FREEDIVING IN DUMAGUETE NEGROS ORIENTAL: Best Dive Spots, Dive Guide, and Itinerary
Ever since I learned how to freedive, I have been meaning to visit more dive sites in the Philippines especially freediving in Dumaguete Negros Oriental. Along with Batangas, Moalboal Cebu, Coron Palawan, Puerto Galera, Siquijor, and Bohol, one of my list is to really explore the underwater scenery of Dumaguete.
Negros Oriental especially the “City of Gentle People”, Dumaguete is not entirely new to me at all. I always see it as a laidback, familiar city yet it remains strange to me ‘cause I always seem to forget where places are even though I’ve been there a lot of times already. But, visiting the province of Negros Oriental again on different purpose feels like exploring a whole new destination.
Together with my #BoyaFam, we packed our freediving gears and travel to Dumaguete to explore the best dive spots in Negros Oriental. The breathtaking underwater landscapes of Bacong Port, Dauin, and Apo Island have made our 3-day freediving trip the best experience. We also had side excursion trips in other beautiful tourist destinations within the third district of the province and had a wonderful gastronomic adventure.
3 Best Dive Spots in DUMAGUETE Negros Oriental That You Should Visit
Negros Oriental houses Dumaguete City and this province is considered to be one of the most visited diving destinations of the Philippines. Almost all types of diving can be experienced here — scuba diving, deep sea diving, snorkeling, and freediving, which undeniably has becoming more popular nowadays. The undersea of Negros Oriental is rich with many beautiful corals and a wide variety of fishes. You can even find turtles within the shoreline.
Here are three (3) of the best dive spots in Negros Oriental that you should also see and explore especially if you’re an experienced freediver! Please know that some of these dive spots are private.
1. APO ISLAND — A Must-visit Island in Dumaguete Negros Oriental
Apo Island is a haven of sea turtles. Even a snorkeler can enjoy the sight of the sea turtles as they can easily be seen within the shorelines of the island. Believe it or not, turtles are literally everywhere to see and can be experience in Apo Island, diver or not.
Apo Island is strictly implementing to have a guide for all the guests. At least one guide for every two guests. They will be your guide to see the turtles. For freeedivers, the guides are just there to watch you and take care of you while you’re freediving. They bring a life ring with them for safety purposes. I personally like that they’re there because it makes me feel safer in the depth even though they don’t dive down with me. When I visited Apo Island the second time around, I’m with my safety guide and underwater videographer — Shem. But still, they require us to have a local guide. Some of the guides take underwater videos, too.
2. DAUIN MARINE SANCTUARY
What was once a sleepy fishing village has now become a popular destination for travelers who seek natural beauty, adventure and underwater experience. Dauin is known for its stunning beaches, crystal-clear waters, and diverse marine life. That’s why it became famous for freedivers as well.
I am very fortunate to experience a few of Dauin’s dive spots for freedivers. A local guide can easily help you to go to these spots because they know where the exact location is. Here are some of the dive spots you can freedive in Dauin Dumaguet, Negros Oriental.
The Cage
With a maximum depth of almost 13 meters, the cage is an amazing dive spot in Dauin, Dumaguete that gives you this thrill feeling.
Dauin is known for its black sand, so when I was observing the cage from the surface, it’s dark I couldn’t see the cage clearly, so I got a bit nervous before my first dive down. But then after one dive, I already enjoyed it. This spot is just a few kicks aways from the shore, but it’s best to get a local guide when you go there.
Dauin Reef Village
One fun fact about Dauin is that it’s home to some of the world’s most unique creatures, including the pygmy seahorse and the flamboyant cuttlefish. These creatures can be found in the waters surrounding Dauin, making it a popular spot for divers and snorkelers.
3. BACONG PORT/PIER (Private)
This dive spot in Bacong, Dumaguete is fascinating with the stands of the pier pillars looming around you and covered in a wide variety of colourful soft corals. Bacong Port is widely known in freediving community to be one of the must-visit diving spots in the Philippines. The large pillars are naturally-decorated with corals which makes this spot breathtakingly beautiful to see.
As you dive down, you’d see how amazing the pillars extended to the bottom of the ocean, which appears to be atleast 15 meters deep during our dive. The pier itself has about 1-2 meter gap beneath the surface of the water and the concrete top so you can come up for air almost anywhere safely without getting trapped underneath the pier.
To dive in Bacong Port is a dream come true for me as an aspiring freediver. I have fallen in love with it that’s why I was sad to hear the news that it’s going to be demolished soon. It’s bought by a big company and now private. They already restrict divers to dive in Bacong Port for safety purposes.
4. TAMPI PORT — Known as “The Jungle” (Strictly Private)
Tampi port is a highly-guarded port in Dumaguete because it is privately owned by a shipping company. This dive spot is for everyone but, anybody who dive there strictly needs to ask a permission from the owner days prior the dive day.
Unfortunately, I cannot give any information on who to contact because I just got invited by a close friend of mine to join them. However, you may try contacting Lawud Freediving for any dive opportunities that they may organize in Dumaguete. With them, there’s a chance that they might organize a dive in Tampi Port.
