Dauin / Duma. OR Anilao (for Macro / Muck)?

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Harley1962

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Location
Thailand
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I'm a Fish!
Has anybody been to BOTH of these places recently (over the past 1-2 years)? And if so, how would you compare the macro life at each?

Obviously, Anilao is more convenient flying into MNL but Duma. has the advantage of both muck and reef (if you include Apo Island), even if it's slightly less convenient to access. (flying into Cebu and then fast ferry for example)

If you have been to both locations please feel free to offer your ideas and opinions on the above. (as well as recommendations for accommodation and diving centers at either / both places)

Thank you!

Harley
 
We have been to Dumaguete three Times and to Anilao once. Both are excellent locations and I would go bakk to either tomorrow. One my single trip to Anilao, which included Southern Leyte and Anda my camera gave up the ghost on day 3, but another diver very kindly gave me his excellent photos. I would probably rate Anilao very slightly higher than Dumaguete.
But Apo is wonderful and we love the variety of diving in the Visayas.

For a short trip to the Philippines , ten or fewer days then you cannot beat the convenience of Anilao. All of the diving there is wonderful , especially the night dive and of course there is Puerto Galera very near.

The advantages of Dumaguete are obviously Apo Island for turtles etc etc. We are huge Southern Leyte fans and yes we have done Oslob too so have seen whalesharks in both. Also Malapascua is an excellent add-on. If I had two or more weeks I would go to Dumaguete.

We stayed in Liquid Dumaguete and Pura Vida in Dumaguete and in Buceo Anilao in Anilao. All were beautiful properties with charming staff but well , none of us go to the Philippines for the food !!!

Hope this helps a bit , you will love it wherever you go !
 
Very useful info. thank you! I thought of Anilao in terms of shorter-length (10 days or less) trips and overall convenience.

As somebody that has done over 1000 dives in Lembeh alone, I am "addicted" to the muck and have seen significant similarities with Anilao. Already done Apo Island (but never Duma) as well as Malapascua so actually Anilao (and perhaps a day or 2 in PG) seems to be ideal for the time frame.

As for accommodations & diving do you have any suggestions for budget / mid-price? I heard positive things re : Buceo but the prices are a tad high for me. (I work in the Dive Industry)

Definitely agree re : food in Phils. it's rather sad that a country which has the potential to grow amazing fruits and veg. they simply do not consider it a staple in their diets. How much chicken / pork adobo, sisig, pancit, lechon, etc..can a person consume without getting bored with it?

But I appreciate your taking the time to respond. I just need to narrow down my choices for accommodations + diving and go from there!
 
Definitely agree re : food in Phils. it's rather sad that a country which has the potential to grow amazing fruits and veg. they simply do not consider it a staple in their diets. How much chicken / pork adobo, sisig, pancit, lechon, etc..can a person consume without getting bored with it?
Only the cuisine in PNG is worst than Philippines. The rest of SE Asia diets are simply head and shoulder above them. Actually it is a insult to compare them eg Thai, Indonesian with Pinoy's food.
Just compare the produce in the market between Philippines and Thailand.

The food in Philippines is a JOKE.

With 10 days to spend I would try Southern Leyte.
 
Very useful info. thank you! I thought of Anilao in terms of shorter-length (10 days or less) trips and overall convenience.

As somebody that has done over 1000 dives in Lembeh alone, I am "addicted" to the muck and have seen significant similarities with Anilao. Already done Apo Island (but never Duma) as well as Malapascua so actually Anilao (and perhaps a day or 2 in PG) seems to be ideal for the time frame.

As for accommodations & diving do you have any suggestions for budget / mid-price? I heard positive things re : Buceo but the prices are a tad high for me. (I work in the Dive Industry)

Definitely agree re : food in Phils. it's rather sad that a country which has the potential to grow amazing fruits and veg. they simply do not consider it a staple in their diets. How much chicken / pork adobo, sisig, pancit, lechon, etc..can a person consume without getting bored with it?

But I appreciate your taking the time to respond. I just need to narrow down my choices for accommodations + diving and go from there!
Liquid Dumaguete has budget bungalows that are really nice.
 
If you're looking for food, Dauin rates higher than Anilao for sure. I can survive in the Visayas/Negros Kinilaw (raw fish in ginger vinegar marinade) and mango pancakes, but hardly on Adobo. i can't understand that, in some Cebu supermarkets you can purchase the best mangoes and pineapples (produced in Davao) in the world.

Joke apart, I find Anilao underwater better and more varied than Dauin which is almost exclusively balck sand, TK2 style if you've been to Lembeh. Anilao is less mucky that Lembeh for instance, it has a variety of macro sites which are not muck and also blue water dives.
I have never been impressed with Apo, which I find lacks fish whereas there are some excellent wide angle reef opportunities in Anilao, such as Beatrice or Twin Rocks, check out my flickr gallery in my signature, it wil give an idea.(there's also a Visayas album where you'll find photos of Dauin area:wink:
 
Slightly biased as I have a resort in Anilao...

I moved over to here from Puerto Galera after 8 years. The muck here is incredible, yet the coral diving is also very good. Problem is a lot of resorts rely on freelance bangkas which are in a bit of a mafia and refuse to go to far so you don't get to see some of the further out divesites, such as Ligpo Island or Dive and Trek, which has one of the nicest wall dives in terms of gorgonian fan abundance to anywhere else I've seen in the Philippines. Dive and Trek has a resident school of Jacks that must be over 5000, which is always a bonus.

Muck diving is great, we've had 3 mimic octopus, flamboyants and blue rings on the same dive. Nudibranch you just can't beat here.

As of the food, I am happy to say that we have a full international restaurant that I can't say anyone has ever complained about.

You can check us out here at www.blueribbondivers.com - hope you don't mind the plug.

Jon
 
I was in Anilao during the stormy weather in July 2018, and dived with Anilao Photo Academy (APA)...

This was the best decision I ever had!!!!

Other than 1 brief macro diving Tulamben, Anilao is the 2nd place I have went. Spent few days there, and the APA had me hook up with underwater photography. I have a really entry level point and shoot camera (Nikon W100) and oh boy, I was amazed with the way those macro pictures were thanks to the dive guides who teach me how to shine the torch, do the camera setting, take from a good angle and of course, edit on computer!!

The macro critters are amazing, and I was so hooked that we spent 90 mins on a dive for just 3 - 5 critters because I was spending a long time with trial and error on the best shots.....
 
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