Trip report - Atmosphere Resort, Dauin (near Apo Island)

[atmosphere_team]

Hi RockyHeap!

It's not long now until you join us?

It's a great time for you to be visiting us - macro heaven at the moment.... Plus the coast is very quiet for divers so you'll have the dive sites all to youself! There is loads of other activities to do on Negros. House reef at the moment has little current but yes it is sensitive to tides - never a real drift though (shame really as I love them!). In fact, the house reef is so nice at the moment, we've had amazing critters on it over the last few days - lets hope they stick around for you! With regards to diving the house reef, we prefer that we send a DM with you first time, and then as long as you have a sausage and dive knife etc, you can dive the house reef as a buddy team whenever you want without a guide. The guides are amazing though and can see stuff I don't think I'll ever be able to see

Any further questions about diving, let me know! Have a safe trip and looking forward to meeting you soon!

Emma

[atmosphere_team]

Oops nearly posted this twice!

[graffa]

Atmosphere is like a second home. The minute you walk through the gate it feels as if you are with family. Did my IDC there and couldn't have picked a better place to do it.
Cannot wait to go back.

[gee13]

This is real funny, been trying to plan my next trip back to PI next year, after Komodo and since I only made it as far as Moalboal after Malapascua - the lack of time prevented a hop down to Dauin and Apo. I was just thinking of a revisit back when I came across your review wiggsy. Hows things in vic anyway mate? So it may well be back to PI and most likely straight down to Dauin. Whats the most directroute down there and best season/months to go? Whats Sept-Nov like? Last Jan we were blasted out of Malapascua with strong unrelentless winds. Still had some decent diving though and caught a glimpse of a thresher. Must say we were very well looked after by the Evo crew.

[Wiggsy]

Things are OK here in Vic...just waiting for the water to warm up a bit more before I get the camera wet. The most direct route to Dauin is the Manilla - Dumaguete flight (50 minutes) followed by a mere 30 minute bus trip and there you are in absolute perfect paradise. Regarding season - this area has its own microclimate and doesn't get the typhoons that the northern areas experience. I just had a group of 16 there last September and despite 2 typhoons up near Manilla, they had great diving conditions - glassy seas and blue skies.

We love the place so much that we've booked for next July and September as well - and I've never looked forward to a trip more (and I've been travelling to the tropics for dive trips for 30 years or so). Next time we might consider using Jetstar who fly Darwin - Manilla a few times a week. We had huge problems with Philippines Airlines industrial action - was a total stuff up....But the resort was, once again, brilliant.

Cheers.

[Snoobles]

Looking forward to going to Atmosphere and being on the Philippine Siren in September!!

Any thoughts on getting from Cebu to Dumagette? I know you can catch a flight from Cebu-Manila-Dumagette, or else take a ferry... but both end up taking 4 hours either way.

Also, on ferry vendors is Weesam Express ok? They seem to be the only one to have a mid morning ferry to Dumagette. We don't want to take one that leaves at 7 or 8 am, and don't want one too late (i.e. get to Atmosphere at 5 or 6 pm)....

[OuterReefAdventure]

I have taken weesam on several occasions they are fine, but I really prefer the boats used by OCean Jet or Super Cat. THe other option is to take a reasonably nice CERES BUS from Cebu City to Duma.... The Scenery is pretty nice once you get out of the Urban areas,......

Cheers,
Roger

[altaskier]

Any updates on dive conditions after the earthquake and storm in December 2011?

[Hodge Podge]

Any updates on dive conditions after the earthquake and storm in December 2011?

The muck diving is silted in and vis is down still some things to see but not as good as it was before the typhoon sadong
Apo Island coarl is hard hit on one side of the island

[Hydreliox]

Seconded to all the things said about Atmosphere. Great team of people down there doing a bang up job in a top notch facility.

Poblacion is slowly starting to recover, and Dauin South is still fantastic. Hopefully a sign that the silt is slowly getting washed off the rest of the coast Hodge. Mainit didn't stay silted for long

Shame about the east side of Apo though, however people are still loving the diving at Cogon!

Hope to catch you all in the waters round here soon! Here's to some poking around the nooks and crannies at Sumilon tomorrow!!