The Little Things On Harold’s Boat

I finally got a chance to meet her: Harold’s sea muse, MBCA Rosefel named after his sister. It’s BIG – I’d guess about 40 or more feet long.

I don’t dive as much but due to the nature of my volunteer work with marine mammal surveys, I know a thing or two about boats. Here are some reasons (in no particular order) why I think this boat is one sweet ride:

1. It’s spacious. You can lounge in the cabin, up by the bow, under the canopy, or up on the view deck.

2. It can run on solar energy.

3. It has padded floors, even in the comfort room and on the ladder for snorkelers and divers. You don’t have to worry about splinters or the flakes of paint making you look like a spotted whale shark.

4. Creative storage for your gear. Most dive boats I’ve seen only incorporate holding areas for tanks while other gears are kept in bulky crates that take up a lot of space. I thought this rack for fins (below) was a nifty idea because it clears the floor of the post-snorkel/dive clutter and it leaves your gear visible. No more digging about crates to look for your gear if you fancy a quick dip in the water.

5. Designated areas for smoking and garbage disposal. Most garbage bins on dive boats are located in one corner of the boat and sometimes, smoking tourists may not want to walk all the way there to throw away their cigarette butts and throw these overboard instead. What most people don’t know is that cigarette butts can take up to 5 years before they are completely degraded that’s why I absolutely love this idea of a separate waste depository for cigarette butts (below) at the back of Harold’s boat, where guests can smoke in peace without disrespecting the personal space of non-smoking tourists.

So next time you want to explore the sands and seas of Apo Island, Siquijor or southern Cebu, drop anchor with Harold and his crew aboard the MBCA Rosefel.

 

By the way, this is Jean from the previous post by the username Harold. Please bear with me as I try to figure out this blogging tool. In the meantime, enjoy browsing through the rest of this blogsite :)

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Unlike Any Other Hostel

Hi! I’m Jean, a friend of Harold. I am a homegrown local of Dumaguete City and am currently a graduate student of marine biology. Harold’s asked me to help update his blog because he’s been busy since turning into a rockstar hostel manager (that’s how awesome he is!). Much of the stuff I post here will be eco-initiatives that Harold and I have/are/will be working on.

Harold’s turning out to be quite the greenie. Our first project together was painting the Harold’s Mansion blue wall back in 2010, when Filipino artist and environmentalist AG Sano was just starting his Dolphins Love Freedom campaign to raise awareness on the cruelty of hunting dolphins and whales for the meat and aquarium trades. This mural was among AG’s works published in a national art and design magazine. We had a lot of help painting it – even some of HM’s guests at the time.

Now the paint’s a bit faded and Harold’s proposed to have it retouched. That’s just one of a handful of activities in the works. More green stuff to look forward to :)

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City Burger

Filipinos love Chicken Inasal. Actually try to find me a meat eater who doesn’t love it.  I mean what’s not to love. Chicken Inasal is bbq at its best.   It is grilled chicken that has been marinated in a blend of spices and then grilled.  While cooking it is usually covered in a basting sauce. Everyone has a different blend for their marinate and basting sauce. So, what’s the best Chicken Inasal in the city?  I’d say City Burger.  The basting sauce is a delicious mix of salty, sweet and tangy.  I really can’t describe how good it is so you’re just going to have to go see for yourself.

 

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Whale Sharks!!!!!

It really is a magical experience to see the whale sharks in Cebu. Watching these creatures swim by you can’t help but be impressed by their magical nature and size.  The group in the area are juvenile sharks and this may be the reason why they are sticking around so long, and, well, because they are being fed by the local fisherman.

Whale sharks, the largest fish in the world, are a migratory species and for years divers and snorkelers have seen them in the waters by Cebu. Little research has been done on the species to know any thing for sure, but one-thing researchers do know is that, where the whale sharks go, and when, is based on the availability of food.  Also, they are likely to congregate in an area with a plankton bloom or spawning event.  That may be the reason the whale sharks came to Cebu but I think it’s safe to say that the daily feedings are why they are staying.

