The Visayas region of the Philippines has always been one of my favourite destinations for diving. Having first visited in 2007 and subsequently worked aboard the Philippine Siren in 2009/2010 I try to get back there at least once a year as there are always new sites and new critters to be on the lookout for. Last year I had a few camera issues and only 2 days to spare for diving so it was with a spring in my step that I boarded the plane from Phuket to Manila – ready for a full 2 weeks of diving, day trips and relaxation in Dauin.
Dauin dive sites descriptions, marine life see and overall impressions…
Secret Corner – dark sand slope with small rubble and debris, many garden eels.
Marine Life: robust ghost pipefish, snake eels, Motodhi blue ringed octopus, estuary seahorse, spearing mantis shrimp
Max depth dived 22m, dive time 65 mins, viz 15m.
Atmosphere House Reef – sandy slope with patches of algae, sea grass & coral bommies, several mooring ropes crusted with sponges and soft corals.
Marine Life: frogfish, nembrotha nudibranchs, hairy squat lobster, winged pipefish, ornate ghost pipefish, winged pipefish, juvenile box fish, banded pipefish, hairy shrimp, leaf fish, orang-utan crab,
Max depth dived 19m, dive time 97 mins, viz 15-20m
Ginamaan – sandy slope with artificial reef of car tyres grouped together covered with sponges, soft corals, crinoids and a few hard corals.
Marine Life: xeno crab, ornate ghost pipefish, moray eels, crinoid shrimp, nembrotha & tambja nudis, frogfish, crinoid clingfish, thorny seahorse, anemone commensal shrimps, porcelain crab, snowflake moray, thorny box fish, white eyed moray
Max depth dived 20m, dive time 70mins, viz 15m
Pyramids – Sandy slope with artificial reef of metal pyramid-shaped structures covered with soft corals, sponges & crinoids. Black coral bush at 27m
Marine Life: Sawblade shrimp, nembrotha nudibranchs, soft coral “candy” crab, crinoid squat lobster, frogfish x4, peacock mantis shrimp with clutch of eggs, flying gurnard, spearing mantis shrimp,
Max depth dived 28m, dive time , viz 15m
The Cars / Dauin North – sandy slope with ropes & debris with many sponges, algae & soft coral. 2 broken up Volkswagen cars with metal structures scattered about –used to be completed structures but the cars were broken in the typhoon of 2012, once a haven for lionfish I was surprised to see very few there.
Marine Life: robust & ornate ghost pipefish, coconut octopus, juv. Angel fish, sweetlips, lion fish, porcelain crab, pygmy cuttlefish, pygmy filefish, snake eel, hawksbill turtle & remora, moray eel, Durban snapping shrimp, commensal shrimps, juv. Bearded scorpion fish, catfish eels
Max depth dived 30m, dive time 80 mins, viz 15m
Richard’s Point / Masapolod North – sandy slope with sea grass, garden eels and debris, we had a very gentle drift southwards and ended our dive at the coral reef of Masapolod North where a school of jacks is resident.
Marine Life: 2 flambuoyant cuttlefish, thorny seahorse, decorator crab, ghost/ skeleton shrimp, green turtle, jacks, ornate ghost pipefish
Max depth dived 22m, dive time 65 mins, viz 15-20m
Apo Island -3 dive day trip from Dauin (approx. 45 mins)
Rock Point West – sloping hard coral/ white sand shelf at 5-9m then hard coral wall (not very steep). Max depth 20m, dive time 60 minutes, viz 20m
Cogon / Mamsa Point – sloping reef dotted with bommies, barrel sponges, whip coral, crinoids and soft corals. Was pleasantly surprised to see how intact the reef was considering reports of damage 2 years ago, only evidence I saw was in the shallow area at the end of the dive where hard corals lay dead and broken. Max depth 20m, dive time 60 minutes, viz 20m
Chapel – white sand reef top with hard coral bommies & table corals, over edge to wall where there is a small cave at 18-20m – many sponges & soft corals, good place for leaf fish & nudibranchs. Max depth 22m, dive time 60 mins, viz 15m
Marine Life: Plenty of fish and reef activity, schools of jacks, sweetlips, trigger fish, many scorpion fish, day octopus, red toothed triggerfish, anemones & anemone fish, nembrotha & phyllodesmium nudibranchs, leaf fish, green turtle, hawksbill turtle, orangutan crab
Oslob & Sumilon - 3 dive day trip from Dauin (approx. 1.5 hrs)
Controversial as Oslob is I wanted to see for myself and dive with the whale sharks. We had at least 9 sharks during our 60 minute dive and it was sometimes difficult to stay the requisite 4m distance. It was a Sunday so very crowded and the snorkelers were very close to the sharks. Overall it was a good experience but I think the regulations need to be tightened up to ensure limited contact with the sharks.