Tampi port is an operational port. The spot has ships being worked on and the sea water tastes and smells like an oil spill. Please, don’t ever sneak-in to dive spots that are private. It might be dangerous for you. They are private for a reason!
Where To Stay in DUMAGUETE, Negros Oriental
For you to get the most of these dive spots in Negros Oriental, I highly recommend to stay in Dauin, Dumaguete. The municipality of Dauin has a long stretch of beach coastline that is famous for its world-class diving experience because of its breathtaking underwater landscapes. The dive sites of Dauin near the resorts, are generally sandy slopes, that offer easy diving for dives of all levels.
La Tortue
We stayed in La Tortue and it is situated on the beach in Dauin. You’re a few steps away from diving, snorkeling, or just sticking your toes in the sand.
You will love La Tortue Dive Resort for its bamboo cottages with breezy rooms, delicious food, and a beach view lounges that makes it a perfect laidback staycation in Dauin, Negros Oriental. To stay in La Tortue feels like being one with nature because they have preserved its natural beauty and just added some great facilities for the guest’s convenience.
They have a fast and reliable WiFi which I love as a travel blogger who works everywhere, accommodating and friendly staff, and an in-house diving spot for those who love to dive all in a very affordable vacation.
Mbuhay Dumaguete
Although I haven’t stayed here, I am recommending Mabuhay Dumaguete because they are known to be one of the best places to visit in Negros Oriental if you like to experience and discover freediving. They have certified coaches and best trainings to teach you skills that you need to learn for safe freediving.
Check out Apnea Dumaguete for further information and inquiries if you’re interested about freediving.
How To Get To Dauin Dumaguete
Getting to Dauin is relatively easy, as it’s located just a few kilometers from Dumaguete City.
✈️ By Air
The most convenient way to get to Dauin if you’re from Manila or Cebu is by flying into Dumaguete Airport, which is served by several domestic airlines. From the airport, you can take a tricycle to Dauin, which is about a 30-minute drive away. You can also ride a bus from the Ceres Terminal that passes through Dauin or a local jeepneys that travel from and to Dauin.
⛴️ By Boat
You can also take a ferry to Dumaguete City. There are several ferry companies that operate daily trips between cities, like Cebu, Dapitan, Siqujior and Bohol. The journey takes around 2-5 hours depending on where you departed. Once you arrive in Dumaguete City, you can take a tricycle to Dauin.
- From Cebu – Shipping companies like Cokaliong, and fast ferries like Oceanjet have daily trips from Cebu to Dumaguete.
- From Dapitan – Cokaliong has a 4:00 PM trip from Pulauan port in Dapitan, and will arrive in Dumaguete around 8:00 PM. If you may opt for a fast craft, Fast Craft has a daily trips going to Dumaguete City and the journey takes around 2-3 hours.
- From Siquijor – Check for the Oceanjet schedules. I believe they have daily trips as well in just 40-minute journey. Also, there are RoRo ships that travels from Siquijor to Dumaguete.
🚌 Getting Around Dumaguete Negros Oriental
Taxi cabs are not available in Dumaguete, so you may choose from these different kinds of transportation to get around within and outside Dumaguete
- Private Transfer – This is the most convenient transportation wherever you may be but, it’s the most expensive. I once hired a private transfer going to Tampi port and I paid around ₱1,000 for a one-way trip. If you like convenience more, then you may choose this one. I believe some companies offer self-drive car rentals as well.
- Rent a Motorcyle – If you have a driver license and love to drive around within Dumaguete City or visit tourist spots in Negros Oriental, renting a motorycle is the most ideal choice. It costs around ₱500 for a day. Affordable, convenient, and you’re in control of your own time while exploring around.
- Public Transportation – Bus takes you to far-off destinations in the province of Negros Oriental or outside the province. The Ceres Bus Terminal has a wide choices of route destinations. It has even a route going to Bacolod City. While jeepneys takes you to shorter distance within the province.
- Grab Tricycle – Since Dumaguete City doesn’t have taxi cabs around, this is a convenient way to go around the city especially if you don’t know the locations of the places you’re going to. It’s available on Grab app. However, the driver is limited so it will take some time for you to get a booking. Make sure you book a grab tricycle atleast 30 minutes.
TikTok ViDEOS WHILE FREEDIVING in Dumaguete Negros Oriental
Every dive is a memory worth sharing for and I like to keep a lot of freediving videos wherever I go. Here are some of my underwater videos in the beautiful reef of different dive spots in Dumaguete Negros Oriental. Share some of yours, too! 🙂
Recommended Tourist Spots to Visit in Negros Oriental
- Sulfur Vents
- Pulangbato Waterfalls and Cold Spring
- Red Rock Hot Spring
- Twin Lakes
- Forest Camp
Priti
Would you recommend this spot for someone visiting the country for the first time with a limited schedule? Or do you think there are ‘bigger’ attractions and cities to see as a top priority?
Misskhae
No, I don’t recommend this spot for someone visiting the Philippines for the first time. There are other attractions to see first, but this depends on what you want to do. Philippines is famous for white sand beaches and islands. If you want a diverse province with wide range of tourist attractions, I recommend visiting Cebu.
Priti S
thank you for the advice1