I’m happy to say the I’ve heard that the Local Government Unit of Oslob, with the help of the Governor of Cebu, have appointed a Technical Working Group to craft guidelines to protect these fish. I just hope the guidelines include an end to the feeding!  Some say that when the water temperature changes they will move on, food or no food. I guess only time will tell but would you rather be delighted by a natural occurrence of this giant fish swimming by or do you want to chase behind the fishing boat that is leading them around like a dog on a leash?

 

 

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Hello

Hi.  I’m Andrea. An American friend of Harold’s who lives and works near Dumaguete.  I’m a Coastal Resources Management volunteers for a Local Government Unit and I love that I get to spend my time exploring this tropical paradise.  Just last night I was on Harold’s boat watching the sunset over Mt. Talinis and the beauty awed me.  And while this was fun for me, Harold and his crew were working away. Because he is so busy, putting together fun dive trips and making sure guests are happy, he doesn’t have time to blog and I’ve been helping him out.  And now I have my own byline:) Can you guess which past post were me?

I’m sure lucky that Mr. Nice, as some guests call him, is a friend of mine. He really is a nice guy. He once took some girls to buy flowers for their friend’s birthday when all the stores were closed.  That goes above and beyond the call of duty, but that’s just how he rolls. Anyway, he puts on great, reasonably priced trips so we (that’s you and me dear reader) can explore above and below the water on the fabulous island of Negros and around the Visayan Islands….and I’m gonna tell you about them.Harold at work

Harold, working from the boat, and missing that amazing sunset.

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GENTLE GIANTS

GENTLE GIANTS

 

Wow wow wow that was one of the best hours of my life!!!!  We’d been told there were 5 whale sharks in under an hours boat ride from Dumaguete, I didn’t believe it but had to check it out for myself.   We arrived to see several fishermen in small bankas who informed us there were 6 whale sharks right there NOW!!!!  We geared up and jumped in the water ASAP….and OMG within 2 minutes a massive gentle giant glided past us, a little too close for my first encounter to be honest!!   It was amazing and sent shivers down my spine, then the next came, it was so surreal, they just kept coming one after the next.  I spent a magical hour just lay on the sandy bottom mesmerized by the beauty of the world’s largest fish and so grateful to be part of there underwater world.

Completely happy and content with the experience, but adventure still kicks in, so we go to explore the near by reef and at around 25 meters we see two eagle rays!!!!  If that wasn’t enough excitement for the day, we then finish off for a final dive at the near by Sumilon Island where as soon as we entered the water from the boat there was a shoal of great giant barracuda followed by a shoal of jack fish, then an angry looking white tip shark in the bottom of a cave…GWAAAAA does it get much better???!!!!

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Neva’s Pizza

Neva’s is just down the street from the hostel and is one of my American friend’s favorite restaurants in the city.  She loves the roasted garlic and cheese pizza but has also been know to eat the Hawaiian or Sunny Side Up pizzas, always with a green salad with EVOO on the side.  She says it’s almost as good as pizza at home, whatever that means.  Neva’s also has a great selection of good Filipino food at reasonable prices.  They don’t serve alcohol but will allow you to bring in some beer from next store for a small corkage fee. Only downside is that it can get a little loud so not a great place for a date:0

 

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Twin Lakes

One of the things I love about the area is that there is more to do than just scuba dive.  About an hour north of Dumaguete is a special place in the mountains called Twin Lakes.  It is so named since there are two different lakes in the crater of a volcano separated by mountains.  It’s a nice drive up to the first lake and to get to the second you can hike or kayak.   If you’re interested you can spend the day kayaking or spend your time hiking on one of the many trails.  It makes for a nice day trip from Dumaguete.

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SIQUIJOR DIVE TRIP

We made a punctual early start as the boat trip to Siquijor is around one hour-enough time to wake up with a couple of cups of tea and enjoy the fresh sea breeze whilst taking in the spectacular surrounding views.  Not forgetting the actual boat itself; a traditional Filipino design but with the added luxuries of a flush toilet, fresh water shower, sundeck and cabin.

