Negros & Dumaguete

Philippines

Dauin offers superb scuba diving

Negros Island is a large island in the Visayas. It’s eastern shore is separated from Cebu by a narrow channel, while it’s west coast faces the Sulu Sea. Much of the diving is in the south of the island.

Like many of the Philippines dive spots, it is blessed with the combination of big fish encounters and fascinating smaller critters that will keep avid divers happy for many dives.

Negros’ most famous dive sites are the incredible critter dives of the Dauin sanctuary south of Dumaguete, and those around Apo Island.


Highlights

Weird & wonderful critters in Dauin
Turtles and reefs at Apo Island
Excellent for underwater phtographers

Negros
Liveaboard diving asia
Liveaboard diving asia

Best diving spots

There are a number of dive sites on Apo Island. The Sanctuary, sometimes known as Clownfish City is one of the most popular sites, with wonderful reefs and resident green turtles in different to the prescence of divers. Coconut Point is a series of stepped terraces with large schools of Trevally & Barracuda.

Reef sharks can sometimes be seen at Coconut Point, but the best spot for larger visitors is Mansa Point. In addition to plentiful schools of fish, larger marine life can often be seen here.

On Negros itself, there is some outstanding critter dives around Dauin - a small town south of Dumaguete. On the Dauin's sandy slopes it is possible to find numerous species of Seahorses, Ghost Pipefish, Frogfish, Pegasus Sea Moths, Stonefish, Flambouyant Cuttlefish and many more critters. The region has come to rival Indonesia's Lembeh Strait in recent years as its reputation grows. For those not taken by the muck-diving bug, the Dauin Sanctuary have more traditional coral reefs to explore.

It is also possible to dive around Sipalay on the west coast of Negros, which has many good dive sites just a few minutes from shore. There is a couple of nice WWII wrecks, good wall diving and an enjoyable house reef to explore. 

When to dive

This area can be dived year-round, with different species found in the Dauin Sanctuary at certain times of year. The best months for weather are November to May.

Getting there

Dumaguete has a domestic airport which has regular flights to & from Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Once in Dumaguete, most of the resorts are no more than 30 minutes drive away and you may be able to arrange a transfer from the airport with a dive centre. It is also possible to reach the area from Cebu either by taxi, bus or boat.

Sipalay can also be reached from Dumaguate or Bacolod.

Activities

Aside from diving, there is quite a lot to do on the island of Negros. The bustling town of Dumaguete, the city of friendly people is very clean and has good shopping. In the surrounding area there are hot springs, jungle treks, lakes, waterfalls, pretty villages & even a golf course to enjoy. One of the most popular tours is to see Dolphins which can often be seen in the surrounding waters.

Resort and liveaboard options

There are many resort options along the coast south of Dumaguate giving easy access to the Dauin Marine Sancutary and Apo Island, with a couple of resorts in Sipalay also. Due to the convenient location of the resorts, shore diving is often on offer, with short dive trips to local Dauin dive sites, and longer trips to Apo Island or Sumilon.

The Dumaguete region often features on itineraries of liveaboards sailing the Visayas region, with six or seven night itineraries generally offered from Cebu City.


You might also enjoy...

Wakatobi

The islands that make up the Wakatobi chain have some of the world’s best diving with atolls, walls, fringing reefs, sea mounts & a barrier reef contributing to the almost limitless diving opportunities.

The national park comprises of four main islands, Wangi Wangi, Kaledupa, Tomea & Binongki (thus the name WaKaToBi) the reach out from the south-eastern tip of Sulawesi.

Raja Ampat

Raja Ampat is located on the remote north-western tip of Western Papau in the Halmahera Sea, and fittingly means 'four kings'. It is the most biologically diverse place known to science.

With such natural riches, scuba diving in Raja Ampat is some of the best in the world, particularly for diving on coral reefs. There are some excellent diving resorts in Raja Ampat, but the area is best known for its liveaboard diving.

Ambon & the Banda Sea

The Banda Sea is a deep sea ringed by islands in eastern Indonesia. Right in the middle of the sea are the Banda Islands, while Ambon lies to the north.

While they may seem incredibly remote, they were once world famous as the Spice Islands, where nutmeg & mace - much sought after in those days - were grown & fought over by colonial powers.

Mergui Archipelago

The 800 islands that comprise the Mergui Archipelago lie just off the coast of Myanmar in the Andaman Sea. 

The islands, which can only be reached from Thailand, are only a fairly recent addition to liveaboard diving itineraries, and have not yet been completely explored. Those areas that are now well known to dive operators offer some exceptional diving.

How to photograph a Clownfish

Clownfish are great subjects for underwater photographers.

Not only are they colourful and full of character, but they are also one of the most iconic and well recognised fish in the sea. A good Clownfish photo nevers fails to provoke a reaction from your audience.

They are also a very tricky subject to photograph, leaving many budding photographers frustrated.

So what can you do to get a great shot?

Alor

Alor lies to the east of Flores & north of Timor Island. Divers who venture this far will be rewarded with exceptional diving away from the crowds.

The area is characterised by two main forms of diving - current swept dives with a high chance to find pelagics; and world-class muck diving.