osufhorn
Registered
Hey all, just wanted to pass along my experience on my latest dive trip. I was at Atlantis Dumaguete June 2nd-9th. This was my first trip to the Philippines and first diving in the Pacific. I flew in Cleveland to LA on Continental and the LA to Taipei to Manila on EVA Air in their premium economy, which was a great investment in comfort for those of us large or tall divers. I spent a couple of days sightseeing in Manila and then flew on to Dumaguete on Philippine Air in economy. I don't know if it was just me, but their economy was much more comfortable than any I've been on in the US. I was greeted in Dumaguete by someone from Atlantis and shown into the waiting Atlantis jeepney while they picked up my luggage. After a 30min ride down the coast, we turned off the main road into Atlantis. All the reports I've read were right in that you turn off onto a dirt driveway and drive what looks like it is through a few people's yards and get out at Atlantis all the while wondering where the resort is. Suddenly you walk around the corner of a building and are transported into a tropical oasis that you can't see and didn't think was there. After getting checked in I had a chance to relax for the evening before starting diving. My room was right in the middle of the resort and was everything I'd expect from a tropical dive resort. The furnishings and decor were simple, but elegant in a tropical sort of way. The room had a great wooden balcony under the thatched roof. The only knock was that the tap water wasn't drinkable, but they had bottled water in the minibar or you could fill your own bottle at the restaurant which was only a short walk. The diving was absolutely fabulous. The divemasters and boat crew had everything set up and ready to go for you so you never had to touch your gear. Every dive started with a briefing at the dive center and then the quick walk down to the boat and off you went. Most dive sites were within a 5 minute boat ride from the resort. They had pretty much something for everyone with lots of nice healthy hard and soft coral sites to choose from. They also have some outstanding muck diving at several sites. My favorite was the Dumaguete Coconut Mill Pier where we found 3 large frogfish sitting on top of each other. We also took 2 day trips to Apo Island which has beautiful reefs and wall diving as well as a large school of amber jacks. What more can I say, the diving was fabulous and more importantly the people there truly cared about making this your best vacation ever. I'm missing it already and would go back to Atlantis Dumaguete in a heartbeat.
