Scuba Diving in Dauin with Simon Speight's Dumaguete Divers

GPS waypoint: 9°11'17.9"N 123°15'53.7"E
Location: Dauin Dive Café, Bonafacio Street, Poblacion District 1, Dauin, Negros Oriental 6217, Philippines

Dauin
After 3 days in Dumaguete at Harold's Mansion, Tuyen and I went off to Dauin for her scuba diving course at Dumaguete Divers. If you like diving, whether it be snorkeling, free diving or scuba diving, Dauin is pretty much the place to be in. It has been featured as one of the best dive spots on the planet. Reef diving, muck diving, turtles, groupers, jacks, Dauin has them all!

Simon Speight
Simon Speight is the hands-on owner of Dumaguete Divers. With years doing his rounds in the dive spots of Australia and Thailand, this jolly UK chap chose to settle down in picturesque Dauin to put up his dive shop. With his lovely better half, Rowela, they both run the Dauin Divers Cafe where the hangout and the fun after-dives happen. Simon is bubbly and engaging. At Dauin Divers Cafe, he's the life of the party as he makes everyone feel at home.

SSI Open Water Diver Certification
Dive Instructor, Neil Brandon, took care of giving my partner, Tuyen, the necessary training and certification for the dive. I was there from time to time, listening how he patiently explained the theories of the course. It took 5 training dives altogether right on the reef system of Dauin to finally get her diving card - which was surprisingly given to her under water on the 5th dive!

El Dorado House Reef
For icing on the cake, I joined them on a fun dive on the house reef of El Dorado Resort. It was a small patch of coral reef but pretty intense. Marine life is active and fish population is healthy. For added fun, there was a mild current that took us out of our comfort zones. It was a short walk back to the shore and a 5 minute ride back to Dauin Divers Cafe for some celebration.

Friday BBQ at Dauin Divers Cafe
As a gathering hub for the community, Dauin Divers Cafe hosts a Friday night BBQ buffet for a meager P295 - European sausages, baby back ribs, chicken, salad, UK Bangers, etc. It's something to look forward to. As usual, Simon is toastmaster, making sure everyone is having a grand time.

Ending Thoughts
Dumaguete Divers made us feel right at home. With the lovely servers, Neil and the dynamic couple Simon and Rowela, we left Dauin with chock-full-of-great-memories, and more importantly, Tuyen's open water diving certificate. Thank you, Dumaguete Divers!

Dumaguete, Philippines

tourist attractions

Filipino Japanese Amity Memorial Shrine - 2175 feet above sea level and perched on a hilltop overlooking the sea and the neighboring islands
Casaroro Falls - pencil-narrow waterfall dropping nearly 100 feet to a wide and deep lagoon
Balinsasayao Twin Lakes - twin crater lakes 894 meters above sea level
Dumaguete Boulevard - 1km long boardwalk along the main hub of Dumaguete

- hotel

Hotel Essencia - 9-storie hotel in the heart of Dumaguete
39 Real St., Corner San Juan St., Dumaguete City - 09°18'32.1"N 123°18'20.3"E

scuba diving

Mario Scuba Diving and Homestay - homestay in Apo Island, scuba diving, restaurant
Apo Island - 09°04'40.08"N 123°16'09.19"E
Dumaguete Divers - scuba diving in Apo Island, resto / cafe, accommodation
Dauin - 9°11'18.6"N 123°15'54.3"E