Trip Report Dumaguete -Atlantis Resort stay May 2022

[miniwid]

Thanks for this great trip report. I am considering diving Dauin at the end of this month (May). I think you were there mid May, how did you find the conditions?

 

[Luko]

Thanks for this great trip report. I am considering diving Dauin at the end of this month (May). I think you were there mid May, how did you find the conditions?

Excellent conditions. Flat seas and sunshine.
The only issue you will find is that it will be extremely hot (I am currently in Panglao on a divetrip in the Visayas, expect 29-30C for just water temperature and much more when you're out of water.)

 

[miniwid]

Excellent conditions. Flat seas and sunshine.
The only issue you will find is that it will be extremely hot (I am currently in Panglao on a divetrip in the Visayas, expect 29-30C for just water temperature and much more when you're out of water.)

Thanks Luko for your reply. I'm looking forward to my trip even more now. I hope the diving in Panglao has been good.

 

[miamidude]

Thank you. Great photos ! I have not yet bee to Philippians for diving. Ive beeb to Palau twice and a few islands of Tahiti as well as West papua. Thank you for your description and photo fo the whale shark "zoo" . I am mostly interested in seeing healthy coral (not so much macro life- we hav that here at hime at the Blue Heron Bridge here in Palm Beach Florida). It looks like the coral in Apo is in good shape. Would you recommend another place in Philippians for me with my interest isn just being healthy coral (soft and hard) ?

 

[Luko]

It looks like the coral in Apo is in good shape. Would you recommend another place in Philippians for me with my interest isn just being healthy coral (soft and hard) ?

Hi and thanks for appreciating my report.
Yes indeed, coral on Apo island was in pretty good shape especially the south eastern area.
I love the coral and fish life in Balicasag as well, this island is dived from Panglao/Alona.
However it needs booking ahead though as it is a marine park with limited access, you may read a couple of reports I wrote here :

Trip Report - Sogod Bay and Panglao first weeks of May 2023

First part Sogod Bay. People ain't kidding when they say it's a long way to Sogod Bay, at least from Europe. That was first a long but comfortable trip to Singapore on AF, upgraded to Business class, overnight in S'pore hawkers dinner and dim sum breakfast, the SIN-Manila flight with Scoot...

scubaboard.com

Visayas trip report : Cabilao-Alona-Dauin-Moalboal April 18

Just came back monday from a two weeks Visayas diving trip including the areas mentioned in the title of the thread. Happy to share the highlghts -and lower lights- of my trip. Disclaimer : I am quite hard to satisfy as a regular visitor of the area (probably my 7th dive trip in the Phils), my...

scubaboard.com

You can easily couple Panglao (Balicasag) and Dauin (Apo island) in one stay, it only takes a 2h ferry crossing and 15 minutes of taxi ride each way, so that is done in one morning departing from Panglao then you're diving Dauin in the afternoon.
Both destination have multiple daily domestic flights to Manila.

 

[Macfod]

We dived Dauin in December with Mikes Resort who we found pretty good…diving as muckers we found just ok but not startling that month. Apo was ok but lots of divers and pretty coral but not to our liking with few large fish or shoals…tick tho…

 

[Lp]

Excellent conditions. Flat seas and sunshine.
The only issue you will find is that it will be extremely hot (I am currently in Panglao on a divetrip in the Visayas, expect 29-30C for just water temperature and much more when you're out of water.)

Sorry old thread but great read !

How did you rate dauin vs bohol in the end ?

 

[Luko]

How did you rate dauin vs bohol in the end ?

Quite complementary.
I take Balicasag as the best landbased fish school / coral dive in the Phils (you can also check out a latest report from a may23 trip). You just need to book in advance with your dive centre (I am using Philippines fun divers regularly, they will respond to your mails within 24 hours).
Dauin is very nice mostly for macro dives either black sand or rubble dives. You have a few comfortable yet quite expensive or more budget friendly options.

My wife is a non diver hence I always try to accomodate my dive preferences (I am an experienced photographer) with her own comfort.
On a non diver perspective, she prefers Panglao/Alona for the array of activities/restaurants and Dauin for the resorts comfort, she really didn't like Anda in the middle of nowhere (I thought the diving was really tame there too).

You can PM me too if you want more straightforward advice.

 

[Jay_Remi]

The Diving in Dauin :

On our arrival, I met my guide for the first house reef intro dive which was scheduled later in the afternoon. I only had to leave my stuff on my room terrace to have it carried to the dive shop (may be a service I was provided because we were only few divers).

This is where I met my fellow divers for the week. I probably was lucky with my timeframe as we were only few divers for the whole week (2 to 4 other photographers at the most, from UK, Argentina or Italy. Coincidentally 3 of us were also photo competition winners of different contests for the same prize at Atlantis resort) plus a small party of 3 californian senior citizens -as they liked to call themselves- back from a Tubbataha liveaboard, and 2 other non diving couples. All of us got along very well, as we knew we had the whole resort for ourselves so could ask for special requests or specific divesites, everytime Atlantis staff would do their best to accomodate our requests.

Atlantis diving package is an « all you can dive » formula, meaning up to 5 dives/day. Personnally, after two years drydocked, it was both a diveskill check and a « health recovery » trip for me, I limited myself to 3 dives/day which anyway was enough (One of the fearmongering physicians I visited wanted to limit me no dive or a maximum of a shallow one per day despite very good effort tests : Well scr** you doc and your fears, I am going very well!). Dives are usually done single tank out on a speedboat, except when going to spots located further south (Two tank dives) or day trips to Apo island on a large wooden Bangka possibily large enough to accomodate more than 20 divers. I personnaly requested a chargeable private guide but I never had more than 3 other divers on my boat, more than often only one diver with her guide (A british photog who was on a mission not to miss a single dive).

Dauin is known for muck diving and small stuff, although the profile of dives varies with the location. One of the closest dive site from Atlantis Resort, also one of the best, is San Miguel, pure Lembeh style flat black sand muck. Its home to a lot of critters golden gobies, crustacea of all sorts, seahorses, small froggies, lots of costasiella nudis on almost every algae.

Thank you Luko for this very detailed and super useful report. Dauin is high on my list of places to dive to during my 3-weeks trip to the Philippines. Would 5 full days of diving be enough there or should I consider longer duration? How would you rate diving there as compared to other places in nearby islands?

 

[Luko]

Would 5 full days of diving be enough there or should I consider longer duration? How would you rate diving there as compared to other places in nearby islands?

Depends on your goals.
If you're there for UWphoto like me or you're a lover of muck/critter diving, 5 days would be short. Dauin is a nice relaxed place too although eating out of your resort often needs arrangements (take a trike to Duma, 15 minutes ride, etc.).
If you like corals as much as schools of fish, then 5 days is fine including one or two daytrips to Apo island, you'll get better coral/fish sightings in Balicasag, Malapascua or even Moalboal.