Dumaguete

Dumaguete City, also known as “the City of Gentle People” is on the southern tip of the island of Negros and is right in the heart of the Visayas. It is 500km south of Manila and 110 km from Cebu City (the second-largest city in the Philippines) and is easily accessible from either.

This friendly destination is ideal for those who want to combine excellent muck diving with the chance to experience the Filipino way of life. Dumaguete is also home to stunning reefs and passing pelagics which include barracudas, turtles, sea snakes, school jacks and snappers. You will also find plenty of tiny critters from frogfish, blue ring, cuttlefish, seahorses, coconut Octopus, soft coral crash and many others!

The most bio-diverse areas in the vicinity of Dumaguete is perhaps the Coral Gardens of Apo Island. Considered among the first-ever protected marine sanctuaries, this area is a diver’s idea of heaven. The site was declared one of 100 best diving sites in the world by Sport Diver magazine in 2008.

Best Dive Sites in Dumaguete

Mainit
Masaplod North
Bonnet’s Corner
San Miguel Tires

The Chapel (Apo Island)

Off the southeastern tip of Negros is tiny Apo Island, the home of the Apo Island Marine Reserve, a marine sanctuary established in 1982 that is a popular postcard-perfect destination for divers from around the world. Beautiful fronds of soft coral, large numbers of fish and the most stunning sight of all, an anemonefish city where in just 30 feet of water, hundreds of thousands of clownfish rise up to greet divers.

Getting to Dumaguete

There is a small airport in Dumaguete known as Sibulan Airport or Sibulan-Dumaguete Airport. There are also daily flights from both Cebu and Manila, or alternatively, from Cebu, you can take a van and boat (via Liloan) or a fast ferry. This makes Dumaguete one of the more easily accessible diving areas in the Philippines.