TravelTrekkr

Posted from: Dumaguete, Philippines
Latitude: 9°18′0″N
Long: 123°18′0″E

The Central Visayas of the Philippines draw thousands of SCUBA divers to its waters over the course of a year. One of the most appealing dive destinations in the Central Visayas is Dauin, Negros Oriental. A diver has two options in terms of accommodation when diving in the area, either stay in the relatively small city Dumaguete (population approximately 120,000) or stay at one of the dive resorts in Dauin.

There are pros and cons to each option. A pro to staying in Dumaguete is there there is lots of cheap accommodation to choose from (under 1000 pesos per night). Also there are lots of restaurants to eat at (and some darn tasty roasted chicken) – try Joe’s Chicken Inato or Roy’s Chicken. You’ll also find a large selection of international cuisine on Rizal Avenue, right along the water. Dumaguete is a great place to get cheap massages, especially at Body and Sole (Tel: 63-35- 422-2122). Massages start at 200 pesos at Body and Sole and they are fully able to cater to walk-ins. We ventured in a few times at 8pm after dinner and they were always accommodating. It was a bit surprising at Mind, Body and Soul that the reception area was open to the foot massage area – which leads to the reception being quite dark as they choose to keep the lights low to add the ambiance and relaxation for those getting foot massages.

A potential con to staying in Dumaguete as there is only one dive shop in the city, Adventure Dive Shop. So be sure if you plan to stay and dive in Dumaguete that you check with the dive shop that they offer the dives you want to try out. Adventure Dive Shop is run by Michael Feeney and you can contact the shop by email at: mike@adventurediveshop.com or phone (063) 35-422-1781. The Adventure Dive Shop is located at 48 Rizal Avenue, Dumaguete.

The major pro for staying at one of the dive resorts in Dauin (a 30 minute drive south of Dumaguete) is proximity to the dive sites. There are numerous dive sites in and around Dauin and if you stay at any of the Dauin dive resorts, you should be able to do at least 2 shore dives to check out the house reefs at your resort. The dive resorts in Dauin are also much closer to the amazing dive sites at Apo Island. Apo Island is about a 40 minute boat ride (depending on weather conditions) from Dauin, and a visit to Negros Oriental is not complete without a trip to Apo Island.

The top dive resorts in Dauin are the PADI recommended Atlantis Dive Resort and Bahura Resort & Spa. Atlantis Dive Resort has attracted international divers to their waters for years, and as such they charge international resort rates. Atlantis quotes accommodation and dive shop rates in US Dollars. This hedges their bets against the Philippine peso, but leads to less a of deal on travel rates than if an international diver pays their bills in pesos. They do however, charge food and beverage in pesos for those who may stop by for lunch and a dive – lunch will cost you around 750 pesos (compared to the average lunch of 200 pesos if you eat in Dumaguete). Sample dive charges at Atlantis resort are:
Coastal Dives: $37 USD per coastal dive
Equipment Rental (not including nitrox): $12 USD per dive or a packge of $25 USD for 3 dives
Dive Trip to Apo Island (3 dives, Apo Island park fee, boat charge and equipment rental): $186 USD

To contact Atlantis Dive Resort:
Lipayo, Dauin, Negros Oriental, 6217 – Philippines
Phone: 63 (0)35 425-2327
Email: dumaguete@atlantishotel.com
Skype: atlantis.reservation

Bahura Resort & Spa, located in a tranquil setting on the sea just south of Dauin, is another fantastic dive resort complete with Scuba World PADI Divemasters. The Bahura Resort & Spa staff were attentive and over-accommodating. They really know how to make someone feel at home in a new setting. While staying at Bahura Resort you can dive during the day and pamper yourself with the spa in the evening. The dive master, Alfred aka “Kiko”, will ensure you get to do the exact sort of diving you like to do. Bahura Resort and Spa’s Dive Shop was more accommodating than Atlantis Resorts strict dive schedule.  Sample dive charges at Bahura Resort & Spa:
Coastal Dives: 800 pesos
Equipment Rental per day: 800 pesos
Dive Trip to Apo Island (3 dives, Apo Island park fee, boat charge and equipment rental): 5,100 pesos

To contact Bahura Resort & Spa:
Km 19 Sound National Highway, Maayong-tubig, Dauin
6217 Oriental Negros, Philippines
Phone: 63-35-425-2355
Fax: 63-35-425-2057

Bahura Resort & Spa also offers free transportation to/from your port of arrival in Dumaguete. This is especially helpful since the majority of travelers to Dauin will arrive either at the airport or ferry terminal in Dumaguete, which is a 30 minute drive from Bahura Resort & Spa in Dauin.

