Dugong Dive Center Blog

The Octopus in a Glass, Amazing creatures, an Octopus use a broken glass and a shell for its shelter. The Veined Octopus lives on sand and can be easy spotted by predators the moment it is emerging to feed. That’s why it is using shells, human settlements and even coconut shells for its protection. The octopus has a good grip on its “house” that make it even difficult for humans to pull the shells apart. See also “octopus on a catwalk” at our Video gallery. The dugong watching site “Turtle Islands” has not only Dugongs to offer, you find Frog fishes, different kind of cuttle fish, octopus, scorpion fishes like stone fishes that hide in the sand, Cockatoo fish, different kind of pipe fishes, Snake eels, many Green Turtles that like to eat on the same sea grass species plus much much more … Pictures by Bernd Doernen and Mike Muerkens from “Turtle Islands” Busuanga / Palawan during a dugong watching trip. DF

The Bay around Dimakya Island has an average of 22 resident Dugongs and so far this year we had out of 58 dugong watching trips 49 Trips with dugong sightings (84.5%). The last trip was on the 18. August and the 11 guests joined been lucky and saw mother and calf. The 12 years old Claudia’s big dream came true …. Since she is a very good swimmer and skin diver, she could follow them for more than 30 minutes and took a lots of pictures and video clips. The visibility was not so good and there was no sunlight, but everyone has been so happy. Dugongs visited also the House Reef already 16 times this year. All guests from Club Paradise ( Dimakya Island ) could see the amazing Sea cow by snorkeling and diving on those days. Even the last 5 month of 2009 dugongs show up at the house reef every month. The sea grass bed is just in front of the resort restaurant. Picture by Claudia Fajarmes from Spain

Apo, Apo, Apo….

Again and again we get guest that traveled first to Apo Island in Negros Oriental to find out that it is not the Apo they have been looking for… The Philippines has many Apo Islands but only one is known as a Dive destination ( Negros Oriental / Dumagete / Dauin). Yet there is only one Apo Reef Natural Park (Mindoro strait) with access from Mindoro and Busuanga / Palawan. The Apo Reef Natural Park has endless walls (similar to Tubataha Reef / Palawan) with great visibility and all kind of Pelagics like Sharks, Barracudas, Mantas, Sailfish, Docto Tuna, Eagle rays and big schools of fish. The currents can give you great drift dives along the wall and on its plateau teeming with life.

 

Apo Island is known for its so amazing Coral reefs with all its schools of fish, turtles and small critters and it is also a place for some drift dives.

Both places are very well protected.

The good thing is, Diving in the Philippines is always good and if you end up at the wrong place, it is also a good place for diving :-)

You also can dive on both places from a liveaboard.

The Dugong Dive Center offer trips to Apo Reef Natural Park on a full day excursion or on a Live - aboard (a Dive Safari you will never forget). This excursion may be combined with a cruise around whole Busuanga to reach the Lakes of Coron Island, the Coron Wrecks , and Dugong watching sites.

So you think this is all? there's more to see and you don't need a boat to experience the 20 years protected House Reef from Dimakya Island (home of Club Paradise).

The Dugong Dive Center, a one stop shop for everything from XXS to XXL….

 

 

 

Finally Gunther got his first two Blogs out :-) Just check his  Website....

 

DF

Why not ?? In the Philippines the football games are all shown live in the evening and in the night. Dive with the Dugong Dive Center during the day and watch live all soccer games on a big screen TV at the Jungle Bar in Club Paradise starting at 7:30 pm. Be surrounded by guests from all over the world ....

DF