Our first two dives were at the Paliton wall, where some parts go as deep as 50 meters. The huge sea fans and soft corals at the Paliton wall were beautiful. There is huge overhang of about 35 meters where the site comes alive.  We spotted Turtles, Cuttlefish, sea snakes, Moray Eels, Blue Ribbon Eel, Bumphead Parrotfish, Spanish Mackeral, Jackfish, Lionfish and much more.

After the second dive we ate a delicious traditional Filipino meal of halang halang (chicken in coconut milk) and pork adobo, followed by a short siesta.

Our third dive was at Maite Point, due to the many crevices and cracks of the dive site, interesting small sea creatures were easy to find. The Maite Point has soft and hard corals intermingling.

Each dive was great with excellent visibility. The dive masters were professional and experienced, boat crew very efficient and good quality dive gears.  The new boat is fantastic.  All this along with the delicious lunch and unlimited tea and coffee made it a perfect day diving around Siquijor.  Highly recommended.

 

 

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DIVING WITH HAROLD’S MANSION

INTRODUCTION

Diving with the crew from Harold’s Mansion is an experience! Whether you are travelling by yourself, as a couple, a family or in a group, are in your twenties or in your seventies – or younger, older or anywhere in between, you will be amazed at what you can see and be shown. It doesn’t matter what level of certification you have – or which course or specialty you want to do next. For those with maximum 10 dives or those with over a thousand dives it will be hard to exit the water without a look of amazement on their face or a big wide grin.

Those with camera’s will be torn between checking out the photo’s they took or getting a new tank and heading straight back into the water; those without a camera will
be thinking about buying / renting one or will be swapping email addresses to get some copies of whatever cool stuff they just saw on their dive.

So, a few questions arise. First, what level of certification do you need? Next, what can you expect to see? Third,which dive sites are there to choose from? Fourth, how to arrange a dive trip and what do you need? And finally, and possibly the most important question:

Why?

To answer these questions, let’s start with the last one(s). Why indeed should you go diving or take another course and why indeed should you consider doing it here? I guess diving is like anything and unlike anything you’ve done or want to do. It’s true that diving is not for everyone. Nor is trekking through a jungle, hiking up a mountain, visiting museums, shopping, knitting, bungee jumping or more things I can think of. But I believe it’s also true that’s it’s one of those things you must have tried at least once. It is probably one of the weirdest sensations to be able to breathe underwater, to float in it, glide through it without tiring yourself out or having to concentrate to hard, while seeing some things you might see in an aquarium or on television and think WOW and then some. Being less than 5 meters away from a shark (Jaws), having a clownfish (Nemo) look you in the eye through your mask, able to stretch your arm and touch a turtle – which we do NOT do off course – finding a seahorse amongst some rubble are just a few things to expect on one of your dives. Also you can encounter tons of different reef fish as well as flamboyant cuttlefish, painted frogfish, ornate ghost pipes, orangutan crabs, giant moray eels, octopus, devil scorpion fish to name just a few (Check out the dive gallery for photos).

To become certified is easier than it sounds and if you are not sure you want to, you can find out by taking a PADI DSD (Discover Scuba Diving program). The level of certification, experience and how recent your last dives are, will help determine which dive sites may be best / most interesting for you.

The descriptions of the dive sites and what you may expect to see there can be found below.

Harold’s Mansion offers the following PADI courses along with specialty courses:

Discover Scuba Diver

Open Water Diver

Advanced Open Water Diver

Rescue Diver

Master Scuba Diver

There is a wide array of varying dive sites in and around Dumaguete. Every dive site has their “specialty”, concerning the type of dive site (e.g. wall, gently sloping reef, sandy bottom, artificial) and the typical dive you might do there (e.g. drift, muck, cave, wreck). A number of these sites are considered to be among the best in the Philippines. Specific fish seen at a certain dive site will be mentioned when that dive site is being described. The fish mentioned below are the more common reef fish which you are likely to see at every dive site: anemone/clown fish, angel fish, banner fish, bat fish, cardinal fish, damsel fish, jacks / trevally, moorish idol, parrot fish, porcupine fish, puffer fish,snappers, squirrel fish, sweetlips, trigger fish, trumpet fish and many more.

Apo Island is one of the first marine sanctuaries – with over a dozen dive sites is known for its fabulous coral gardens, whereas the Dauin area, with over 15 dive sites, is mostly known for its muck diving / macro diving.

