Dumaguete & Dauin

Guests staying at Pura Vida Resort dive with Sea Explorers

Guests staying at Atmosphere Resort and Spa dive with Atmosphere Dive Resorts

Guests staying at Atlantis Dive Resort dive with Atlantis Dive Resort

Sea Explorers Dive Centre

This well equipped PADI CDC centre offers excellent facilities for divers with ample storage and rinse areas, changing facilities and equipment rental. Sea Explorers organise a range of local trips and Nitrox is available. Four boats of varying sizes are used to cover everything from transfers to short journeys to local reefs and longer dive trips.

Dive Packs

We recommend that you book your dive packs with Regaldive prior to departure, in order to secure your diving or course and so that the dive centre is expecting you. Options available with Sea Explorers include 5, 10 and 20 dive packages, plus an unlimited diving option. Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your requirements.

Note: 12 litre aluminium cylinders with INT fittings. Some 10 & 15 litre tanks may be available. Divers with DIN regulators should take their own adaptors.

Dive Courses

A range of diving courses is available for those looking to learn to dive. Please enquire for details.

Extras in Resort

• Apo Island Park Fees: Fees vary depending on whether you’re diving inside or outside the marine sanctuary and whether you’re using a camera.
• Dauin/Dumaguete Park Fees: Fees vary depending on whether you’re diving with or without a camera, and for specific sites such as the pier.
• DIN tanks - it is recommended that you take DIN adaptors with you
• Nitrox fills 32% and 36%
• Dive equipment rental: Full equipment (excluding computer) is available to hire

You will be requested to fill out a dive medical questionnaire. If you have any pre-exisiting conditon that may affect your diving, please ensure you travel with a fit-to-dive certificate, valid within the last 12 months. Please note that not all localities will have access to a specilist diving medic close by for you to be assessed before diving.

Atmosphere Dive Resorts

This superb PADI dive centre, situated on the Dauin coast, offers a great house reef, as well as access to many local and more distant sites by boat. This includes the renowned sites of Apo Island and a great Mandarin dive site just off the front of the resort, to see these colourful creatures pop out at dusk.

Longer day trips to Sijiquor Island, Balicasag, Sumilon Island and Liloan Point may be arranged locally for a supplement.

The dive base offers extensive teaching, kit and photography facilities in a very well thought out design. A range of dive courses are available with a choice of digital camera and video rental. Atmosphere also has a resident marine biologist who guides some dives and offers occasional marine presentations.

FREE Nitrox is available on site for nitrox certified divers. All of the dive boats have ladders to exit the water.

Find out more about the diving available from Atmosphere Resort

Dive Packs

Options available at Atmosphere Dive Resorts include 10 and 20 dive packages, plus various unlimited diving options. Please discuss your requirements with the Regaldive team, who will prepare a quotation suited to your requirements.

Apo Island & Dauin/Dumaguete Park Fees are included in Atmospheres pre-booked dive packs.

Dive Courses

A range of diving courses is available for those looking to learn to dive. Please enquire for details.

Extras in Resort

• Trips to Apo Island & Siquijor
• Dive equipment rental: Full equipment is available to hire, including BCDs, regulators, wetsuits, dive computers, DIN & International valves, compass, fins, masks & snorkels

Payment on site: Php, USD & Euros, Mastercard & Visa, American Express (5% surcharge)

The closest hyperbaric chamber is in Cebu or Manila. There are 2 private hospitals in Dumaguete, 30 minutes drive away.

Atlantis Dive Resort

Atlantis Dive Resort is an SSI centre offering first class facilities for daily diving and diver training at all levels. Diving is undertaken from spacious comfortable boats and there is a purpose built training pool on site. Divers are given a fresh beach towel daily, plus snacks and drinking water on the boat. All dives are guided.

The dive centre has 60 individual purpose-built equipment storage cubby-holes to keep your equipment dry and organized and there is a range of high quality rental equipment available. There is even a hot water shower in the dive centre. An air-conditioned classroom seats six and features flat screen LCD TV with PC connection, DVD player, diving library, and Wi-Fi.

Atlantis Dive Resort is particularly well equipped for the needs of underwater photographers with a bespoke air-conditioned camera room offering plenty of space to store and care for equipment. Five air-guns are positioned around the room, 16 sets of power sockets in both 220 and 110 volts, paper towel dispensers for cleaning O-Rings, a shelf running the length of the work surface for battery chargers and eight fluorescent under-shelf lights for additional illumination for the critical O-Ring check. A wall-mounted TV with HDMI and USB connections gives the perfect opportunity to share your photographs with fellow divers after a day underwater.

Atlantis Dive Resort also offers Fluro Night Dives, Blackwater Dives, Underwater Communications equipment and a range of TDI diver training.

Dive Packs

Diving is included in your holiday on an unlimited scheduled boat diving basis that typically includes up to five days a day including night dives. Air tanks, weights and weight belt are also included. Your seven day holiday package also includes two day trips to Apo or Siquijor Island.

Dive Courses

PADI and TDI dive courses can be pre-booked. Please enquire for details.

Extras in Resort

• Marine park fees
• Unlimited Nitrox
• Additional day trips to Apo or Siquijor Island
• Day trip to snorkel with whale sharks at Oslob
• Equipment rental. Please enquire for details.

The Philippines is an island nation located in South East Asia with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine archipelago comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean. These islands are home to spectacular scenery, pristine beaches, incredible sights and lively cities. Dramatic drop offs, wrecks, caves and a richly varied marine life also guarantee fabulous diving. Combined with the renowned Philippine hospitality and warmth, an unforgettable dive holiday awaits.