Blue Water – sloping reef with bommies, barrel sponges and mini wall with soft coral and black coral bushes. Max depth dived 20m, viz 20m
Sanctuary – reef wall with hard corals, soft coral & black coral bushes.crinoids. Max depth dived 20m,viz 15m
Marine Life:- anemones & fish, snappers, frogfish, blue fin trevally, butterfly fish, angel fish, trumpet fish, ghost pipefish, scorpion fish, lion fish, phyllodesmium nudis.
Water temp during my time was 28C, weather was very good, couple of cloudy days and brief rain spells but for the most part hot and sunny, with a light cooling breeze in the afternoon / evening. Very pleasant. Sea conditions were flat calm or with a few waves, excepting in the late afternoon at Sumilon where a storm came up (lasted about 30mins).
I know several people in the area based at different resorts so I chose to spend 3 days at Amontillado Resort and 10 days at Atmosphere Resort with a visit to the team at Liquid Dumaguete thrown in, I would also have popped into Atlantis but sadly Sharon was away.
Amontillado Resort:
Seaview Room:- en-suite a/c room on ground level with balcony and lounge chairs on the grass overlooking the sea. Bed was comfortable but the linens were not good quality – a little scratchy, mini bar but no price list, cold water shower but good and powerful – couldn’t see there was hot unless I was doing something wrong. Overall clean and comfortable to stay a few days but could improve with simple fixing of some rickety furniture and a welcome letter / room folder with info for guests.
Food:- I enjoyed the breakfast of fruit, fresh bread and eggs and cafetierre of coffee in the morning (if you wanted bacon, sausages, etc you can order but there was an additional charge) Lunch and dinner offered reasonable sized portions and good quality, though perhaps a little overpriced for the Philippines and what was given. Evening meal was 3 choices and you can pre order in the morning – I felt this was a bit limited, you could order from the lunch menu but then you had to pay 25% extra – not sure I got the logic on that one!
Diving:- Lovely dive guide, Ian, and boat crew. Friendly and helpful – though not very chatty, he was a very good spotter and took good care of the group when we had a diver with less experience. The facilities are very basic and there is just a small area to rinse and store gear, though it was secure.
No one checked my dive cert or insurance prior to the dives or at any time during my stay.
Dives are charged per dive, unless you pre-book a package. Price doesn’t include nitrox or marine park fees.
Staff: friendly and helpful to a point though not knowledgeable – for example I asked for wifi code and girl did not know it and said she couldn’t get it – I asked another guest in the end (perhaps something that could be solved with a welcome letter?)
Overall Facilities: spacious lounge is nice for meeting other guests, chairs very comfy and great for an afternoon doze! There is a pool in the garden but I didn’t use it; nice if you are staying in a garden room but I had the beach instead.
Atmosphere Resort:-
Apartment – spacious 1 bed with a/c, en-suite, kitchen / dining and sitting area, on the ground floor with front balcony, cushioned seating and hammock. Clean and comfortable. Lovely linen – I was very tempted to sleep in and miss dives! Great shower with 2 different nozzles, hot water and powerful.
Plasma screen TV has good selection of channels and I was able to plug in my usb stick with movies. Information on the room, Wi-Fi and facilities was clearly laid out with a welcome platter of fruit – and free water for the entire stay.
