Below sea level, the Philippines boast some of the world’s best diving and snorkeling with 488 species of corals and even more of fishes, all in warm waters! The country has a well deserved reputation as one of the best locations for macro diving, with numerous species of shrimps, nudibranchs, ghost-pipefishes, seahorses etc, although pelagic visitors occasionally visit the area.

Your resort is situated in Dauin, Negros Island, to the east of the Visayas, a cluster of islands in the middle of the Philippines archipelago, and one of the country’s capitals for scuba diving. Clearly, the destination is off the beaten path and its world-class muck dive sites are not crowded, just the way we like! From Dumaguete airport, it takes about 30 minutes to reach the resort. Apo Island, with its colorful coral gardens and stunning drop-offs is less than 45 minutes away by boat.

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Dauin Sanctuary (Dumaguete/Dauin):
A combination of the famous Dauin Norte and Dauin Sur dive sites, this popular dives start on a sandy slope with mooring blocks that host ghost pipe-fishes, frogfish, crustaceans, sea slugs and nudibranchs. Yellow tail barracudas are occasionally spotted and turtles are common on Dauin Norte, which also offers chances to observe blue-ringed octopus and leaf scorpion fishes in the shallows. Dauin Sur is the area for ribbon eels, tons of garden eels, pipe-fishes, squat lobsters, razor and jaw fishes.

Chapel (Apo Island):
A sandy slope that leads to a drop-off with lots of small caves and overhangs. The flat reef on top of the wall is a prefect spot to explore during your safety stop. Corals are well preserved and the concentration of reef fishes is impressive. Good coral heads, whip corals, soft corals, basket sponges, and gorgonian sea fans are among the coral treasures. Meanwhile, aquatic creatures like turtles, the black and white snappers, the vlaming’s unicorn fish and the trumpet fish swim around.

CarWreck (Dumaguete/Dauin):
A typical muck dive with a sandy bottom and artificial reefs, the sites named “The Cars” and “Shallow Cars” make the CarWreck. The Cars goes to 30m deep, while Shallow Cars takes you to 20m. The wrecks are home to many species of reef fishes, a high concentration of Durban Dancing shrimps and other crustaceans. The upper slope is populated with critters of all kinds, including dragonettes, frogfish, seahorses, seamoth/Pegasus, waspfishes and pipe-fishes that will please u/w photographers!

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Sea Explorers, a Gold Palm 5 Star Training and CDC Facility run by German management, is located right on the resort’s beach. It operates 3 bangkas (native outrigger boats) that comfortably accommodate 10 to 12 divers, and are powered by Mitsubishi 160 to 280hp engines. A speedboat powered by a 75hp engine is used for short trips and can accommodate up to 8 divers. All boats are fitted with medical oxygen and first aid kits. The maximum ratio of divers on a dive guide is 4.

Please note that, for their own safety, all guests’ first dive will be an orientation dive to ensure that the dive center knows your abilities and can put similar experienced divers together in a group.

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Dumaguete is a non-diver-friendly destination where many activities and attractions are available.

A typical day for a diver at Dumaguete goes as follows:

- breakfast
- two dives, from 9:00 AM till 1:00 PM
- optional third dive in the afternoon
- Mandarin or night dive possible every night

Day trips to further locations usually start at 8:30am and end at 4:30pm. On these occasions, lunch is taken on the boat or on an island.

Apart from lounging around the pool and enjoying cocktails at the beach bar, activities for non-divers and for divers’ dry days are the following:

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From Manila airport, fly directly to Dumaguete airport, where our local partner will be waiting for you. From there, it takes less than 30 minutes to reach your resort.

Although we recommend you carefully compare airfares, Cebu Pacific's airfares are usually competitive. The information provided below is non exhaustive and for information purpose only. For more details, please visit www.cebupacificair.com

From Shanghai: overnight flights to Manila

From Beijing: overnight flights to Manila

From Guangzhou: overnight flights to Manila

From Hong Kong: direct overnight flights to Manila and Cebu

From Macau: direct overnight flights to Manila

From Singapore: direct overnight flights to Manila and Cebu

From Osaka (Kansai): evening flights to Manila

From Kuala Lumpur: overnight flights to Manila

From Taipei: overnight flights to Manila

From Saigon: overnight flights to Manila

From Jakarta: overnight flights to Manila

From Seoul/Incheon: direct overnight flights to Manila and Cebu

From Busan: late night direct flights to Cebu

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The Philippines has a long history combining Asian, European, and American influences. Before the arrival of Ferdinand Magellan in 1521, and the Spanish colonization which began in 1565 with the first permanent settlement of Spaniards on the island of Cebu, the Filipinos had a rich culture and were trading with the Chinese, the Indians, and the Japanese. During the Spanish period, numerous towns were founded, infrastructures built, new crops and livestocks introduced, and trade flourished. Spanish missionaries converted most of the population to Christianity and founded schools, universities and hospitals across the islands. In 1898, after 350 years and 300 rebellions, the Filipinos succeeded in winning their independence. However, the Treaty of Paris, at the end of the Spanish-American War, transferred control of the Philippines to the United States, making the country the first and only colony of the United States. The treaty was not recognized by the Philippine Government, which proclaimed a declaration of war against the United States. Following the Philippine-American War, officially won by the United States in 1902, the United States brought widespread education to the islands. Filipinos fought alongside Americans during World War II, particularly at the famous battle of Bataan and Corregidor which delayed Japanese advance and saved Australia. They then waged a guerilla war against the Japanese from 1941 to 1945. The Philippines regained its independence in 1946. Filipinos are a freedom-loving people, having waged two peaceful, bloodless revolutions in 1972 and 1986 against what were perceived as corrupt regimes. The country is now a vibrant democracy, as evidenced by 12 English national newspapers, 7 national television stations, hundreds of cable TV stations, and approximately 2,000 radio stations.

The Filipino is of Malay stock with a sprinkling of Chinese, American, Spanish, and Arab blood. From a long history of Western colonial rules, interspersed with the visits of merchants and traders, evolved a people of a unique blend and the Filipino character is a mix of all these influences put together. The bayanihan or spirit of kindship and camaraderie that Filipinos are famous for is said to be taken from Malay forefathers. The close family relations are said to have been inherited from the Chinese. The piousness comes from the Spaniards. Filipinos are probably one of the few, if not the only, English-proficient Oriental people today.

The Filipinos are divided geographically and culturally into regions, and each regional group is recognizable by distinct traits and dialects. Tribal communities can be found scattered across the archipelago, where more than 111 dialects are spoken. The Spaniards converted the overwhelming majority of Filipinos to Christianity. The Muslim community represents approximately 15% of the population and can be found primarily in Mindanao. The rest of the population is made up mostly of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhists.

Filipinos are out for fun where-ever possible. Throughout the islands, there are fiestas celebrated everyday and foreign guests are always welcome to their homes. Hospitality, a common denominator in the Filipino character, makes them legendary in Southeast Asia. Perhaps due to their long association with Spain, Filipinos are emotional and passionate about life in a way that seems more Latin than Asian.

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