APO ISLAND

One of the reasons people visit the Philippines is the world famous Apo Island. The dozen dive sites around Apo Island – one of the first marine sanctuaries – has it all. And it’s for everyone. The different dive sites are suitable for snorkellrs and/or divers with little experience and for those that have seen it all. The excellent state of the marine life around Apo guarantees an unforgettable experience, whether you will be astonished by the diverse colorful array of soft coral or the abundance of reef fish. Not to mention sea
snakes, turtles, schools of jacks and barracudas. Oh, and did I mention turtles? Apo Island has it all. Every dive site has their “specialty”, concerning the type of dive site (e.g. wall, gently sloping reef, sandy bottom, artificial) and the typical dive you might do there (e.g. drift, muck, cave, wreck). A number of these sites are considered to be among the best in the Philippines. Specific fish seen at a certain dive site will be mentioned when that dive site is being described. The fish mentioned below are the more common reef fish which you are likely to see at every dive site: anemone/clown fish, angel fish, banner fish, bat fish, cardinal fish, damsel fish, jacks / trevally, moorish idol, parrot fish, porcupine fish, puffer fish, snappers, squirrel fish, sweetlips, trigger fish, trumpet fish and many more.

Coconut Point

Rating: A      AOW+    current / reef dive

Depth: 5-35m

Current: very strong

Visibility: 15-35m

Coconut Point also known as “the washing machine” is always an exciting dive. The strong currents may come at you left, right and center and can push you back up or pull you deeper down. The sloping reef gives way to a rock wall, in between two rock cliffs you will come across a sandy channel, where you can rest / wait and look out for larger pelagic, such as reef sharks or manta rays to pass by. Every now and then a whale shark is spotted too. Asides from the turtles you can expect to see bumphead parrotfish, jacks,
tuna, snappers, sweetlips, barracuda, sea snakes, potato groupers and even napoleon
wrasse.

Olo

Rating:  A/B     AOW+   Wall and reef

Depth: 15-30m

Current: very strong

Visibility: 10-35m

Olo meaning “head” in Visayan, lies at the head of Apo Island. The currents can be quite strong here, going west to Coconut Point and south to Cogon. A sandy slope full of staghorn coral divides two walls. With all the fish around you, you would think you are swimming in an aquarium, which is quite true: big wrasses, triggerfish, massive puffer fish, sweetlips, angelfish, snappers, turtles, emperor fish, even sharks are what you may expect to see here. At the moment this dive site is off limits.

Largahan

Rating:  C   OW+   Wall in between 2 sandy slopes

Depth: 10-20mts

Current: moderate

Visibility: 8-20m

A shallow sandy slope with beautiful coral bommies ending at a small wall that bottoms out on a dark sandy area, from which volcanic bubbles escape. Nudibranches and flatworms, frog fish, scorpion fish, ribbon eels are a few you should keep your eyes open for.

Cogon

Rating:  A   AOW+    Drift dive

Depth: 15-35m

Current: moderate to very strong

Visibility: 10-35m

Cogon is named after the blady Philippine ‘cogon’ grass that you can see in front of the dive site. This dive starts on a sandy slope and a current taking you south to a sloping reef of mixed corals and sponges that ends in a steep wall. The current ensures a variety of marine life, so keep an eye open towards the blue for schools of pelagic fish, such as big eye trevallies, eagle rays, mantas and reef sharks. Spotting banded sea snakes, turtles, snappers, boxfish, clown triggerfish, napoleon wrasse, cuttlefish, bumphead parrotfish, mantis shrimp and blue spotted stingray during the dive is fairly common too.

Mamsa Point

Rating:  B    AOW+     drift dive

Depth: 5-35m

Current: moderate to very strong

Visibility: 10-35m

Mamsa means Jack fish in the Visayan language. The dive site starts as a gently sloping reef, turns into a steep slope with underwater boulders and ends in a steep wall of soft and hard corals. Strong currents are common, which bring in big schools of jacks that form a protective circle from the larger predatory pelagic tunas and sharks that like to hunt them.

