Kategorie: News
Visit to Negros Island
Negros Occidental, the north and west of the Philippine island, is home to the country's largest sugar cane plantations, the yield of which produces something very special. In the south of the largest island of the Visayas archipelago you will find a diver's paradise. Both have potential for enjoyment.
Report by Sibylle Gerlinger, Pictures by Gerald Nowak
Not a breath of wind stirs in the silence high above Tambobo Bay in the south of Negros Island. Framed by impenetrable tropical greenery, this bay lies below us, where not the usual Bangkas bob up and down, but numerous sailboats. Completely untypical for Philippine waters. We are standing on the sprawling terrace of an unusual property. It belongs to a Mexican-looking hacienda. Also totally atypical for the Philippines. But what is typical… always only the expected, right? We only got to know this house and its extraordinary owner through the acquaintance of another very special person.
In any case, reason enough to raise our glasses together. In keeping with the occasion, of course, with a "Don Papa", the Philippine rum that is currently being hyped by bartenders around the world. It owes its taste to the high-quality sugar cane that thrives on the lava soil around the Kanlaon volcano in the center of Negros. It owes its name to Papa Iso. He was born here in 1846 as Dinisio Magbuelas, a simple worker in the sugar cane fields, who no longer wanted to put up with foreign domination and exploitation by the colonial power America and rose to become the spiritual and political leader of the liberation war. To this day, Papa Iso has heroic status as a revolutionary in the Philippines. In 2012, a new rum was named after him, which has so far been successful in its conquest of the world.
"Don Papa" shows that Asian varieties need not be inferior in anything to those from the New World. Papa Iso probably wouldn't have minded that something high-proof bears his name. Certainly he would have liked the fact that about one euro of every bottle sold is donated to help the victims of the 2013 typhoon rebuild their homes. And so, in a roundabout way, Papa Iso continues to provide a little justice to this day.
A great combination: liveaboard with hotel stay
Chris Heim is a swiss bundle of energy and well known in the diving world. Thirty years ago, he opened the first Sea Explorers dive center, laying the foundation for exceptional diving experiences in the Philippines. At that time, the country's dive tourism was still in its infancy. The accommodations were simple and the conditions for founders all the more difficult. But anyone who knows Chris knows that he is not only constantly coming up with new ideas, but also tirelessly putting them into practice. And so Sea Explorers today includes several dive centers and Pura Vida resorts on Bohol, Malapascua and just here on Negros.
Chris also came up with the idea of combining a liveaboard trip with a stay in a hotel. Guests can easily change accommodation and island by bangka after several days. On the crossing they dive normally, so that no day is lost due to transfer, while busy hands take care of the luggage. Comfortable boat trip is included, of course!
The hacienda Chris took us to today belongs to Karl Aguila. Karl comes from one of the old sugar cane dynasties of the island. He is an artist and furniture maker whose work is now internationally recognized. Karl's wooden furniture and sculptures captivate with an unusual mix of styles and materials, old and new. Antique doors, parts of ships and pieces of porcelain are skillfully assigned by him to a completely new purpose and converted into tables, seating or wall decorations.
Frogfishes and Critters
The southeast of the island is called Negros Oriental. The flanks of the distant mountains fall down to the sea in gentle arcs. South of Dumaguete City tourism has established itself, because the underwater world is beautiful and very diverse. Chris recognized this potential a long time ago. The Pura Vida Dauin dive resort, located on a beautiful beach overlooking the offshore island of Apo, seems to be especially close to Chris' heart. In the spacious garden area you will find very different room categories and singles, couples and families find ideal accommodations here. Right next door, Chris has created a concept for exclusive and very private living with the Vida Homes, thus also reaching the high-end vacationer. The interior design for the complex is by Karl Aguila, whose furniture pieces give the apartments a very special ambience.
The offshore dive sites between the towns of Dumaguete and Dauin are almost exclusively shallow sandy sites, some with soft coral cover. Each resort has its own house reef right on the beach. On the volcanic dark bottom with the golden speckles the rare and colorful critters do especially well. Frogfishes can be found in every size and appearance. Especially in late spring between March and May you can see the results of their successful reproduction. Then there is a baby boom and the sandy areas are full of "froggies" in miniature. Only the growing frogfishes can be found in the protection of corals or sunken tree trunks, when they have fought for their own territory. They are joined by rare crustaceans such as tiger, harlequin or striped bumblebee shrimp and, of course, an endless variety of nudibranchs.
