birdman27
Contributor
Just getting around to writing my report for this trip. Went with the local dive shop organized trip. This trip was significantly more expensive than most we take, but I could see why.
Resort
The majority of the extra cost of this trip came because of the resort the leader chose. And I would have to say it was worth it. Everything was taken care of, including having a guide waiting for us at the Manila airport to get us all safely through immigration and customs and on to the right terminal. Now, I could have managed this for my wife and myself alone, but it was a nice touch. Once we got to Dumaguete, there was another team waiting in the airport, often times grabbing our bags before we could even tell them which ones were ours! At the resort the whole staff (which was large) did a top notch job making sure everything was smooth. The rooms were nice, the grounds beautiful (except for the beach, which only gets cleaned irregularly, though I hear that is being addressed; minimal complaint number 1). The pool is gorgeous and the restaurant roomy. My main complaint, which is more a comment, is that the food was definitely hyped up to our group (mostly by our leader). It was good, at times great, but on too many occasions it was just meh. The restaurant staff, however, was really wonderful, taking the time to get to know us and being very attentive. My wife and I had dinner in the treehouse one night for her birthday and we really wanted the beach BBQ they were having. Instead of having us walk down there, however, our server went down and got plates for us. We had one issue over a miscommunication, but once it was brought to light the resort went to great lengths to make it right.
Dive Shop
Again, can't say enough about the dive shop. Getting checked in was easy, the shop itself was a good size, so even with multiple groups we were never out of space, and the staff was there to take care of any problems. Because we were a group of 15 they put us on the Victoria, their flagship bangka. To run the boat, they had the captain, 2-3 deck hands, and 4 DMs. All members of the staff would hustle to make sure everything got done well and quickly.
Our DM Arjay has been around, knows his stuff and works hard to make your diving experience go as best it can. When we wanted to emphasize one part of dive over another, "No problem". When I asked to practice shooting my SMB when we ended a dive, "No problem". When I dropped my spool on the surface of said dive, no problem he went and got it (luckily it wasnt dropping quickly and I learned a valuable lesson!).
They valet your gear, so all you are responsible for is your wetsuit and camera gear, but they also have no problem accommodating you if you want to do something different. I am used to taking care of my own gear, but once I became comfortable with their level of detail and care, I had no problem letting them handle it with nothing but a good buddy check once we geared up.
Getting back on the boat was easy, even in swells, as they would have two guys there to help you up the ladder if needed (I actually prefer doing it on my own, and once I said that, no problem), then two steps to sitting down and taking off your gear. That is followed by a fresh, warm towel and fruit.
Lastly, the shop employs a marine biologist, Daniel. He does a few presentations a week highlighting different creatures in the area and some of the quirks they have, but he is also just available to answer questions. He also dove with our group one day, which was great. You can bet we got our moneys worth out of him with questions!
The only thing I didnt love was the fills on tanks, which were consistently around 2800psi.
Diving
I was unsure how I was going to feel about muck diving. I thought the prospect of critters was cool, but had never experienced it before. Long story short, I think muck diving is awesome! Finding critters is very rewarding and there is such variety. The coral, both hard and soft, was very healthy and in good variety.
Dives
We did a total of 15 dives over 3 days. 8 at or north of Atmosphere on the Dauin coast, 3 were at Apo Island, and 4 were south of Atmosphere on the Dauin coast. Starred are my favorite dives (though none were bad)
Location Dive Site Dive Time Max Depth Ave Depth Bottom Temp
1. Dauin, Philippines Atmosphere House Reef* 44 65 42 82.4
2. Dauin, Philippines Dauin South 50 70 44 82.4
3. Dauin, Philippines Masaplod North* 53 74 46 82.4
4. Dauin, Philippines Dauin North 53 72 43 82.4
5. Dauin, Philippines Sahara Reef* 53 74 39 82.4
6. Dauin, Philippines Masaplod South 57 78 48 82.4
7. Apo Island, Philippines Chapel* 60 75 38 82.4
8. Apo Island, Philippines Rock Point West 65 67 36 82.4
9. Apo Island, Philippines Largahan 58 70 39 82.4
10. Dauin, Philippines Thalatta* 55 80 48 82.4
11. Dauin, Philippines Guinsuan South 54 60 36 84.2
12. Dauin, Philippines Atmosphere House Reef 58 77 36 82.4 night dive
13. Dauin, Philippines Siit* 60 75 42 82.4
14. Dauin, Philippines Gak Ang* 62 77 42 82.4
15. Dauin, Philippines Bahura 65 66 45 82.4
Average 56 72 42 82.5
There were so many critters I couldnt even begin to list them all. Below are some of my favorite pictures and my favorite critters. Photos taken either with a Canon G9 or Sealife DC2000 (wife).