Kan Uran

Rating:  C   OW+

Depth: 5-30m

Current: moderate

Visibility: 10-20m

Kan Uran – meaning from(the person) Uran – is a steep slope with loads of crevices and overhangs covered in beautiful soft and hard corals.  You’ll come across many gobies, pipefish, file fish, razor fish, nudibranches, moray eels, shrimp, scorpion fish and a lot more macro stuff.
Marine Sanctuary (Clownfish City)

Rating:  B   OW+

Depth: 5-25m

Current: gentle

Visibility: 10-25m

Located on the south-east shore of Apo Island, the Marine Sanctuary was one of the first official marine sanctuaries in the Philippines. Fishing has been prohibited in this area for the last 20 years and only up to 15 divers a day are allowed. The result is a kaleidoscope of a serious wide range of coral types and formations colored in a way you would not believe possible. The wall drops down to roughly 25m and at the end of the dive you will be amazed again when you visit “Clown fish city”, a shallow area full of hundreds of Nemo’s swimming around their anemone covered coral blocks. Also a ton of reef fish such as angel fish, butterfly fish, frogfish, fusiliers, flatworms and nudibranches, scorpion fish, snappers, sweetlips, surgeonfish, bumphead parrotfish, ghost pipefish, napoleon wrasse can be seen. And of course … turtles.

Rock Point East

Rating:  B   AOW+

Depth: 5-35m

Current: gentle to strong

Visibility: 10-25m
The east side of Rock Point starts as a steep wall and ends as a plateau at the tip of the point. Due to the currents at the tip it is a great place to keep your eyes on the blue for schools of jacks, reef sharks and the occasional manta ray. The abundantly diverse hard and soft corals full of interesting macro stuff and numerous types of bigger and smaller reef fish give you the impression you’re diving in an aquarium.

Rock Point West

Rating:  B    AOW+

Depth: 5-25m

Current: gentle to strong

Visibility: 10-25m
This site is a sloping one with platforms at different levels. The current usually gets stronger as you get nearer to the tip of the point where you can usually see larger fish. The deeper you go, the harder the corals are. The marine life is similar to Rock Point East.

Katipanan

Rating:  C   OW+

Depth: 5-20m

Current: gentle to moderate

Visibility: 10-20m
Katipanan gets its name from the small cowry shells you might spot amongst the soft corals. It is a gentle slope with soft corals which ends into a sandy slope.  Look out for
cuttle fish, nudibranches, sea snakes and turtles.

Chapel

Rating:  B/C     OW+

Depth: 5-35m

Current: gentle to moderate

 

Visibility: 15-25m
So named because you can see Apo Island’s only chapel. A gentle sandy slope that leads to a very steep slope and then a wall with loads of small crevices and caverns and overhangs decorated by many hard and soft corals, fans, sponges and anemones. It is a great place to see most of the more common reef fish mentioned at the beginning of this section, as well as looking for less common fish and their cousins like, lionfish, scorpion fish, blue fin trevailly, lobsters, many nudibranches, garden eels, moray eels, ribbon
eels, turtles, frogfish, napoleon wrasse, bumphead parrotfish and maybe even the odd thresher shark out in the deep blue.

Boularte

Rating: C      OW+   Sandy bottom with coral bommies

Depth: 30m

Current: gentle

Visibility: 10-20m

Boularte is the name of the big rock at the north east corner of Apo Island. A cool dive site where a continuous stream of bubbles – created through the volcanic activity under the island – can be seen. A small wall covered in beautiful soft corals, that gradually turns into a black sandy slope with coral bommies strewn around, which hide a variety of marine life including various garden eels and seasnakes.

MUCK DIVING

Muck diving gets its name from the sediment that lies beneath most dives: a normally muddy or “mucky” environment. Other than the muddy sediment, the standard muck
dive may consist of dead coral skeletons, discarded fishing equipment, tires
and other man-made garbage. In addition, the visibility is usually subpar to
the reef or wreck sites of the area. It’s the “muck” itself that makes them so different and interesting. The muck is the perfect habitat for unusual, exotic and juvenile organisms that make their homes in the sediment and “trash” that compose a muck dive. Creatures like colorful anglerfish, blue-ringed octopus, frog fish, ghost pipe fish, nudibranches, rare pygmy seahorses, different types of shrimp and many more creatures you will never see if you don’t know what you are looking to discover.

