Atlantis Dive Resorts
Registered
Atlantis Azores Captain’s Log August 5-12, 2014
Bohol Itinerary
Weather: Mild summer rains made for a comfortable sea and light breezes.
Water Temp: 82-83 F
Air: Similar
Log Entry by: Capt’ Todd
Welcome Aboard! This week we had a great bunch of folks from Texas, who are also known as the “Oceanic Group”. Led by Phil, this group included Bragg II, Bragg III, Jill, Samantha, Preston, Rhonda, Hughes, Richard, Holly, Haley, Hayden, Garret, and Milby.
Wednesday we started our liveaboard adventure with an early morning stop at Oslob and snorkeling with the whale sharks. The whale sharks were definitely in attendance, and at least a half dozen were the stars of some great ‘Go Pro’ footage that we all watched together afterwards. The remainder of the day was then spent at Sumilon Island where everyone had the chance to do some exploring on the island in between dives.
Thursday started with a quick 35-mile run north to Cabilao Island where we found some refreshingly clear water, calm seas and sunny skies! The impressive walls here were not lost on this bunch and they scattered across the immense expanse in a giant sea of bubbles. Everyone went ashore for an after-lunch walk through the village, and a few handmade bags were purchased from the local ladies to be later brought home as souvenirs. I led the night dive and we found a remarkable array of eels; one even in the act of devouring a hapless victim, along with one of the largest anemone crabs I’ve ever seen!
Friday, Balicasag Island was where we splashed in, and the turtles were there from our very first dive. On the next dive we also found the schooling “Jacknado”. After lunch, a few guests managed to relax a bit with massages on the beach
while others just relaxes on the upper deck. Dive four was…well… nothing short of extraordinary! Maybe it’s because I wasn’t present, but EVERYTHING happened. An UNPRECEDENTED school of Barracuda appeared, a MANTA RAY appeared, a WHALE SHARK appeared, and the ‘Jacknado’ was off the charts!! The evening dive was almost anti-climactic after such a wild afternoon dive, but Richard and I still had a great time exploring.
Saturday we pulled in to Panglao for a full day that also included a locally guided tour of the underwater area. We hired an island dive guide named Jerwin, who with his local knowledge was able to spot lots of the hot subjects. He did a great job, even finding us octopus and seahorses along with a wide variety of other rare creatures.
Sunday we opted to dive an unexplored area on the western frontier of Panglao Island. I’ve cruised by this area in the past and always wondering what lies beneath there. Well we found out on this day discovering beautiful coral gardens crowning a magnificent wall with healthy fan corals and a multitude of fish. We’ll definitely remember this place! We returned to our Panglao mooring in time to whisk all the guests away to Alona Beach for the highly anticipated land tour. This gang was ready for some terrestrial exploration and we surely gave it to them. Tarsier monkeys, beautiful butterflies, BIG snakes and the picturesque Chocolate Hills thrilled them all! It was a great day ashore. We got back to the Azores right in time to enjoy Chef Xtian’s world-famous “Filipino” night dinner followed with a few drinks and laughs on the sundeck. Actually it was the “Super Moon Deck” this evening - outstanding!
Monday, for our final day of diving (where did the week go?), we ventured to Apo Island. This pristine marine sanctuary is located an hour or so south of the Atlantis Resort at Dumaguete and is one of the most renowned dive sites in Asia. The conditions were superb, and Phil got lots of great video footage of his group hovering over an endless expanse of healthy coral gardens. We made time in between dives for a quick shore trip to buy Apo Island tee shirts to add to the collection! Afterwards, it was back to Atlantis Dumaguete for some much anticipated massages, followed with a great meal in our Toko’s restaurant where everyone raised a glass to a great trip. This was then followed with a game of “Jeopardy-Philippines” back on the boat! Jill you are one creative gal. :cool2: God Bless Texas!!!
Thank you all for a wonderful week with us aboard the Azores.
Bohol Itinerary
Weather: Mild summer rains made for a comfortable sea and light breezes.
Water Temp: 82-83 F
Air: Similar
Log Entry by: Capt’ Todd
Welcome Aboard! This week we had a great bunch of folks from Texas, who are also known as the “Oceanic Group”. Led by Phil, this group included Bragg II, Bragg III, Jill, Samantha, Preston, Rhonda, Hughes, Richard, Holly, Haley, Hayden, Garret, and Milby.
Wednesday we started our liveaboard adventure with an early morning stop at Oslob and snorkeling with the whale sharks. The whale sharks were definitely in attendance, and at least a half dozen were the stars of some great ‘Go Pro’ footage that we all watched together afterwards. The remainder of the day was then spent at Sumilon Island where everyone had the chance to do some exploring on the island in between dives.
Thursday started with a quick 35-mile run north to Cabilao Island where we found some refreshingly clear water, calm seas and sunny skies! The impressive walls here were not lost on this bunch and they scattered across the immense expanse in a giant sea of bubbles. Everyone went ashore for an after-lunch walk through the village, and a few handmade bags were purchased from the local ladies to be later brought home as souvenirs. I led the night dive and we found a remarkable array of eels; one even in the act of devouring a hapless victim, along with one of the largest anemone crabs I’ve ever seen!
Friday, Balicasag Island was where we splashed in, and the turtles were there from our very first dive. On the next dive we also found the schooling “Jacknado”. After lunch, a few guests managed to relax a bit with massages on the beach
while others just relaxes on the upper deck. Dive four was…well… nothing short of extraordinary! Maybe it’s because I wasn’t present, but EVERYTHING happened. An UNPRECEDENTED school of Barracuda appeared, a MANTA RAY appeared, a WHALE SHARK appeared, and the ‘Jacknado’ was off the charts!! The evening dive was almost anti-climactic after such a wild afternoon dive, but Richard and I still had a great time exploring.Saturday we pulled in to Panglao for a full day that also included a locally guided tour of the underwater area. We hired an island dive guide named Jerwin, who with his local knowledge was able to spot lots of the hot subjects. He did a great job, even finding us octopus and seahorses along with a wide variety of other rare creatures.
Sunday we opted to dive an unexplored area on the western frontier of Panglao Island. I’ve cruised by this area in the past and always wondering what lies beneath there. Well we found out on this day discovering beautiful coral gardens crowning a magnificent wall with healthy fan corals and a multitude of fish. We’ll definitely remember this place! We returned to our Panglao mooring in time to whisk all the guests away to Alona Beach for the highly anticipated land tour. This gang was ready for some terrestrial exploration and we surely gave it to them. Tarsier monkeys, beautiful butterflies, BIG snakes and the picturesque Chocolate Hills thrilled them all! It was a great day ashore. We got back to the Azores right in time to enjoy Chef Xtian’s world-famous “Filipino” night dinner followed with a few drinks and laughs on the sundeck. Actually it was the “Super Moon Deck” this evening - outstanding!
Monday, for our final day of diving (where did the week go?), we ventured to Apo Island. This pristine marine sanctuary is located an hour or so south of the Atlantis Resort at Dumaguete and is one of the most renowned dive sites in Asia. The conditions were superb, and Phil got lots of great video footage of his group hovering over an endless expanse of healthy coral gardens. We made time in between dives for a quick shore trip to buy Apo Island tee shirts to add to the collection! Afterwards, it was back to Atlantis Dumaguete for some much anticipated massages, followed with a great meal in our Toko’s restaurant where everyone raised a glass to a great trip. This was then followed with a game of “Jeopardy-Philippines” back on the boat! Jill you are one creative gal. :cool2: God Bless Texas!!!
Thank you all for a wonderful week with us aboard the Azores.
