Dumaguete Photo Workshop 2024 Trip Report
An overview of Bluewater Travel's Underwater Photography Workshop, by Nirupam Nigam
Nirupam’s Underwater Camera Rig: Marelux Z8 housing with a Nikon Z8 camera, dual Sea & Sea YS-D3 Duo strobes, and a Marelux SOFT Pro Snoot
Nirupam’s SCUBA Gear: Shearwater Peregrine TX, Mares Fins, Waterproof W8 5mm, Oceanic BioLight Travel BCD and a Apeks XTC 200 Regulator
When most people think of adventure, they often don’t picture a day observing a slope of coarse black volcanic sand under a literal and figurative microscope. They wouldn’t imagine meticulously combing over coral rubble in search of small, inch-long aliens so adapted to their environment that they are almost invisible to the naked eye. And they wouldn’t imagine doing this for hours….and hours….and hours. Yet the dedicated few who make this trek halfway around the world are rewarded with a theatrical production in the lives of some of the planet’s most charismatic, enigmatic, and strange characters – on a minuscule scale. Such is the nature of muck diving, and Dumaguete is a newly discovered frontier for this niche hobby.
As the gates of summer opened in 2024, 23 of Bluewater’s intrepid travelers convened at Atmosphere Resort & Spa. The mission? To explore the unmatched biodiversity of the Philippines in the comfort of the country’s premiere luxury dive resort.
Interested in diving in the Philippines? Check out our list of the Best Diving in the Philippines.
A Top Tier Experience
Atmosphere is located in the Philippine’s Central Visayas region at the northern edge of the “coral triangle”. Although it is not the easiest dive destination to travel to from North America, it’s not the most difficult by any means. The most common route is to take an international flight to Manila and then a short domestic flight to Dumaguete. From there, Atmosphere is just a short 40-minute drive from the small town of Dauin.
A quintessential view of the surprisingly large Atmosphere Resort grounds
The true meaning of luxury is defined upon arrival. Attentive staff whisks you and your bags to spacious, modern air-conditioned villas complete with an outdoor stone shower and terrace. The resort grounds are surprisingly massive – with beautiful gardens, a stylish infinity pool, multiple smaller pools, two gourmet restaurants, and a beach straight from a catalog. As you check in, you are immediately presented with a welcome drink, a voucher to the spa, and the opportunity to get right into the water for a “check out dive” on one of the world’s best house reefs.
One of our two dive boats
The Bluewater Workshop Experience
As we met for the evening, we toured the spacious camera room, where everyone was provided with their individual stall, complete with multiple power outlets. The “dive shop” was more of a semi-outdoor lounge with everything you could ever want in a dive center – from free Nitrox to multiple camera cleaning stations to individual dive gear stations. We immediately got to work putting together our equipment and working on first-day equipment failures – always informative growing pains to be had at the start of a workshop.
Andrew McCain, happy to be diving the prolific reefs of Apo Island during the “underwater” portion of our workshop. Photo by Nirupam Nigam
And then there was the air-conditioned classroom – our nightly rendezvous with photo workshops led by myself and video workshops led by the esteemed Paul Fierst. Although the pull of a massage or a drink by the pool was strong, the dedicated photographers in our group met on a daily basis to discuss everything from topics on creative macro photography to video editing to sea turtle photography. Daily image reviews and lightroom editing sessions enabled students to explore the limits of their creative potential. The collaborative experience is most conducive to learning and I happened to learn a lot myself!
For another great macro photography destination, check out Macro Heaven - Anilao.
A view of Apo Island from the Dive Boat
Day 1: Into the Muck – Masaplod North, Marina Point and Atmosphere North
After an energizing breakfast of fresh fruit, cold cuts, and eggs, we boarded our “outrigger” dive vessel with excitement. We climbed up the narrow gangplank with the dedicated help of the crew and enjoyed the morning sunshine. The vessels for the trip were spacious and comfortable – complete with a head, ample bench space, and shade. Although they were rated for 18 guests, we had two vessels with only 12 each. Within ten minutes of motoring, we had arrived at Masaplod North, geared up, and jumped into warm, clear 86-degree water.
A frogfish photographed with some of the creative lighting techniques taught during the workshop by Nirupam Nigam with a Nikon Z8 in a Marelux Z8 housing and steel wool
The allure of Dauin’s diving is the beautiful volcanic black sand – the perfect background for macro photography and video. Sprinkled among small heads of coral and sponges are a plethora of critters. It was fitting that the first animal we encountered was a bright yellow frogfish – the unofficial mascot of Dumaguete. It was tucked vertically into a crevice – doing a bad job of blending in. From there, things only got more interesting, including encounters with multiple species and colors of frogfish, nudibranchs, and anemone fish. A couple of anemone fish were even aerating their eggs to bring forth the next generation into the watery domain.