Dauin Sanctuary

Rating: A   OW+   reef / muck

Depth: 3-30m

Current: gentle

Visibility: 10-25m

Basically they are two different dive sites (Dauin North and Dauin South) usually combined into 1 dive. The Dauin Sanctuary (since 2000) is made up of 4 smaller coral reefs (heading south) separated by sandy channels filled with garden eels. Just off the beach a beautiful hard coral garden – which is also great for snorkeling – slopes gently down to 25 meters to softer corals.

Heading north is a sandy area with sea grass.  There are also several old mooring blocks and at first glance you will not give either a second thought, but if you look closer you will find it houses numerous different marine creatures. Because there is hardly any current present in this area, it is an ideal site for open water divers, refresher courses
and orientation dives. Besides the more common reef fish it is not unlikely to come across a turtle, scorpion fish, flatworms and nudibranches, catfish, snake eels, devil fish, cuttlefish, flamboyant cuttlefish, ribbon eels, anemone fish, small barracudas, groupers, jacks, Indian walkman, ghost pipefish, seahorses, stargazers, frogfish, bumphead parrotfish, wasp fish, sea moth lion fish. And this all during 1(!!) dive; therefore an A rating.


Car Wreck


Rating:  A    AOW+   muck / wreck

Depth: 6-30m

Current: gentle to moderate

Visibility: 5-15m

Another great macro dive site – and the deepest – is the Car Wreck. Two old Volkswagens have been dropped in this sandy area and are located between 24-28 meters, surrounded by concrete pipes, oil drums and cement mixers. It is a great place to look for a lot of juvenile reef fish as well as dwarf lion fish, snake eels, a wide variety of shrimps and crabs, ghost pipe fish, crustaceans, frogfish, sea moths and flatworms other macro life. This dive site has been voted as the best macro dive site since 2009.

Ginama Point

Rating: B      OW+   muck / night dive

Depth: 5-22m

Current: depends on tide

Visibility: 10-25m

“Ginama” literally means man made in the Visayan language. This site is another superb macro dive site. A huge artificial garden has been created, by placing car and truck tires more than 12 years ago, covering an area of roughly 300 square meters to a depth of
approximately 20 meters. The tires are now completely covered in hard and soft corals
and sponges. The garden is now home to a variety of shrimps, crabs, angler fish, ghost pipe fish, devil fish, moray eels, blue spotted rays, scorpion fish, frogfish, flatworms and nudibranches. A sea grass area is also nearby where you can spend some time in looking for other special things.

Shipwreck

Rating: C      AOW+   muck dive

Depth: 32m

Current: gentle to moderate

Visibility: 5-15m

This dive site is known as an artificial reef consisting of old tires, concrete blocks, and a “banca” wreck (the remains of a traditional “Filipino” fishing boat). Even though the wreck – which lies on a sandy area at about 23m is in poor condition – you will be surprised with the unique marine diversity that is living there. It is a great dive site for macro lovers.


MORE POPULAR DIVE SIGHT

Masaplod Sanctuary is one of the oldest sanctuaries in the area. This sanctuary boasts a rich marine biodiversity. It is a gently sloping reef down to 25m with big coral
formations. With a strong current it can be a good drift dive where you can see large schools of jacks, different types of snappers and barracudas. Sea turtles are also quite common here, as well as groupers. The sand is home to many creatures as well if you take care to look for them.

Masaplod North

Rating: B     AOW+

Depth: 5-25m

Current: moderate to strong

Visibility: 10-25m

Nestled within the same sanctuary boundary as Masaplod Sur, Masaplod Norte (North) is known for its beautiful marine life, from tiny weird creepy crawlers to larger fish species. It is a gentle slope and whilst good for all levels it can be a slightly more challenging drift dive if planned. Look out for big barracudas, blue-spotted stingrays, potato groupers and schools of jacks and snappers, sea snakes, eels, turtles and it’s fair share of macro life.

Nudibranches, pipefish, seahorses, ghost pipefish, also mantis shrimps, stargazers
and loads more.