Several man-made reefs and small wrecks provide additional shelter and are colorfully overgrown. The social housing of tropical reefs, so to speak. Maybe not as pretty as a real coral landscape in the early stages, but densely populated. For macro photographers, this is simply paradise. Unlike in other countries, the guides in the Philippines do not see themselves as watchdogs whose instructions you have to follow. Rather, they see themselves as service providers at eye level who support the diver in his search for the marine mini beauties and therefore call themselves "spotters". For every halfway independent diver or photographer, who already had to experience the authority of some dive guides, this is a completely different and wonderful togetherness, which one would not want to miss anymore.
Several times a week there are trips over to Apo Island. In this marine reserve the Visayas Sea shows a completely different side. Once the area was overfished, the coral landscape destroyed by dynamite. A Philippine marine biologist, in cooperation with local fishermen, developed a concept to establish a protected zone there. Since 1985, a 450-meter section off the island has been under protection, and since then only the island's fishermen have been allowed to fish there sustainably. The reef has recovered amazingly and shows its full biodiversity with a great abundance of fish.
Predominantly hard corals and huge sponges grow here on the terraced slopes. They are home and feeding place of a large number of local turtles, sea snakes and schools of fish. The underwater landscape seems almost "red sea". After initial skepticism on the part of the locals concerned, word of the successful model has spread and several imitators have been found throughout the country, so that further marine protected areas have been initiated. We are happy to toast to this again, with a glass of Don Papa, of course!
Resorts of the region Dauin / Dumaguete at a glance
The diving basically takes place at the coastal (muck) dive sites as well as at the offshore island Apo (drop-offs, corals, turtles). The dive centers of the resorts have basically the same dive sites in their portfolio, each has a species-rich house reef in front of the beach. All three also have a spa area, of course.
Pura Vida Dauin
Chris Heim's resort described in the article is not the company's only Pura Vida hotel. Chris once invented island hopping with the Bangka. With this, he is the only one to offer vacations on different islands, where no vacation day or dive is lost. The day trips are designed to involve moving from one resort to another and diving while busy hands take care of the luggage at the new resort. Other Pura Vida hotels are located on Cabilao, Malapascua and Panglao near Bohol. Together with the neighboring Vida Homes, this covers all categories of accommodation from simple bamboo huts to upscale bungalows and family rooms, to completely private luxury apartments with private pools. The restaurant with open kitchen and the pool area were arranged straight again and opened.
Conclusion: All-round carefree package for relaxed diving vacations for singles, couples and families.
https://www.sea-explorers.com
https://pura-vida.ph
Karl Aguila, https://www.atelier-aguila.com
Pura Vida Dauin on Taucher.Net
Sea Explorers on Taucher.Net
Atmosphere Resorts
The resort is also in the highest segment in terms of price in the Philippines. The bungalows, as well as the wide lawns between them, are particularly spacious and minimalist in design. The Atmosphere sees itself more as an exclusive retreat for people who also want to dive, so it is not a classic dive resort. The resort is particularly proud of its chef and additional offers such as wellness and yoga.
Conclusion: Exclusive hideaway, more for couples, but also for families.
https://atmosphereresorts.com
Atmosphere Resort and Divecenter on Taucher.Net
Atlantis Hotel
The company also owns the Atlantis Hotel in Puerto Galera on the island of Mindoro and the diving ship Atlantis Azores, which sails to the Tubbataha archipelago in the corresponding season. Combinations between hotel and ship are then a good complement.
In Dumaguete, the double-story buildings hide in a small tropical paradise that resembles a botanical garden. Meals are taken at the hotel's excellent Toko's Bistro and are prepared à la carte - even for breakfast. Up to five dives per day are possible here, so these are limited to 60 minutes (otherwise the workload is unmanageable).
Conclusion: Hotel for frequent divers and couples.
https://atlantishotel.com
Atlantis Dumaguete auf Taucher.Net
All resorts e.g. via: www.waterworld.at