Of course the downside to staying at a Dive Resorts in Dauin is you are limited in your food selection to the food served at your resort. This can be mitigated by taking either a Ceres Liner Bus (18 pesos per person, one way),  Jeepney(~15 pesos per person, one way), or even tricyle (50 pesos one way) into Dumaguete for a meal. This mode of transportation is quite easy, just walk from your resort to the Highway, and flag down the first bus, jeepney or tricyle you see. A Ceres Liner bus (big yellow buses, can’t miss them) or jeepney will take 30 minutes to get to Dumaguete – just ask the ticket attendent how much to pay and they will take your fare. A tricyle is a much more leisurely way of getting into the city, as the tricyles can’t go that fast on the highway you get to see more of the sights along the way to Dumaguete.

Also, if you are in Dauin over a Wednesday, make sure to check out Malatapay Market (15 minute ride on the highway south of Dauin). Malatapay Market is held every Wednesday. Just take any jeepney or bus along the highway to the Malatapay Market where you will see people buying and selling household goods, bolo’s (Philippino machete), handicrafts and even live stock. While passing through the market a local boy shared with us the advantage to having a bolo, “to fight the Spanish with!”. Echo’s of a colonial past.

Following is a short log of the dives I completed while staying in Dauin. Please note, I’m a beginner SCUBA diver so my dives tend to be shorter than more advanced divers.

Dive Site: Bahura House Reef #1
Dive Location: Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Depth: 18 metres
Total Dive Time: 50 minutes
Marine Life/Notes: Lots of coral life, first time diving in 10 years so paidlots of attention to my gear and not so much to the marine life, heard we saw a mandarin fish but was too concerned about my buoyancy to remember. Shore dive entry/exit.

Dive Site: Bahura House Reef #2
Dive Location: Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Depth: 20 metres
Total Dive Time: 50 minutes
Marine Life/Notes: hard and soft coral life, lots of “finding nemo” fish. Boat entry/shore exit

Dive Site: Chapel Point
Dive Location: Apo Island, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Depth: 20 metres
Total Dive Time: 45 minutes
Marine Life/Notes: Masked was fogged up, couldn’t see much. Heard that there was a turtle swimming along side us for the last 15 minutes of the dive. Boat entry/exit

Dive Site: Rock West
Dive Location: Apo Island, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Depth: 18 metres
Total Dive Time: 50 minutes
Marine Life/Notes: Turtle sleeping on soft coral. Lots of hard and soft coraland various small fishes. Boat entry/exit

Dive Site: Rock East
Dive Location: Apo Island, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Depth: 18 metres
Total Dive Time: 45 minutes
Marine Life/Notes: Wall of coral on my right side, lots of of small colourful tropical fish. Boat entry/exit

Dive Site: Problacion
Dive Location: Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Depth: 20 metres
Total Dive Time: 55 minutes
Marine Life/Notes: Hard and soft coral, Turtle, magenta coloured fish, big tropical fish (~ 1 foot in length) purple nose and tail with yellow and white vertical stripes, little orange “finding nemo” fish. Boat entry/exit

Dive Site: Car Wreck
Dive Location: Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Depth: 110 feet
Total Dive Time: 1 hour 6 minutes
Marine Life/Notes: A car wreck, not much coral, Found a small cuttle fish hanging out in the middle of the wreck, leaf fish (small fish that look like sea leaves), Boat entry/exit

Dive Site: Hot Point
Dive Location: Dauin, Negros Oriental, Philippines
Depth: 18 metres
Total Dive Time: 56 minutes
Marine Life/Notes: Giant cuttle fish – 1.5 foot long – at first it looked like a rock, then it saw me watching it and took off in the other direction, big 2 knot current – had to hold onto the buoy and await boat pick up, coral life here and there (not a solid wall like at Apo Island), large tropical fish – 1 foot in length, beautiful colours, wish I had a camera. Boat entry/exit

For further information on SCUBA diving or a trip to Negros Oriental, contact the Department of Tourism (DOT). The wonderful folks at DOT have a plethora of information on creating a memorable trip to Negros Oriental.