Masaplod South

Rating: B

Depth: 5-26m

Current: gentle to moderate

Visibility: 5-20m

Masaplod Sur (South) starts at around 8m. There is a small area of artificial reefs constructed from car tires. A sandy slope leads to an area of two separate reefs covered in healthy and colorful soft corals, staghorn corals and other hard corals. Sea moths, pipefish, anemone fish and many other reef fishes can be seen at this dive site. It has its fair share of cool fishes like anglerfish, ghost pipefish, nudibranches, sea snakes, scorpion
fish, sweetlips, but also moray eels, turtles and schools of larger fish species.

Bahura

Rating: C

Depth: 5-22m

Current: moderate to strong

Visibility: 10-25m

A sloping reef of hard coral blocks which descend to a sandy reef of soft corals. Apart from the more common reef fish you might come across mantis shrimp, nudibranches, scorpion leaf and reef fish, small lion fish, ghost pipefish, frog fish to name a few.

Mainit

Rating:   C     AOW (+)       Drift dive

Depth: 3-30m

Current: Moderate to Strong

Visibility: 5-15m

Mainit means “hot” in the Visayan language. It derives its name from the nearby
hot springs indicating the volcanic nature of the area.  It is a gently sloping sandy bottom with rocks popping out covered in different types of corals and anemones. Towards the end of the dive you will reach patches of yellow sandy areas where hot sulfur rich water comes out of the ground. Feel the warm sand and look out for bubbles (Be careful of
underwater life that might live in the sand!). The (strong) currents attract schools of barracuda, but you may also encounter, catfish, crabs, (garden and ribbon) eels, flounders, flatworms and nudibranches to name but a few.

Atlantis / San Miguel

Rating:  C/D   OW+    muck / reef / night dive site

Depth: 5-20m

Current: gentle to moderate

Visibility: 5-15m

The Atlantis / San Miguel sanctuary is actually an area which exists of several
smaller dive sites, as the area is generally too large to cover in one go. San Miguel on the northern side is a large sandy slope, cool for macro stuff before you hit the reef. Going south are Atlantis reef and Atlantis artificial reef. It’s quite a walk through the sea grass in the shallow area before you reach the actual dive site. The artificial reef is a small area with a bunch of old car and truck tires which are now nicely covered with hard and soft corals. You are likely to come across (flamboyant) cuttlefish, mandarin fish, lionfish, flatworms and nudibranches, schools of (juvenile) catfish, blue spotted stingrays, moray
eels, ghost pipefish, frogfish, ribbon eels, scorpion fish and more.

Sedney Park

Rating: C   AOW+

Depth: 5-22m

Current: gentle to strong

Visibility: 10-25m

A steep sandy slope covered with patches of soft and hard corals with a fair amount of different underwater species.

El Dorado

Rating: B      OW+    reef / muck / night dive

Depth: 5-22m

Current: moderate to strong

Visibility: 5-20m

A gently falling black sandy slope in front of El Dorado Resort covered with large areas of staghorn coral fields interspersed with varying sizes of coral blocks and sea grass. A bunch of old tires and moorings as well as the old Dive Society speed boat has become the basis for underwater coral growth, which in turn has attracted smaller and bigger fish
species, such as crabs, crocodile fish, devil fish, fingered dragonets, flamboyant cuttlefish, flat worms, frog fish, ghost pipe fish, lion fish, moray eels, nudibranches, octopus, pipe fish, seahorses, sea snakes, scorpion fish, snake eels, lobsters, shrimps and stargazers. Also keep a lookout for some large groupers and the resident turtle.

Pura Vida

Rating: C   OW+    artificial / muck / night dive

Depth: 5-30m

Current: moderate to strong

Visibility: 5-20m

This house reef –Pure Life in Spanish – which used to be “devoid” of marine life has now become an oasis for small critters, reef fish and their cousins. The artificial reef is made up of a few smaller wrecks, some old tires, a bunch of concrete blocks and a steel pyramid. If you’re lucky you might also come across “special species” like seahorses, a
wunderpus, hairy frogfish, ghost pipe fish or even a sea moth.

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