Musings on Dumaguete (as I depart...)

[cetacean]

Sheep nudis were quite prevalent. Our guide found ~15, and likely stopped pointing them out.

One thing to keep in mind - the international terminal for non-PAL flights in MNL is terminal 3 (most international PAL flights land at terminal 1), and the majority of domestic flights depart from terminal 2. These terminals are not close toghether (they are actually on opposite sides of the runway from eachother). There is no way to walk between these terminals. Some people hire private cars for the transit, however there are a couple of shuttles available (a free shuttle that runs every ~30 min, but schedule is "iffy") or a "deluxe" shuttle bus that costs about 50 Philippine pesos/person (more reliable, more comfortable). The transit can take ~30 min in traffic, or about 15 min with no traffic.

Been to both (and also more ops in Dauin).
You can read my feedback here Trip Report - Dumaguete -Atlantis Resort stay May 2022

In my opinion :
Atmosphere has an edge for grounds & pool, slightly for accoms.
I like much better Atlantis for food thanks to their chef (Atmosphere tries but does not fully deliver) and their dive organization, they will be less expensive for hardcore divers with their dive formula (up to 5 dives/day). Atlantis is also closer to other resorts that you can walk to from the beach.


You won't even care for them after your first dive on San Miguel, right in front of Atlantis.
FYI there are no flights between CEB and DGT, its drive+ short ferry (tedious... done it twice, more than 5 hours in fact)

@Luko

You are incorrect. Cebu Pacific flies between Cebu and Dumaguete 2-3 times a day, every day of the week. They may not have been flying when you last visited, but this route has been in place for several years now.

 

[cetacean]

In February 2024 we flew CEB-DGT with Cebu Pacific.
I booked well ahead for a nice midday flight - only to have them reschedule 3-4 times and ended up with a 8.30 pm flight.

@diveUAE

There is a reason that Cebu Pacific has an on-time performance raiting of 38%, whereas Philippine Airlines ha an on-time performance rating of 77%. (just recently reported 86% for 2024).

I have flown Cebu Pacific several times, only once have they been on time when I've flown them. I tend to avoid them as much as possible when flying to and around the Philippines (although they are cheap).

 

[Luko]

Cebu Pacific flies between Cebu and Dumaguete 2-3 times a day, every day of the week. They may not have been flying when you last visited, but this route has been in place for several years now.

Ok new flights then.
I visited DGT last time 2022 : from 2014 each time I had to come back through CEB I had to find a driver.
The only time I flew CEB to DGT was when AirAsia MNL DGT couldn't land on DGT for a technical problem, They landed at CEB, an engineer fixed something on the plane, two hours later the flight resumed and landed DGT.
I don't know whether that counts as for a CEB DGT...

 

[cetacean]

How is the diving different. I thought it was all muck diving unless you go to Apo Island. Atmosphere looks just as expensive as Atlantis.

The resorts (and the diving) are different, but it's a bit nuanced.

First - the Atmosphere resort grounds and environment are significantly nicer than Atlantis. Atlantis has 1 (smaller) pool, whereas Atmosphere has 2 larger pools (as well as Villas with their own pools). I don't spend a lot of time in/around the pools, however this is where resorts do some of their training, so having more space for this ends up being helpful. There tend to be many more families that choose Atmosphere, which may lead you to believe that Atlantis is not a serious dive resort - that's not the case... it just offers a bit more for non-divers (or casual divers) as well.

The rooms are nicer at Atmosphere, but as @Luko mentioned, the food at Atlantis is a little better (although slightly less varied). Service is great at both resorts.

In addition, Atmosphere has a much more robust (and serious) technical diving training (as well as free diving training). I talked to several divers doing training at Atmosphere - they offer sidemount, helitrox, trimix (60, 75, 100m), and solo diving training. This is a significant differentiator for Atmosphere.

Atmosphere has the more convenient "gearing up" area for diving (it's open, allowing people to spread out to put on wetsuits, etc), the rinse tanks are also more easily accessible (less crowding after dives). The entry to the boats is basically the same for both resorts - you will need to walk into the water (across small rocks) to board any of the boats (wear booties). Both resorts have similar (small speed) boats they use for local diving, and larger boats for Apo Island. The dive guides at both resorts are excellent at finding critters, etc.

So where are the differences?
Atlantis seems to attract more serious underwater photographers (yet the guides and camera room at Atmosphere are very good). Atlantis also offers Blackwater dives (and more frequent night dives) vs. Atmosphere.

The two resorts are just over 3.5 miles apart. Although this is a short distance, it means that Atlantis is significantly closer to the San Miguel sites, as well as Secret Corner (a great cephalopod site). This is all muck diving, but the sites do vary, and offer different types of habitats for critters.

@A Bajo - not all muck diving environments are the same - along this coastline there are reef, black sand, and sea grass environments, as well as volcanic hot spots. Depending on the specific critters you may be looking for, the environment matters.

