February 16-28, 2025
We are excited to offer a special Philippines itinerary that includes 2 very different locations with beautiful coral, spectacular muck diving, octopus, nudibranchs, sea horses, whale shark snorkel, 2 island dive excursions, and land excursions. The Philippines is a nation of 7,000 islands and we will get a taste of it.
We fly into Manila and take private air-conditioned vans to our private speedboat that takes us to our first location.
Atlantis Puerto Galera is our first stop. We will find abundant schooling reef fish, jacks, snappers, fairy basslets, trigger fish, groupers, trevally, drummers and barracuda, set the scene against vibrant hard and soft coral reefs. Turtles, moray eels, cephalopods and macro crustaceans are all found in abundance.at varied dive sites, some with no current and some drift diving. Some critters you may not have seen before are stick pipefish, ornate pipefish, striped eel catfish, electric clams, giant clams, giant frogfish, harlequin sweetlips and spot faced moray eels to name a few! There are large green turtles and hawksbill turtles at both locations.
We will be staying at the unique hillside 4 star Atlantis Puerta Galera with it's superb gourmet restaurant, beautiful pool and high end spa!
After 6 wonderful nights right in the heart of bustling Puerta Galera, we return to Manila with our private transport and then fly south to Dumaguete.
Atlantis Dumaguete is the second 4 star location, on the beach, in the quiet village of Dauin. It offers spectacular macro-opportunities with its muck diving sites. You are guaranteed to see at least 3 of the 7 types of octopus that inhabit this area and possibly all on one site!
You will also likely see hairy squat lobster, bobtail squid, a variety of and crabs as well as cuttlefish, pipefish, armies of striped eel catfish, banner fish, yellow belly dog faced puffer fish and many others including a variety of anemone fish (clown fish) and shrimp. This is accentuated with exceptional service and safety for up to 40 dives…yes, 40! Every dive is by boat, very short rides, and one tank. It is followed by a return to the resort for a surface interval and a snack!
The best part of the two remarkably different and superbly designed Atlantis Resorts, is Atlantis staff, who genuinely want nothing more than to make you happy.
The gourmet food prepared by the resorts is amazing! All meals are chef prepared and plentiful and artistically presented, right down to the artwork on the lattes and
cappuccinos provided by the baristas in Puerto Galera.
One day we will have the opportunity to snorkel with whale sharks.
Conservation and service: while in Dumaguete we will have a chance to assist with coral tree maintenance and cleaning. We will also be involved with a local elementary school as well as with the young divers of the Atlantis Young Dive Ambassador Program.
At the end of six nights in Dumagete, we will fly back to Manila to meet our international flights home with memories that will last a lifetime.
GOOD TO KNOW
INCLUDED:
• DiverMojo concierge trip leadership
• Donation to the DiverMojo Foundation
• Double occupancy in both locations
• Wi-Fi
• All meals; coffee, tea and purified water at meals
• Celebration dinner
• Tanks and weights
• Unlimited nitrox
• Valet diving service
• Dive guides with small groups
• Up to 5 boat dives per day, up to 40 dives total
• Puerto Galera excursion: Diving off Verde Island
• Dumaguete conservation activity: Coral cleaning
• Dumaguete excursion: Diving off Apo Island
• Dumaguete excursion: Snorkeling with whale sharks at Oslob
• Dumaguete community experience: Shop and bring things to the children at the school
• Group land excursions
• Airport transfers
• Domestic flights
• All taxes
NOT INCLUDED:
• International round trip flights
• Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages
• Marine park fees, which are $5-$9USD per dive (at Dumaguete only)
• Optional excursions such as a second day at Verde Island
• Please bring small, angled brushes and gloves to use when cleaning coral
• Optional mandarin fish dive, please note the mandarin fish in Puerto Galera arevery small (1.5-2.5”)
• Equipment rental.
Things to Remember:
-
Passport must have blank pages and expire 6 months after return date
-
Dive insurance is required, including repatriation
(required); we suggest DAN -
'Cancel for any reason' travel insurance highly recommended, we suggest Allianz (must purchase within two weeks of deposit)
-
Currency: Philippine Pesos, required in most places
-
Tipping: Resort, dive operation and spa tipping is accepted in cash only. You can use Philippine Pesos, USD or EUR.
Thanks
Here’s to forever blowing bubbles,
-Merlin
Diving Conditions:
Puerto Galera
-
Average Sea temperature: 25-27C or 77-81F
-
Current: Mild, moderate to strong
-
Sea state: Light swells
-
Dive sites: Within 2-10 minutes except Verde and Apo Islands (45 min)
-
Visibility: Ranges between 30-100ft
Dumaguete
-
Average Sea temperature: 25-27C or 77-81F
-
Current: none to moderate
-
Sea state: Calm to light swells
-
Dive sites: 2-10 minutes except Apo Island (30 min)
-
Visibility: Ranges between 30-100ft
A non-refundable deposit of $1500 will hold your place.