Food :– excellent! Hearty breakfast with a la carte choices, cheeses and homemade bread selection, cereals and fresh fruit, Coffee or tea – would have loved a strong Americano but it was a regular filter coffee. Numerous choices from an all-day dining, evening menu, specials boards. Reasonably priced for the high quality of the food presented, the chef (Denver) was very friendly and came out to meet guests / check all was ok with the meals.
Diving:- I dived mostly with Eric and Richard both are excellent spotters, friendly and knowledgeable about the marine life and what is being seen where, my House Reef dive was extended by joining Arjay’s group and he was also very good and found the hairy shrimp! Boat crew were also helpful, ride to sites was approx. 5-8 mins. My cards were checked when I filled out the dive sign up and liability waivers and each dive I was asked to check my nitrox fills and complete the log. The dive room has individual spaces to hang gear and its locked securely at night, there is a separate camera room and comfortable seating area for chatting & dive briefings.
Dives are charged per dive but you can opt to make a 10-dive or 20-dive package on arrival. All dives included nitrox (for those certified) and the marine park fee. If you go to Apo with them (for 3 dives) there is a supplement for the day trip charged on top of the regular dive cost and night diving(after 5.30pm) has a supplement also
Staff:- Typical Filipino friendliness. I have visited before and it was lovely to be so warmly welcomed back, both by reception staff and dive team. There always seemed someone on hand to assist, questions were answered quickly and with the correct information, when at the pool there was always a wait staff bringing iced water or offering a drink / snack menu – I felt very pampered.
Overall Facilities:- The bar seems to be the central hub for meeting people and general chit-chat. Its right next to the pool so convenient for lounging with a cocktail in the late afternoon post dive. There were several families vacationing from Manila and I thought there was a good mix of activity for the children and space for the adults. The spa is stunning and the massages great. If you like yoga there is a yoga hut overlooking the sea and free introductory classes (I’m not so flexible so didn’t go for this!)
Liquid Dumaguete:-
Fun and friendly team, clean comfortable basic rooms, good sized pool for training and professional dive team, the bar was on the upper level with lovely sea views and breeze – great place to hang out of an evening. They have a daily evening food menu (1 choice only I believe).
Loved the trip and yes I'll be going back again in 2015 - planning for end June / early July.
Dauin dive sites descriptions, marine life see and overall impressions…
Secret Corner – dark sand slope with small rubble and debris, many garden eels.
Marine Life: robust ghost pipefish, snake eels, Motodhi blue ringed octopus, estuary seahorse, spearing mantis shrimp
Max depth dived 22m, dive time 65 mins, viz 15m.
Atmosphere House Reef – sandy slope with patches of algae, sea grass & coral bommies, several mooring ropes crusted with sponges and soft corals.
Marine Life: frogfish, nembrotha nudibranchs, hairy squat lobster, winged pipefish, ornate ghost pipefish, winged pipefish, juvenile box fish, banded pipefish, hairy shrimp, leaf fish, orang-utan crab,
Max depth dived 19m, dive time 97 mins, viz 15-20m
Ginamaan – sandy slope with artificial reef of car tyres grouped together covered with sponges, soft corals, crinoids and a few hard corals.
Marine Life: xeno crab, ornate ghost pipefish, moray eels, crinoid shrimp, nembrotha & tambja nudis, frogfish, crinoid clingfish, thorny seahorse, anemone commensal shrimps, porcelain crab, snowflake moray, thorny box fish, white eyed moray
Max depth dived 20m, dive time 70mins, viz 15m
Pyramids – Sandy slope with artificial reef of metal pyramid-shaped structures covered with soft corals, sponges & crinoids. Black coral bush at 27m
Marine Life: Sawblade shrimp, nembrotha nudibranchs, soft coral “candy” crab, crinoid squat lobster, frogfish x4, peacock mantis shrimp with clutch of eggs, flying gurnard, spearing mantis shrimp,
Max depth dived 28m, dive time , viz 15m
The Cars / Dauin North – sandy slope with ropes & debris with many sponges, algae & soft coral. 2 broken up Volkswagen cars with metal structures scattered about –used to be completed structures but the cars were broken in the typhoon of 2012, once a haven for lionfish I was surprised to see very few there.