View media item 205429View media item 205428View media item 205427View media item 205426View media item 205425View media item 205424View media item 205423View media item 205422View media item 205421View media item 205420View media item 205418View media item 205417View media item 205416View media item 205415View media item 205413View media item 205412View media item 205411View media item 205410View media item 205409
Resort
The majority of the extra cost of this trip came because of the resort the leader chose. And I would have to say it was worth it. Everything was taken care of, including having a guide waiting for us at the Manila airport to get us all safely through immigration and customs and on to the right terminal. Now, I could have managed this for my wife and myself alone, but it was a nice touch. Once we got to Dumaguete, there was another team waiting in the airport, often times grabbing our bags before we could even tell them which ones were ours! At the resort the whole staff (which was large) did a top notch job making sure everything was smooth. The rooms were nice, the grounds beautiful (except for the beach, which only gets cleaned irregularly, though I hear that is being addressed; minimal complaint number 1). The pool is gorgeous and the restaurant roomy. My main complaint, which is more a comment, is that the food was definitely hyped up to our group (mostly by our leader). It was good, at times great, but on too many occasions it was just meh. The restaurant staff, however, was really wonderful, taking the time to get to know us and being very attentive. My wife and I had dinner in the treehouse one night for her birthday and we really wanted the beach BBQ they were having. Instead of having us walk down there, however, our server went down and got plates for us. We had one issue over a miscommunication, but once it was brought to light the resort went to great lengths to make it right.
Dive Shop
Again, can't say enough about the dive shop. Getting checked in was easy, the shop itself was a good size, so even with multiple groups we were never out of space, and the staff was there to take care of any problems. Because we were a group of 15 they put us on the Victoria, their flagship bangka. To run the boat, they had the captain, 2-3 deck hands, and 4 DMs. All members of the staff would hustle to make sure everything got done well and quickly.
Our DM Arjay has been around, knows his stuff and works hard to make your diving experience go as best it can. When we wanted to emphasize one part of dive over another, "No problem". When I asked to practice shooting my SMB when we ended a dive, "No problem". When I dropped my spool on the surface of said dive, no problem he went and got it (luckily it wasnt dropping quickly and I learned a valuable lesson!).
They valet your gear, so all you are responsible for is your wetsuit and camera gear, but they also have no problem accommodating you if you want to do something different. I am used to taking care of my own gear, but once I became comfortable with their level of detail and care, I had no problem letting them handle it with nothing but a good buddy check once we geared up.
Getting back on the boat was easy, even in swells, as they would have two guys there to help you up the ladder if needed (I actually prefer doing it on my own, and once I said that, no problem), then two steps to sitting down and taking off your gear. That is followed by a fresh, warm towel and fruit.
Lastly, the shop employs a marine biologist, Daniel. He does a few presentations a week highlighting different creatures in the area and some of the quirks they have, but he is also just available to answer questions. He also dove with our group one day, which was great. You can bet we got our moneys worth out of him with questions!
The only thing I didnt love was the fills on tanks, which were consistently around 2800psi.
Diving
I was unsure how I was going to feel about muck diving. I thought the prospect of critters was cool, but had never experienced it before. Long story short, I think muck diving is awesome! Finding critters is very rewarding and there is such variety. The coral, both hard and soft, was very healthy and in good variety.
Dives
We did a total of 15 dives over 3 days. 8 at or north of Atmosphere on the Dauin coast, 3 were at Apo Island, and 4 were south of Atmosphere on the Dauin coast. Starred are my favorite dives (though none were bad)
Location Dive Site Dive Time Max Depth Ave Depth Bottom Temp
1. Dauin, Philippines Atmosphere House Reef* 44 65 42 82.4
2. Dauin, Philippines Dauin South 50 70 44 82.4
3. Dauin, Philippines Masaplod North* 53 74 46 82.4
4. Dauin, Philippines Dauin North 53 72 43 82.4
5. Dauin, Philippines Sahara Reef* 53 74 39 82.4
6. Dauin, Philippines Masaplod South 57 78 48 82.4
7. Apo Island, Philippines Chapel* 60 75 38 82.4
8. Apo Island, Philippines Rock Point West 65 67 36 82.4
9. Apo Island, Philippines Largahan 58 70 39 82.4
10. Dauin, Philippines Thalatta* 55 80 48 82.4
11. Dauin, Philippines Guinsuan South 54 60 36 84.2
12. Dauin, Philippines Atmosphere House Reef 58 77 36 82.4 night dive
13. Dauin, Philippines Siit* 60 75 42 82.4
14. Dauin, Philippines Gak Ang* 62 77 42 82.4
15. Dauin, Philippines Bahura 65 66 45 82.4
Average 56 72 42 82.5
There were so many critters I couldnt even begin to list them all. Below are some of my favorite pictures and my favorite critters. Photos taken either with a Canon G9 or Sealife DC2000 (wife).
View media item 205429View media item 205428View media item 205427View media item 205426View media item 205425View media item 205424View media item 205423View media item 205422View media item 205421View media item 205420View media item 205418View media item 205417View media item 205416View media item 205415View media item 205413View media item 205412View media item 205411View media item 205410View media item 205409
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