Coleman shrimp photographed by Nirupam Nigam
The second dive at Marina Point was the highlight of the day. Everyone got to see a personal bucket list item of mine that I had not seen before – Coleman shrimp! These beautiful symbionts live on the “backs” of colorful fire urchins. The spotted patterns and bright, warm colors are enchanting to photograph. Many in the group captured photos of not only the classic pairs but also juvenile shrimp living with the pairs. Whole families of shrimp!
Coleman Shrimp photographed with a SeaLife DC2000 by Hilary Haruff – Behavior, 2nd Place
After a stop back at the resort for a hearty lunch, we finished off the day near the resort, encountering lazy banded sea kraits, colorful rainbow mantis shrimp, and quick, charismatic juvenile sweetlips.
Returning to the resort, we had the opportunity to rest our weary souls with a refreshing massage, a drink at the pool bar, and an indulgence at the tap of underwater photo information. But the highlight of the day just might have been the three-course gourmet meal to wrap up the night. From a choice of the finest Filipino to many Western classics, I made sure never to repeat an item on the menu. I’ve been fortunate to venture to some of the world’s most luxurious resorts and I found the food at Atmosphere to be on another level of experience.
Day 2: Apo Island (South – Rock East, Chapel, and Baluarte)
One of the unique features of a Bluewater trip to Dumaguete with Atmosphere is the ability to dive Apo Island as many times as you wish. Apo is renowned as one of the world’s healthiest coral reefs, complete with dozens of turtles, ambivalent to a diver’s approach. We didn’t hesitate to jump into the experience – a full day venture from the resort with three back-to-back dives.
A crinoid captured with a unique black background by Eckehardt Von Damm with a Sony A7RV in a Nauticam Housing – 1st place, wide angle
We decided to start on Apo’s calmer south side, in search of sea turtles and hard coral reefs. As we floated over large stands of healthy elkhorn, table, and lettuce coral we approached our first turtle. It was a hawksbill casually consuming coral and sponges on the reef – causing more destruction than a diver ever could do. Yet, upon our approach, it didn’t even bother to look up from its feast!
A giant frogfish perfectly blending in with a sponge at Apo Island. Image by Nirupam Nigam
As we floated on a gentle current and rounded the reef, the number of turtles multiplied until finally on the second dive we were surrounded by no less than 15 turtles! Other highlights included a coveted pair of harlequin shrimp and multiple basket-ball sized giant frogfish featuring a rainbow of colors. One even left the reef to swim towards myself and another diver in the group. We were both so surprised we didn’t take a photo!
Stunning anthias on the reef at Apo Island by Nirupam Nigam
Day 3: More Muck! (Guinsuan North, Basak South)
Although I was sure the allure of Apo would bring us back time and again – the jury was out – our group was critter obsessed! So we boarded our vessels on the third day to experience more of the sandy slopes and artificial reefs of Dauin.
The day started with an underwater lesson on creative macro photography. Some of the more adventurous in the group attempted using steel wool to produce interesting bokeh behind their subjects. This is much easier said than done. Fortunately, a wire coral shrimp happened to be positioned in the ideal spot for us to gently place the wool behind it.
Our underwater photo lesson for the day – photographing wire coral shrimp with steel wool
After our first two dives we stopped on shore for a brief surface interval to explore the local market – where the smell of fish and cooking meats pervaded the air. We passed by large assortments of trinkets, machetes, farm tools, and livestock.
A duck shrimp captured by Stacy Kerkela with the Nikon D800 in a Nauticam housing – Honorable Mention, Macro
The day continued with multiple juvenile frogfish sightings in the black sand – some only the size of a penny! But the true highlights were a mimic octopus, a colorful seahorse, and a leaf scorpionfish hiding in a tire reef. The tires were surprisingly covered with life and were some of the most prolific manmade reefs I had seen. Other highlights included ornate ghost pipefish, cuttlefish, shrimp, orangutan crabs, and multiple species of nudibranchs.
A swimming frogfish captured on the tire reef – a rare behavior – by Mel Moncrieff with a Canon 70D
Day 4: Muck Again – (Secret Corner, San Miguel)
Our last full day of muck diving in Dauin was a testament to Dumaguete’s place among the world’s top muck diving destinations. Although it may not be as well known as Anilao or Lembeh, I have never experienced a day quite like this day in Dauin. It was a quiet, gray morning, and the ocean was glass. The lack of wind and swell set a relaxed tone for the beginning of our first dive. But it quickly became an expose of the world’s most coveted underwater photographic subjects.
