Dive Review of Atlantis Dive Resorts in
Philippines/Dumaguete

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Atlantis Dive Resorts: "Good much diving but bad visibility", Apr, 2016, by Todd Lichtenstein, NJ, US ( Contributor 12 reports with 5 Helpful votes). Report 8902 has 1 Helpful vote.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Dumaguete is on the island of Negros an hour and a half plane ride from Manila. We flew round trip from Manila on Cebu Pacific Airline. Cebu has a higher baggage allowance for scuba divers, 30 kg or 66 lbs. It doesn’t matter how many bags you have BUT they do weigh your carry-ons . From Manila to Dumaguete we paid about $40 in extra overweight charges. That is not bad for divers and photographers. The Manila airport domestic terminal is very crowded and there are almost not enough chairs in the roasting hot gate area. Be advised. When we landed at Dumaguete, Atlantis staff were waiting to grapple with our luggage and get us to the resort as efficiently as possible. Compared to Anilao, where we had been the week before, the diving and the visibility in Dumaguete were better. The visibility at Apo island was the best -- perhaps 60 feet at most. We found the reefs, especially at Apo, to be in much better shape than Anilao. Frogfish, scorpionfish, cuttlefish and ghost pipefish are abundant, and turtles were frequently seen. There were so many species of hard and soft coral at Apo that we couldn’t even count them. One thing that is missing in both Anilao and Dumaguete is the schools of mid-sized and larger fish such as grouper and jacks. We were told that they have been fished out by the local fisherman. We did not see one shark during our two weeks in the Philippines (there are whale sharks at Oslob, in Cebu, that are kept in place by being fed, but we didn’t go there). For most of the week we were assigned one dive guide, who was excellent. We could tell from observing other guides and hearing the comments of other divers that most of the other guides were also very good. On our last day we encountered the one exception, a new guide who had trouble finding both critters and the boat, and was unnecessarily physically aggressive in his attempts to protect the reef. We found the rooms at Atlantis to be very nice with a large king sized bed and a large closet to hang clothes. Our bathroom however was cramped, had no shelves or other surfaces for toiletries, and had an anemic shower with a clogged shower head. Other units that we saw had renovated bathrooms that were much nicer. Hot water, reliant on solar energy, was off-and-on. The food was very good and of high quality. Meals are served restaurant-style, and offer a wide range of options for all courses at all meals. The dining room staff was always pleasant, but not always well-organized or attentive. Orders were often gotten wrong, and it was frequently necessary to have to ask multiple times for something like water or coffee. Overall, the staff at Atlantis Dumaguete was outstanding, from the front desk staff who assisted us with revised plane reservations, to the gardener who maintained the grounds beautifully, to the housekeeper who greeted us by name every morning. Everyone was friendly and welcoming. And at the end of our stay, we were accompanied to and through the airport, as far as the security check-in at the departure gate, by a staff member who eased us through potential hassles over carry-ons and other issues, for which we were very grateful.
Websites	Atlantis Dive Resorts
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Lembeh, Maldives, Galapagos, Cocos, Dominica, Cayman Brac, Little Cayman, Papua New Guinea, Andaman Sea, Raja Ampat, Blue Heron Bridge
Closest Airport	Dumaguete	Getting There	We flew on Cebu Pacific from Manila. Judging by our experience the flights get delayed more later in the day due to air traffic congestion in Manila. If you have an International connection in Manila leave plenty of time for flight delays.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, windy, dry	Seas	calm, choppy, surge
Water Temp	79-82°F / 26-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	20-60 Ft/ 6-18 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	[Unspecified]
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	None	Mantas	None
Dolphins	Schools	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	There was a wonderful air-conditioned camera room with plenty of workspace and a great compressed air system. Also there were plenty of outlets for battery charging. All of the outlets were universal plugs so no need to bring adaptors. Some of the outlets were 1120v and others we 220v.

Report currently has 1 Helpful vote

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Dive Review of Atlantis Dive Resorts in Philippines/Dumaguete

Atlantis Dive Resorts: "Good much diving but bad visibility", Apr, 2016,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Atlantis Dive Resorts in
Philippines/Dumaguete