DIVER ATMOSPHERIC WELCOME

They take good care of the coastline in Dauin, and it shows in the quality of the diving, saysSAEED RASHID. He reckons that in terms of critter-diving alone, it can give even Lembeh Strait a run for its money

HAVEN’T BEEN EVERYWHERE in the Philippines, but from what I’ve seen Itravelling the country is much like the Jeepney trucks you find in every town – bright, colourful and a delight for all your senses. The underwater world equally doesn’t disappoint, from the biggest fish in the ocean to the smallest nudibranch, with something for everyone. The Dauin coast of the island of Negros offers a feast of diving delights, from the rarest of critters through schools of jackfish to majestic whale sharks, and with an average water temperature of 27-30°C, you’re spoilt for choice. I stayed at Atmosphere, an exclusive, plush but friendly resort in the tranquil setting of beautifully manicured lawns overlooking the sparkling water of the Sea. The accommodation can only be described as sumptuous, and with what being quiet to almost empty to completely Above: Giant frogfish local laws stretch to the diving, whereby I estimated to be a staff-to-guest ratio of full, but apart from mealtimes and the seems to hold up the reef at all divers must be accompanied by a guide 4:1, your every need is catered for. obligatory happy hour at the bar you Pyramids. who holds certification from the mayor The resort turns 10 this year, and where wouldn’t really notice any difference; (so sorry, no solo diving) and diving in the some other, younger resorts have started everything ran like a well-oiled machine. marine parks can take place only during to show their age rapidly, Atmosphere still certain hours of the day. looks new and fresh. HE LOVELY THING about the The Philippines, like many other parts This probably has something to do with Tcoastline here is that it is unspoilt, of South-east Asia, sits on the “Ring of the fact that the owners, British couple protected by Filipino law under which all Fire”, which means that there is always Matthew and Gabrielle, live on site and beaches are public. Resorts can’t build on a volcano close by. take a hands-on approach to the day-to- them and steal the views for themselves. The black sand or, in the case of the day running of the resort, often to be seen Even stronger local laws along the Dauin coast, slightly grey sand, shouldn’t walking around with clipboard and tape Dauin coast also mean that it is impossible put you off, because the diving is anything measure trying to improve things! for resorts to build piers and jetties, so the but grey, and actually provides a dramatic During my stay, the resort went from coastline remains more natural. These backdrop for a photographer like me. divErNEt.com 21 divEr PHILIPPINES DIVER

appreciate the beauty of these creatures magnifying glass, or you’ll miss these fun when you zoom into your photo on the little guys, which are a delight to see. back of the camera and understand how Maybe it’s the world we live in now, but they got their name, looking just like the the thing that really stood out on my first children’s cartoon character. few dives with Richard was how little he We descended deeper, passing more would hassle or manipulate the wildlife. patches of seagrass, and Richard appeared On my travels, I’m often confronted to be searching for something. At about with guides who want to please you and 15m he found what he was looking for. will deliver photographic subjects right in This time I could see it with my own front of your lens. As a photographer, too eyes but it wasn’t green like the last one. often I come across images that are clearly This was a bright yellow and blue nudi, set up – critters that have been chased also called “Sheep” but of the Swedish from their holes or transported to a more variety. These nudis were much bigger and attractive location just because it makes more colourful, and if I’m honest much a more striking image. easier to photograph. If you don’t have a We know it goes on, but this is a super-macro lens, make sure to carry a practice that needs to be discouraged, and it was great to see that Richard did none of this, pointing out animals, sometimes suggesting a good angle but with no bothering, fiddling or teasing. Later Richard told me that it was written into the guides’ contracts that they do not hassle the marine life and I say well done, it’s refreshing to see!

HE CRITTERS I FOUND more Most diving along this part of the coast Tabundant than any others during my is on these grey-sand slopes, with beach- stay at Atmosphere were frogfish. They entry possible for many of the dive-sites. were everywhere – black, brown, orange, Atmosphere also has three boats: two yellow and everything in-between. There modern speedboats and a bigger were so many that even I, with my well- traditional-style boat. Extra vessels can be known dodgy critter-spotting eyes, found hired by the resort for larger groups, so a couple. In fact I ended up asking Richard you always have access to wherever you not to show me any more unless they were should want to go. unusual or in a very good position. Local dive-guide Richard asked me I think on one dive I counted eight, what my favourite critter was, because he which is really good going. really wanted to find it for me. I told him This area is well-known for frogfish, that I didn’t have one, and no checklist of and because of this it has attracted to the things I really wanted to see, but just resort a resident marine biologist, Daniel, enjoyed each dive for what it brought me. who specialises in these weird and I did however mention that I had never wonderful critters. He has even written a seen a “Shaun the Sheep” (Costasiella PADI Frogfish speciality, which you can kuroshimae) nudibranch, and he smiled take on your stay – now that’s very cool. and said: “No problem!” The next day was my chance to visit All the way along the Dauin coast there , which is home to about 1000 are small marine reserves. Atmosphere people and well-known for its green Resort sits right in the middle of one of turtles. Our trip started early, because these, so its house reef is in excellent condition, and my first dive was there. We walked in, put our fins on and as soon as I ducked my head under Richard called me over to show me what looked like a yellow grain of sand, indicating that As a photographer, I was pleased that he so much, and he was still giggling to Top left: Pygmy seahorse it was a nudibranch of some sort. didn’t try to show me a new animal every hidden in its seafan home. himself when we exited the water. It wasn’t until I put my macro lens on few minutes, because there are only so Shaun the Sheep had eluded us, but that I started to make it out, but I still many things you can photograph on one Above: Atmosphere, hidden Richard promised that we would find him couldn’t see it properly until I zoomed dive successfully. gem on the Dauin coast. next time! into the photo on the back of the camera The house reef truly had lots to offer. At Top right: A turtle-headed and realised that it was an Oxynoe bubble one point I was “in the zone”, sea-snake pops out from a RUE TO HIS WORD, on our next dive snail, one of the smallest critters I have photographing one of the many frogfish, rock to see what’s going on. Tat San Miguel in the shallows on the ever seen. when I heard Richard shouting in his . seagrass, there on the back of a leaf were Richard clearly had amazing critter- regulator. I looked up and was shocked to Right: Easy to see why it’s two small green dots. I realised at this spotting eyes, and he went on to find me find that I was face to face with a sea called the “Swedish” sheep point why I had never seen Shaun before – nudibranch critter after critter throughout the dive. He snake, one of many that inhabit the area. these two were so ruddy small, and I had told me later that there were even more I could tell that Richard found it very Far right: Tiny “Shaun the been looking for something much bigger. that he had seen but hadn’t shown me. funny that the snake had made me jump Sheep”nudi with eggs. Like the Oxynoe, you can only really divEr 22 divErNEt.com divErNEt.com 23 divEr PHILIPPINES DIVER