The coveted blue ringed octopus chosen by Priscella McCain
After finding an anemone covered with three different species of shrimp, our group turned around to find a small, cooperative flamboyant cuttlefish. The colorful little creature was putting on a fantastic display and enthusiastically hunting. And of course there was yet another warty frogfish just a couple feet from it.
A flamboyant cuttlefish on the hunt photographed by Andrew McCain with a Canon R5 in a Sea & Sea housing
As we rounded another sandy slope, we found several bright yellow gobies hiding in clam shells and bottles. And of course, as our air ran low, our intrepid guides found half a dozen Shaun the Sheep nudibranch on algae and a zebra crab in an urchin.
A porcelain crab photographed by Ron Hansen with a Canon 7D Mark II
The second and third dives provided at the same rate. We explored an artificial reef with peacock mantis shrimp, wire coral goby parents and eggs, almost-microscopic skeleton shrimp, seahorses, and an array of scorpionfish.
Four(!) mandarinfish photographed by Lisa Perla on a night dive with the Sony A6300 – Honorable Mention, Behavior.
Day 5: Drift Diving at Apo Island North (Cogon, Coconut, Katipanan)
After having our fill of every macro subject you could possibly want to see, we decided to have another adventure to Apo’s world-class reef diving. This time it was complete with a scrumptious onboard Filipino-style BBQ. Apo is a small island, so our group opted to explore the slightly sportier north side.
The colorful reef of Apo Island by Nirupam Nigam
The first two dives of the day, Cogon and Coconut, were drift dives with swift, sometimes unpredictable currents. While the diving was a little difficult, it was well worth it to see the rainbow of colors on the reef and school of anthias and other reef fish dotting the reefscape. But after these dives, we were tired and opted to go back to what Apo is best known for – turtles!
A green turtle under a coral overhang captured by Lance Fesler with a Canon R5 in an Ikelite housing – 2nd Place Wide Angle
To end the day, we gently floated among shallow reefs in front of a small village. On many of the coral heads, apathetic green sea turtles rested, allowing us to approach as close as we wanted for photographs. By the end of the dive we must have had over a dozen sea turtle encounters each.
A sea turtle over the reef at Apo Island photographed by Nirupam Nigam
Day 6: Adventures and an Extravagant Evening
It can be difficult to come to Dumaguete just to dive. There is so much to do on Negros Island – from birdwatching to exploring the local waterfalls and lakes. With our group having various departure times the next day, some chose to explore the island, others chose to visit the whale sharks of Oslob, while those infected with “muck madness” chose to dive in the morning. For those that did dive, we opted to visit some of our favorite sites in search of blue-ringed octopus. While they didn’t appear as they had on other days – we did find an inquisitive wonderpus that everyone was able to photograph. A final dive at the tire reef yielded many more Shaun the Sheep nudibranchs, emperor shrimp, schooling catfish, and the usual critters.
Wonderpus photographed by Jamie Siler with a Sony A6500 – Macro, 3rd Place
As the group reconvened from their various ventures we went through our photos and videos to choose the winners of our “Dumaguete Photo Contest” – the best of show was an incredible portrait of a ribbon eel by Guillermo Viveros. The puzzle of capturing a black background with a black subject was expertly perfected in this image.
Black Ribbon Eel photographed by Guillermo Viveros with a Nikon D850 in an Isotta D860 housing – Macro Winner
And finally, our trip ended with an incredible, classic Filipino feast on the beach, complete with a roasted pig and a dive themed cake artisanaly made by Atmosphere’s chefs. It was a pleasure to share stories with a diverse group of guests, students, and adventurers who I had only met just a week before. We flew home reminiscing on the critters we saw and the people we met.
Click here to learn more about diving in Dumaguete.
You can also read about our last Dumaguete Photo Trip in 2023.
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Want to Dive in Dumaguete but Don't Know What Gear to Pack? Check out our Recommendations!
- Dive light or torch for night dives. We suggest Kraken NR-2000 Dive Light
- 5mm wetsuit or a 7mm. Browse Wetsuits at Bluewater Photo
- Hood or hooded vest. Check out scuba hoods.
- Travel BCD. Read our Best Travel BCD Article
- Travel regulator. We suggest Mares Ultra 62X Dive Regulator
