Diving & Snorkelling

Some of the richest and most diverse coral reefs can be found in the Philippines. Being one of the most productive marine ecosystems in the world, it is no wonder the country's waters abound with species of fish, shells, various marine invertebrates and other forms of marine life found in the Indo-Pacific region.

Diving the Dauin/Zamboanguita region you can expect to encounter large turtles, rays, bump head Napoleon wrasses, seahorses, ghostpipe fish, stargazers, a huge variety of nudibranchs, countless beautiful soft and hard coral, sea fans, large schools of jacks and fusiliers, mantis shrimps, juvenile batfish, flamboyant cuttlefish, frogfish, mandarin fish, scorpion fish and much, much more. The sea stretch between Oriental Negros and Siquijor is furthermore known for the passing of large groups of dolphins and whales. In fact, the country's top marine institute at Siliman University, which is situated in Dumaguete city, organises regular sighting trips for interested visitors.

One dive site not to be missed under any circumstance is “The Pier”. The Pier of Dumaguete Coconut Mill (officially called Ducomi Pier) is a very unusual dive site and is rapidly achieving world class acknowledgement. It primary function is a shipping pier, used for the loading and unloading of coconut products, rice etc. The pier is densely overgrown with sponges and soft corals in all colours and shapes and is a true heaven for critter hunters! The pillars throw eerie light patterns and silhouettes and are thereby great objects for wide angle shots. You will also see different types of frogfish in all colours, many nudibranches, scorpion fish, leaf fish, devil fish, pipe fish, bat fish, seahorses, juvenile travallies, octopus, harlequin ghost pipe fish, harlequin shrimps, whiskered pipe fish, flamboyant cuddle fish, moray eels, sea snakes and juvenile bat fish.

While the dive sites close to shore are dominated mainly by black sand and countless small critters, Apo Island offers a very different environment. Here you will find white sand, visibility that can reach up to 60 meters or even more, incredible varieties of colorful coral and fish and the general feeling of what it is like to dive in an Aquarium.

Apo Island is one of the world's best known community-organized marine sanctuaries, and as such it has been well documented by the global science community. The project was started in 1982 and is home to over 650 documented species of fish and estimated to have well over 400 species of coral. It features walls and coral mounds and pelagic fish sometimes frequent the area including the blacktip and whitetip sharks.

Photos courtesy of Amontillado & Thalatta Beach Resorts