Above: Jack cruising over If you’re not a lover of snakes then The lack of coral has encouraged the colourful crinoids at Apo sorry, you’re not in luck here. On my two locals to build some artificial reefs. Sites Island. dives around Apo Island I saw more sea such as Cars and Pyramids have had snakes than I have seen anywhere else. concrete blocks, tyres and even the odd Above right: Porcelain crabs like to hide under There really is nothing to worry about, shipping container sunk to give life a anemones. however, because, like most other animals headstart. in the sea, they are really not bothered by Some of these installations date back your presence. 30 or 40 years and show signs of very Below: Damselfish darting healthy coral growth. A few of these sites around a gorgonian. Above: A moray eel enjoys all boats need to go via the coastguard from my surroundings. HIS COASTLINE lacks the fringing are outside the marine reserves, and the his morning freshen-up station so that the numbers of visitors All too quickly the current picked up, Treefs of other areas of the Philippines locals are allowed to fish them. from the local cleaner to the island can be logged. As soon as and we were forced to leave the school I have visited, but the sandy slopes with Although I did see fish with hooks and wrasse. they had counted everyone on board, we behind and carry on with our planned large coral patches are still very full of life. line in their mouths, there doesn’t seem to Left, from were off. drift-dive. I was told that my visit was at the tail- be much effect from this small-scale, net- top: The Even though the wind had picked up, it As we were carried on over the reef and end of the main critter season, which free fishing. beautiful still took only just under an hour to sail to past a couple of the famous green turtles, normally runs from February to June, Thalatta in particular had abundant life colours of the island. On the way, Richard told me it was easy to duck in behind a head of but what I saw didn’t seem to me to be around the wreck of an old car and was a banded pipefish; that the famous schooling jack that hang coral to get a closer look, and they didn’t typical of low season, with fish and critters teeming with cardinalfish. I wished I had green turtle around there hadn’t been seen for a while, seem to mind me being there either. in abundance. taken my wide-angle lens to capture the nestled in the but because each day was different you Fish were abundant here, darting about, I would go so far to say that on my visit impressive sight.This did prove to me that reef at Apo never knew what you might see. and I spotted a few jack whizzing by on I saw more than on some trips I’ve made artificial reefs really do work, and will even Island; where In view of the weather conditions we their way to join their mates in to the muck-diving hotspot of Lembeh support some subsistence fishing. schooling jack are a decided to dive on the eastern side of the school. Straits – controversial statement, I know! The coast here seems to be clear of highlight. island. Lo and behold, as we dived in we much of the plastic waste ravaging the rest instantly came upon the large group of of the world at the moment. I’m not Below: A pair schooling jackfish that I had really wanted saying it’s not here, and perhaps the of ring-tailed to see. This school at about 17m was so currents were going in a different cardinalfish – huge that I couldn’t fit all the fish into one FACTFILEGETTING THERE8 Philippine direction or there had just been a large- the one on the Airlines operates daily international left shows frame, even with my fisheye lens. scale clean-up, but it did seem unusually flights via Manila to , damage from Swimming through the middle of this free of rubbish. philippineairlines.com. The resort is 30 hook-and-line immense body of fish was an incredible The Philippines is currently ranked minute car-ride from the airport fishing. experience as they closed in on me, third-worst in the world for discarding blocking out the light from the surface DIVING & ACCOMMODATION8 Atmosphere its plastic into the sea, so there is a and disorientating me by isolating me Resort & Spa, atmosphereresorts.com. The problem here. PADI 5* dive centre offers up to five dives a When I had the chance to visit a local day, free nitrox and has two boats and a school in the town of Dumaguete during resident marine biologist. my stay, I was heartened to see that the WHEN TO GO8 Being equatorial diving is children were just as switched on to the possible all year round, but the main critter problem of plastic waste as children in the season runs from February to June, with the UK, providing hope for the future. rainy season from June to October. My take on the Dauin coast is that it MONEY8 Philippine peso. has almost everything you’d ever want to PRICES8 Flights with Philippine Airlines see. There was better visibility than I from £650. A week’s stay on full board expected; super-colourful explosions of with a 10-dive package (including nitrox fish-life and some very cool critters to and marine fees, two sharing a suite) boot. would cost around 82,725 pesos (roughly Just about the only animal I didn’t £1200) per person. bump into under water was a whale shark, VISITOR INFORMATION8 but I saved that experience for my off- itsmorefuninthephilippines.co.uk gassing day and a short trip to – and that’s another story… [coming soon!] divEr 24 divErNEt.com divErNEt.com 25 divEr