airport/hotel transfers are not included. Single Occupancy Supplement: 80% of the cruise cost (but you can avoid paying the supplement if you are willing to share a cabin).
FLIGHTS: Prices from about $1074 to Manila from Los Angeles. There are daily flight connections to Manila. Internal flights from Manila in connection with liveaboard cruises cost from about $165 to Cebu City, from about $165 to Kalibo, and from about $308 to Caticlan. Return flights to Dumaguete are included in the transfer costs for Atlantis Dumaguete Resort.
The girl in the boat (Jeremy Cuff)