Marine Life: robust & ornate ghost pipefish, coconut octopus, juv. Angel fish, sweetlips, lion fish, porcelain crab, pygmy cuttlefish, pygmy filefish, snake eel, hawksbill turtle & remora, moray eel, Durban snapping shrimp, commensal shrimps, juv. Bearded scorpion fish, catfish eels
Max depth dived 30m, dive time 80 mins, viz 15m
Richard’s Point / Masapolod North – sandy slope with sea grass, garden eels and debris, we had a very gentle drift southwards and ended our dive at the coral reef of Masapolod North where a school of jacks is resident.
Marine Life: 2 flambuoyant cuttlefish, thorny seahorse, decorator crab, ghost/ skeleton shrimp, green turtle, jacks, ornate ghost pipefish
Max depth dived 22m, dive time 65 mins, viz 15-20m
Apo Island -3 dive day trip from Dauin (approx. 45 mins)
Rock Point West – sloping hard coral/ white sand shelf at 5-9m then hard coral wall (not very steep). Max depth 20m, dive time 60 minutes, viz 20m
Cogon / Mamsa Point – sloping reef dotted with bommies, barrel sponges, whip coral, crinoids and soft corals. Was pleasantly surprised to see how intact the reef was considering reports of damage 2 years ago, only evidence I saw was in the shallow area at the end of the dive where hard corals lay dead and broken. Max depth 20m, dive time 60 minutes, viz 20m
Chapel – white sand reef top with hard coral bommies & table corals, over edge to wall where there is a small cave at 18-20m – many sponges & soft corals, good place for leaf fish & nudibranchs. Max depth 22m, dive time 60 mins, viz 15m
Marine Life: Plenty of fish and reef activity, schools of jacks, sweetlips, trigger fish, many scorpion fish, day octopus, red toothed triggerfish, anemones & anemone fish, nembrotha & phyllodesmium nudibranchs, leaf fish, green turtle, hawksbill turtle, orangutan crab
Oslob & Sumilon - 3 dive day trip from Dauin (approx. 1.5 hrs)
Controversial as Oslob is I wanted to see for myself and dive with the whale sharks. We had at least 9 sharks during our 60 minute dive and it was sometimes difficult to stay the requisite 4m distance. It was a Sunday so very crowded and the snorkelers were very close to the sharks. Overall it was a good experience but I think the regulations need to be tightened up to ensure limited contact with the sharks.
Blue Water – sloping reef with bommies, barrel sponges and mini wall with soft coral and black coral bushes. Max depth dived 20m, viz 20m
Sanctuary – reef wall with hard corals, soft coral & black coral bushes.crinoids. Max depth dived 20m,viz 15m
Marine Life:- anemones & fish, snappers, frogfish, blue fin trevally, butterfly fish, angel fish, trumpet fish, ghost pipefish, scorpion fish, lion fish, phyllodesmium nudis.
Water temp during my time was 28C, weather was very good, couple of cloudy days and brief rain spells but for the most part hot and sunny, with a light cooling breeze in the afternoon / evening. Very pleasant. Sea conditions were flat calm or with a few waves, excepting in the late afternoon at Sumilon where a storm came up (lasted about 30mins).
I know several people in the area based at different resorts so I chose to spend 3 days at Amontillado Resort and 10 days at Atmosphere Resort with a visit to the team at Liquid Dumaguete thrown in, I would also have popped into Atlantis but sadly Sharon was away.
Amontillado Resort:
Seaview Room:- en-suite a/c room on ground level with balcony and lounge chairs on the grass overlooking the sea. Bed was comfortable but the linens were not good quality – a little scratchy, mini bar but no price list, cold water shower but good and powerful – couldn’t see there was hot unless I was doing something wrong. Overall clean and comfortable to stay a few days but could improve with simple fixing of some rickety furniture and a welcome letter / room folder with info for guests.