This is true for almost all the critters you will find along this coastline, with the possible exception of Frogfish. You have a chance of finding them on almost every dive site... In 4 trips to this area, it is still the "Frogfish capital of the world..." (well beyond both Lembeh and Anilao).

 

[Blackcrusader]

Ok new flights then.

I just checked Cubu Pacific flights for February 2025. Several flights a day around 4000 Peso return with 20kg checked in 7kg hand carry

You can add in more weight for checked in luggage cheaply.

 

[Luko]

Atmosphere has the more convenient "gearing up" area for diving (it's open, allowing people to spread out to put on wetsuits, etc), the rinse tanks are also more easily accessible (less crowding after dives). The entry to the boats is basically the same for both resorts - you will need to walk into the water (across small rocks) to board any of the boats (wear booties). Both resorts have similar (small speed) boats they use for local diving, and larger boats for Apo Island. The dive guides at both resorts are excellent at finding critters, etc.

Matter of taste but I found the gearing up area in Atmosphere was not very practical, located near to a dry reception area with a slippery ground, I almost slipped and fell with a camera a few times. Their camera room was dark & gloomy, I couldn't use it. (dont if know if they changed from 2019).
Atlantis on the other side has a clearly dive dedicated space, which I found much more practical (with non slippery ground) and a clearer dedicated camera room.

I wasn't that impressed with my private dive guide at Atmosphere.
I found that Atlantis had better and more experienced guides than Atmosphere.
Anyway I thought for dive guides the best I had in Dauin were available at Azure Resort, which is owned by the ex Atlantis dive manager Glenn.

It has to be noted for Atlantis their package includes up to 5 dives/day including a night dive every day. For hardcore divers this is a bonus, personally I hardly dive more than 3 dives/day.

 

[diveUAE]

I just checked Cubu Pacific flights for February 2025. Several flights a day around 4000 Peso return with 20kg checked in 7kg hand carry

You can add in more weight for checked in luggage cheaply.

Yes, when we booked, there was also several flights to choose from - all other than the last of the day got cancelled.

@diveUAE

There is a reason that Cebu Pacific has an on-time performance raiting of 38%, whereas Philippine Airlines ha an on-time performance rating of 77%. (just recently reported 86% for 2024).

I have flown Cebu Pacific several times, only once have they been on time when I've flown them. I tend to avoid them as much as possible when flying to and around the Philippines (although they are cheap).

I know (and knew), but we spend the day in Cebu, resting by the pool after a long flight and got a very nice massage.
Since the flight seems to be newish, I just wanted to mention it's now possible to fly CEB-DGT - but to be aware of flight cancellations.

 

[cetacean]

Matter of taste but I found the gearing up area in Atmosphere was not very practical, located near to a dry reception area with a slippery ground, I almost slipped and fell with a camera a few times. Their camera room was dark & gloomy, I couldn't use it. (dont if know if they changed from 2019).
Atlantis on the other side has a clearly dive dedicated space, which I found much more practical (with non slippery ground) and a clearer dedicated camera room.

I wasn't that impressed with my private dive guide at Atmosphere.
I found that Atlantis had better and more experienced guides than Atmosphere.
Anyway I thought for dive guides the best I had in Dauin were available at Azure Resort, which is owned by the ex Atlantis dive manager Glenn.

It has to be noted for Atlantis their package includes up to 5 dives/day including a night dive every day. For hardcore divers this is a bonus, personally I hardly dive more than 3 dives/day.

@Luko

Did you bother to turn on the lights at Atmosphere?

They've always had lights in that room (I know because I talked to the person who set up the room), but they are often off. Just flip the switch on the wall... they have also added under-the-shelf-lights at every camera station to make it easier as well.

In ~45 dives at Atmosphere I've never slipped on that floor, but I understand your point. As for Atlantis, yes - an untreated cement floor will be less slippery, it's also noisier, more crowded, etc. (in part because they stage all their tanks in the same space).

Guides: I know a number of guides that have switched between the two resorts (and few that have stayed with one). I've dived with Azure on a previous trip - guide was good, on par with the better dive guides at either Atlantis or Atmosphere.

 

[Centrals]

Flew Cebu Pacific on numerous occasions, several times a yr over last 20+ yrs, and it is my airline of choice to Philippines.
Five trips to the country this yr and 5J provides all the flights.
Ticket to Philippines for 2026 is not available yet.

Liquid Dumaguete: Philippines Dive Resort - PADI 5 Star CDC Dive Center

Welcome to Liquid Dive Resort, a small boutique resort located on a secluded beach front in Dauin, home to some of the best diving in the Philippines.

www.liquiddumaguete.com

This is THE place for me.

 

[A Bajo]

@cetacean thank you for the thorough reply. I am going to Atlantis and Liquid next month. Last year was my first time in the Philippines and I really enjoyed it. I was afraid of the long flight but if you can sleep on the plane it wasn't bad although expensive.