You will find a true blend of cultures; the people are generally of Malay descent, but Philippine history has introduced Chinese, Spanish and American elements as well. The Philippines is a predominantly Christian country where eight out of ten Filipinos are practising Catholics. Filipino hospitality is legendary and the Philippines is the fiesta nation of Asia. Fiestas celebrate harvests, births and victories, as well as religious events. The Filipinos like to party and celebrations are found in every ethnic group and may be large regional events or small local happenings.

Resorts have been hand picked, not only for their comfort and surrounding scenery but most importantly, for their proximity to incredible dives sites. Whilst out of the water guests can relax on some of the best beaches in the world, enjoy the local markets, festivals and sights or even spend a night in the exciting and bustling Manila or more laid back Cebu.

As the Philippines is a strong Catholic nation, festive holidays such as Easter are very busy. Either book well in advance, or avoid the main religious holiday periods where possible.

Climate

The climate of The Philippines can broadly be described as hot and tropical. Most people visit The Philippines during the dry season. However, many regular visitors attest that the best time to visit is during the wet season and that the proliferation and variety of marine life is best June, July and August.

Dry season: December to May
Wet season: June to November

During the dry season, easterly winds prevail and air temperature is in high 20's to mid 30ºC. February to May are generally the hottest. Wet season winds are from the west, with air temperature in mid to high 20s. You can often strike lucky and have weeks of brilliant blue skies and unlimited sunshine. On the other hand, the rains, when they come, are impressive and prolonged. There are few rivers, so run off and its effect on water visibility is not generally a problem.

The Philippines is a large country and has many climatic variations from east to west and south to north.

Best underwater visibility: April to July
Water temperature average: 24 - 30ºC

Time

8 hours ahead of GMT.

Language

Filipino is Officially the national language of The Philippines. This language is based on Tagalog which is the most widely used of the 70 plus dialects used within the country. English is also prevalent throughout the country, especially in tourist destinations. English is also widely used as the medium for education, communication and business. Eight major dialects spoken by majority of the Filipinos: Tagalog, Cebuano, Ilocano, Hiligaynon or Ilonggo, Bicol, Waray, Pampango, and Pangasinense.

Currency

The unit of currency is the Philippine Peso (PHP). The US dollar is the most widely recognised foreign currency. Euros & GBP are also readily exchanged.

The majority of larger towns have ATMs, however, facilities for money withdrawal or changing are far less widespread away from the main centres of population. There are bank machines at the airport.

Tipping

Tipping is expected for many services. The standard is 10% of the total bill or optional where there is a 10% service charge.

Flight Information

Regaldive can offer packages to the Philippines on a number of different airlines.

London - Manila: Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Malaysia Airlines and KLM all fly daily via their national hubs.

London - Cebu: Singapore Airlines via Singapore on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday;  Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong daily.

Carry-On Luggage Restriction

Philippines Office for Transportation Security rules include 'Scuba Diving Equipment' (including regulators) on the list of blunt instruments that are not to be in carry-on/cabin baggage on flights originating within the Philippines. Please ensure that all scuba equipment is secured within checked-in baggage on all domestic flights and on all departing international flights.

Internal flights:
Manila - Cebu
Manila - Busuanga
Manila - Dumaguete

Transfers

Whichever island you are staying on, you are met at the airport/ferry port and transferred to your resort. Whether by flight, jeepney or banca boat, there are fantastic sights to enjoy on your journey there and back. Although some transfer can take up to a whole day, most clients pass feedback that this was a very interesting part of their overall trip. The below information is to give you a general idea of transfer times between regions; actual transfer times may differ slightly according to individual arrangements and ferry timetables, tides etc.:

Cebu - Dumaguete: 4 - 5 hours by vehicle, ferry and hotel shuttle

Dumaguete - Bohol / Panglao / Cabilao: 3 hours by hotel shuttle, ferry and vehicle or 3 to 4 hours by Outrigger conditions permitting
Dumaguete - Malapascua: 8 - 9 hours by vehicle, ferry, vehicle and outrigger

Visas

Entry requirements vary from country to country, and it’s important to check the latest visa information well before you travel. Some destinations may allow visa-free entry for a limited period, while others require an eVisa or a visa obtained in advance. To ensure you have the correct documentation for your trip, we recommend checking the official advice from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) or contacting the relevant country’s embassy or consulate. Other nationalities should check with their own consulate/embassy.

Passports

Before you travel, make sure your passport is valid for the full duration of your trip and meets the entry requirements of your destination. Many countries require at least six months’ validity beyond your planned return date, while others may have different rules. For the most reliable and up-to-date information, visit the UK Government’s passport guidance or the official travel advice pages for your destination. Other nationalities should check with their own consulate/embassy.

If you’re planning to travel to or via an EU country (with certain exceptions) your UK passport must meet two key requirements, it must be less than 10 years old on the day you enter the country and it must be valid for at least three months after your planned departure date.

Vaccinations & Health Advice

Health and vaccination requirements differ depending on where you're travelling. Some destinations may require proof of specific vaccinations or recommend certain precautions to protect your wellbeing.

We’re not qualified to provide you with specific advice on vaccinations and strongly recommend that you contact your healthcare professional before you travel to discuss the inoculations you may need to consider.

For trusted guidance on health and vaccination advice, refer to the NHS Travel Vaccination Advice, Masta Travel Health or Travel Health Pro websites.