Food:- I enjoyed the breakfast of fruit, fresh bread and eggs and cafetierre of coffee in the morning (if you wanted bacon, sausages, etc you can order but there was an additional charge) Lunch and dinner offered reasonable sized portions and good quality, though perhaps a little overpriced for the Philippines and what was given. Evening meal was 3 choices and you can pre order in the morning – I felt this was a bit limited, you could order from the lunch menu but then you had to pay 25% extra – not sure I got the logic on that one!
Diving:- Lovely dive guide, Ian, and boat crew. Friendly and helpful – though not very chatty, he was a very good spotter and took good care of the group when we had a diver with less experience. The facilities are very basic and there is just a small area to rinse and store gear, though it was secure.
No one checked my dive cert or insurance prior to the dives or at any time during my stay.
Dives are charged per dive, unless you pre-book a package. Price doesn’t include nitrox or marine park fees.
Staff: friendly and helpful to a point though not knowledgeable – for example I asked for wifi code and girl did not know it and said she couldn’t get it – I asked another guest in the end (perhaps something that could be solved with a welcome letter?)
Overall Facilities: spacious lounge is nice for meeting other guests, chairs very comfy and great for an afternoon doze! There is a pool in the garden but I didn’t use it; nice if you are staying in a garden room but I had the beach instead.
Atmosphere Resort:-
Apartment – spacious 1 bed with a/c, en-suite, kitchen / dining and sitting area, on the ground floor with front balcony, cushioned seating and hammock. Clean and comfortable. Lovely linen – I was very tempted to sleep in and miss dives! Great shower with 2 different nozzles, hot water and powerful.
Plasma screen TV has good selection of channels and I was able to plug in my usb stick with movies. Information on the room, Wi-Fi and facilities was clearly laid out with a welcome platter of fruit – and free water for the entire stay.
Food :– excellent! Hearty breakfast with a la carte choices, cheeses and homemade bread selection, cereals and fresh fruit, Coffee or tea – would have loved a strong Americano but it was a regular filter coffee. Numerous choices from an all-day dining, evening menu, specials boards. Reasonably priced for the high quality of the food presented, the chef (Denver) was very friendly and came out to meet guests / check all was ok with the meals.
Diving:- I dived mostly with Eric and Richard both are excellent spotters, friendly and knowledgeable about the marine life and what is being seen where, my House Reef dive was extended by joining Arjay’s group and he was also very good and found the hairy shrimp! Boat crew were also helpful, ride to sites was approx. 5-8 mins. My cards were checked when I filled out the dive sign up and liability waivers and each dive I was asked to check my nitrox fills and complete the log. The dive room has individual spaces to hang gear and its locked securely at night, there is a separate camera room and comfortable seating area for chatting & dive briefings.
Dives are charged per dive but you can opt to make a 10-dive or 20-dive package on arrival. All dives included nitrox (for those certified) and the marine park fee. If you go to Apo with them (for 3 dives) there is a supplement for the day trip charged on top of the regular dive cost and night diving(after 5.30pm) has a supplement also
Staff:- Typical Filipino friendliness. I have visited before and it was lovely to be so warmly welcomed back, both by reception staff and dive team. There always seemed someone on hand to assist, questions were answered quickly and with the correct information, when at the pool there was always a wait staff bringing iced water or offering a drink / snack menu – I felt very pampered.
Overall Facilities:- The bar seems to be the central hub for meeting people and general chit-chat. Its right next to the pool so convenient for lounging with a cocktail in the late afternoon post dive. There were several families vacationing from Manila and I thought there was a good mix of activity for the children and space for the adults. The spa is stunning and the massages great. If you like yoga there is a yoga hut overlooking the sea and free introductory classes (I’m not so flexible so didn’t go for this!)
Liquid Dumaguete:-
Fun and friendly team, clean comfortable basic rooms, good sized pool for training and professional dive team, the bar was on the upper level with lovely sea views and breeze – great place to hang out of an evening. They have a daily evening food menu (1 choice only I believe).
Loved the trip and yes I'll be going back again in 2015 - planning for end June / early July.
Last edited:
