Forums Menu: Orientation 2025-2027 Trips Topic Listing
Trip Topic Menu: Trip Details Trip FAQ Ask a Question Who's Going??? Book Now See the PHOTOS!
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT LINKS YOU MUST READ BEFORE BOOKING:
- Important Information every trip goer needs to know about a SingleDivers.com trip HERE
- Are you getting the Trip PM which is our ONLY form of trip communications to you? Can you find the original materials vs just relying on the courtesy emails? YOU MUST REPLY HERE if you join this trip.
- VITAL protection and coverage information HERE
REMEMBER...ALL TRAVELERS NEED TO BE PREMIER MEMBERS OR ABOVE TO JOIN & PARTICIPATE IN OUR AMAZING TRIPS!!!
- Trip Insurance is your first line of defense to protect you against EVERYTHING that can happen before or on a trip. Please read THIS
Location: Dumaguete, Philippines, Land Based
Dates: 7 days June 14-21, 2025
Resort: SALAYA Dumaguete Resort
Dive operator: SALAYA Beach Resort Dive Shop
Water Temp: 82-84 F
Air Temp: 81-86 F
Current: Mild to none (some sites do experience currents due to tide changes)
Visibility: 50 - 100 ft+
Experience Level: Most Levels HOWEVER we recommend you have 50-60 dive minimum, can hover without excessive finning, can get low to a sandy bottom and look without stirring up silt/sand. Email trips@singledivers.com to see if right for you. Anyone under 50-60 dives should consider a private guide to not impact the group.
Trip Highlights: SALAYA Dumaguete
Known as “the City of Gentle People”, Dumaguete is home to around 120,000 locals and has a cozy small town vibe. This friendly destination is ideal for those who want to combine excellent muck diving with the chance to experience the Filipino way of life. Dumaguete is an all in one scuba diving destination, offering the perfect mix of everything a scuba diver would want--excellent muck diving with lots of rare critters along the Dauin coastline, The scuba diving sites of Dauin have a number of great macro subjects, including pipefish, mandarin fish, juvenile batfish, seahorses, mantis shrimp, ribbon eels, dragonets, hairy squat lobster, snake eels, wonderpus octopus, bobtail squid, a large number of nudibranchs, blue-ring octopus, harlequin shrimp, and flamboyant cuttlefish. There are also good wide-angle opportunities at Apo Island with turtles, sea snakes, schools of jacks, clownfish, groupers and passing pelagics. Have a look HERE to see the magic of Dumaguete and SALAYA ! And HERE and HERE as well.
Instruction Available: No instruction is available on this trip as we hope you already have any needed instruction and/or enough dive experience already.
Known For: Frogfish, octopi, leaf fish, squid, wonderpuss, clown fish, porcelain crabs, nudi's, pygmy seahorse and MUCH more
- Critter aka Muck diving: Dumaguete's Dauin coastline is known for its critter or muck diving, which offers a variety of rare sea creatures
- Wide-angle diving: Apo Island is a beautiful location for wide-angle diving
- Whale shark diving: Many dive resorts in Dumaguete offer the opportunity to snorkel with whale sharks in nearby Oslob
- Coral reefs: The Philippines is located in the Coral Triangle, which is known for its vibrant coral reefs
- Marine life: The Philippines is home to a diverse range of marine life
Sign Up Requirements for this particular trip:
- We are offering this as a 7 day trip only because its the sister trips for those going on the first Dumaguete trip.
- You may increase this time beyond 7 days but SD.com will need to check with the resort to confirm the extra days.
- You will need to factor in transfer costs which will vary based upon traveling with the group or by yourself since everyone is not doing the same number of days WE CAN HELP WITH THIS.
- The transfers are round trip to/from MNL and Dumaguete
- All extra buffer nights in MNL prior to DGT must be booked by SD.com as they have been adjusted to include airport pick ups and transfer to the hotel as well as pick up for the transfers to the dive resort and back. IF YOU BOOK YOUR OWN HOTEL the cost of non included airport transfers and getting to/from the official resort transfers WILL BE BILLED TO YOU AND THEY EXCEED ANY SAVINGS YOU GAIN BY BOOKING ON YOUR OWN.
- We have a very limited number of total rooms; currently 5 rooms and of those rooms we can do a minimum of 3 single occupancy. We may be able to do more so let us know if you want one.
- NOTE ON FLIGHTS TO PI: Please factor in at least 1 full day in Manila before traveling to DGT as transfers are early in the AM to DGT and involve a local flight. This buffer day will allow for flight delays, weather, baggage delays, etc and give you a chance to recover a little from the international flights before we start the add'l traveling inside the Philippines. Remember...you will need to take an internal country ie domestic PI flight to get to DGT.
- NOTE ON FLIGHTS FROM PI TO HOME: We depart early on the last day of the trip from DGT back to MNL. The am flight often can not carry all the luggage that divers bring so it is best to book your return home the next morning and overnight in MNL. Why/ The next flight on Philippines Air from DGT to MNL is late in the evening so they will not transfer domestic bags to the international terminal until late late that night or early early the next am. Booking a flight the next morning ensures you travel with your bags home. If you do not care then you can book a flight home from MNL anytime after 8pm the last day o the DGT TRIP.
Your Special Requirements: We are happy to help you meet all your dietary, mobility and other special needs. Please click HERE to see how we do it.
Please see the link below for the Philippine Embassy website that summarizes current entry requirements.
- Philippine Embassy Details HERE
Pricing:
TRIP PKG PRICING
7 nights 6 days diving Deluxe D/O Diver $2775 CASH $2859 credit - inv = 4 spots -- NOTE: We have 4 rooms at this pricing. Add'l rooms go up in price per person.
7 nights 6 days diving Deluxe S/O Diver $3530 CASH $3636 credit inv = 2 spots -- NOTE: We have 4 rooms at this pricing. Add'l rooms go up in price per person.
Plus round trip transfers starting at $242 2024 price 2025 Price TBA CASH
*All prices are per person.
**Cash Discounted Price is given when you select e-check at final checkout.
What's Included:
PACKAGE CONTENTS AND ADD ON PRICING:
PACKAGE INCLUDES:
-
Accommodation in deluxe rooms (double occupancy/twin share OR single occupancy)
-
Daily à la carte breakfast at Dahon Restaurant
-
Full Board Inclusions: Two-course lunch and three-course dinner (or vice versa), including one soft drink with each meal, plus morning and afternoon tea with a treat of the day.
-
Unlimited specialty tea and coffee are also included.
-
Tea, French press coffee, hot chocolate, filtered water, baked treats, and tropical fruit snacks during surface intervals on the dive boats
-
Unlimited internet access
-
Unlimited scheduled boat diving (up to three-day); additional day trips
-
Private roundtrip transfers between Dumaguete Airport or pier and the resort (You must purchase the flight from DGT to MNL and SD will help with that)
-
Welcome drink upon arriva
-
All government taxes at the resort (excludes airport tax)
-
7 Nite Nitrox Upgrade Pkg FREE IF CERTIFIED. Must put the free nitrox in your cart.
-
15 dives per person, including tanks, weights, guide, boat, and marine sanctuary fees
-
The 15 daytime dives (scheduled at 8:30, 10:45, 13:30,
-
One day trip to Apo Island, including diving & snorkeling amongst world-class coral gardens and at the turtle sanctuary, plus dives from your package
-
Complimentary use of stand-up paddleboards and snorkeling equipment
NOT INCLUDED:
- Airfare to Manila (MNL)
- Airfare from MNL to DGT (Dumaguete) or from DGT to MNL. This is covered in the 'transfers between resorts that we will help everyone set up for this trip and all other legs to the PI TRIP TRIFECTA.
- IMPORTED FOOD ITEMS ON RESORT MENU: A supplement applies for imported steak and the seafood platter, charged directly to guests at the resort if they avail of these items
- Rental, instruction and retail charges
- Dive Crew/Hotel/Wait staff gratuities (usually 10-15% of your land pkg cost)
- DIVE Insurance - is MANDATORY! DIVE insurance is VERY inexpensive. Even if you have insurance that you think covers DIVING ACCIDENTS and air lifts it is CHEAP to get a supplemental policy to ensure you are cared for.
- TRIP Insurance - It is MANDATORY. See INSURANCE section below for recommendations.
OPTIONAL
- Apo Island Day trip $130 CASH $134 credit
- Oslob Whaleshark experience $150 CASH $155 credit
- Blackwater dive Not included: TBA
- Extra Night Local Group Hotel d/o: TBA approx $TBA s/o and $TBA d/o (We have rooms on hold so please use our block of rooms to keep from changing rooms. Email trips@singledivers.com to confirm before booking. NOTE: We do not guaranteed a d/o for extra nights but will help you find an appropriate roommate)
- Extra Night Local Group Hotel s/o: TBA (We have rooms on hold AS A GROUP HOTEL so you must use our block of rooms. Email trips@singledivers.com to confirm before booking)
- Tours: TBD (if enough interest)
- cf100 tanks - TBA
- DIN tanks - TBA
- DIN Adapters - TBA
- Rent A Buddy (not available on this trip)
- Day $52.00 Day FULL PRICE per member or 50 CASH (0 spots are available)
- Week $155.00 FULL PRICE per member or 150 CASH (0 spots are available)
- SD Air Research Fee - $37.00 FULL PRICE per member or 35 CASH
Discounts & Rebates:
DISCOUNTS & DISCOUNT DISCLAIMER:
You must use the code when you book as they are not retroactive after you sign up UNLESS otherwise stated like the member rebate etc.
We are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause but the accounting expenses of manually trying to do the discount is far exceeding the discount amount making it very prohibitive to manage this way. NOTE: Any refunds issued retroactively will incur a $50 accounting fee. So please be sure to use the discount code AT TIME OF INITIAL BOOKING.
NOTE: The EBD or Early Booking Discounts can only be used as follows:
- When paying in full
- When you first sign up
- By the deadline given. After that deadline they disappear and the code will not work. (So please leave a buffer if you need to xfer money or have questions.)
- Only one (1) coupon code can be used per order.
COUPON DATES:
- Pay in full at time of Booking by Mar 5, 2025 for $70 off any 7 day pkg (Use COUPON CODE: 25MNL70EBDD2 )
- Social Media Discounts: Chance to win $50 gift certificate for purchases from anyone of our Corporate Sponsors for signing up on our Facebook Trip Event for this trip AND for liking SD.com if you haven't already AND for sharing the FB Trip booking on your page! (Must do all three!) - To enter send an email to trips@singledivers.com with links to your postings along with SALAYA DGT 2025 SOCIAL MEDIA ENTRIES in the title
- Cash Discount: Use our e-check option to pay for your trip and our RED CASH DISCOUNTED PRICES will be applied at checkout.
- Active Duty Military Discount: $25 OFF Active Duty Military Discount for any active duty military of any country that fights for freedom. Thank you for your service. (Please be prepared to provide proof of service in person at time of check in)
- Member Rebate: File for your $25 member rebate within 30 days after the trip for SD premier and above membership levels (See my forums signature for link to the forms forum or click on the green Paper Forms button at the top of the forums . If you are new to the site send an email to admin@singledivers.com to get the password. PLEASE follow the directions on the form for proper submission & processing.) And for those of you who forego your member rebate as a gift back to the club...we TRULY appreciate it! Thank you!
- SAVE $75 by submitting your Documents within 21 days of booking this trip. If booking within 45 days of the trip please submit your documents within 3 days. Otherwise the $75 document processing fee will be added to your final invoice.
*Only one (1) coupon code can be used per order and MUST be used when you book your trip. If not taken upon original booking all discounts are subject to issuance as credit back to your account less a $50 accounting support fee. SO PLEASE TAKE YOUR DISCOUNT WHEN YOU BOOK!!!
Accommodations:
Welcome to Salaya Beach Houses, a luxury dive resort situated at the crossroads of world-class diving and island charm. We’ve worked tirelessly to create a resort capable of catering to experienced divers, flexible enough for families, private enough for couples, and designed to accommodate all of your needs. From our affordable cottage, oceanview suites and luxury penthouses to our fresh menus and wellness activities, Salaya transcends the average beach resort and offers a one-of-a-kind experience in the heart of the Coral Triangle. On the ground level, walk through a lush tropical garden on your way into your room. When showering, you will feel as if you are in nature, in our outside rock walled shower. The wood through this room is locally made out of acacia wood and bamboo.. Ideal for single travelers or couples, these rooms provide space and tranquility. The bedding configuration can be either California King or Twin Singles, which makes the room perfect for a couple of dive buddies to share.
ROOM AMENITIES
- internet
- blackout curtains
- air conditioning
- bathrobes
- minibar
- walk in shower
- cable/satellite TV
- safe
- electric kettle
- small refrigerator
- hair dryer
- toiletries
RESORT AMENITIES
- pool
- beach
- loungers/beachchairs
- laundry service
- spa
- pool bar and restaurant, happy hour
- yoga
- free breakfast
- zipline
- hot springs
- SUP
- bikes
Travel & Transfer Details:
AIRPORT INFO
Dauin is located in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. The municipality is a coastal town
GETTING THERE
- Daily flights from Manila via Cebu Pacific or Philippine Airlines (both use Airbus A319/320 aircraft); flight time approximately one hour.
- From Cebu via van and boat (via Liloan) or by fast ferry to Dumaguete. Private plane arrangements also possible.
- Atlantis is in Dauin, approximately thirty minutes by road from Dumaguete City.
IF YOU ARE DELAYED
- Email with DELAYED REROUTE TO DUMAGUETE in the subject line and text 864-557-6079. I will keep the hotel apprised of your arrival time to arrange a pick up.
- If you are at the airport with no driver waiting for you please call
SALAYA Dumaguete Travel Logistics:
- Latest MNL Int'l US departure date for the 7 day package will be Jun 11 arrive Jun 13 giving you part of a day in MNL . We depart very EARLY am the 14th so if you have any delays you will pay $250-400 for a private transfer if you miss the group transfer. So consider arriving with 1 full day of flights ahead of time i.e. arrive Jun 12 / fly Jun 14 in this case, so you have a full day of delays you can sustain but still not miss the group transfer.
- DGT Resort Arrival date is Jun 14, 2025 if doing 7 nights.
- DGT Departure date is Jun 21, 2025 very early from Dumaguet so can fly home super late Jun 21 or better in the morning of Jun 22 from MNL back to the US. Why? Because the small plane often does not get all the luggage to MNL in time for flights home the 21st so if you depart MNL the 22nd you will have time to get your bags if they did not arrive on the 21st.
- Length of stay is 7 nights (Transfers are optimized on groups of 4 or more traveling at the same time to keep them at the lowest quoted prices We will track who is departing when etc to help manage the transfer pricing since its lowest when you have groups of people.
VISA/PASSPORT INFORMATION
Please note that a U.S. passport valid for at least 6-months from the date of entry is required to enter the Philippines, along with blank pages for the visa stamp. A visa is not required for US citizens, but tourists must provide evidence of return or onward travel. U.S. citizens are encouraged to carry a photocopy of their U.S. passports with them at all times, so that if questioned by local officials proof of identity and U.S. citizenship are readily available. For other global citizens, please review PHILIPPINES visa requirements posted on the Internet.
e-TRAVEL DECLARATION
The eTravel registration is required for all passengers entering or leaving the Philippines by air or sea, including Philippine passport holders. This includes tourists, business travelers, those visiting friends and family, passengers in transit, and residents of the country.. Registering with the Philippine One-Stop Electronic Travel Declaration System (eTravel) involves providing accurate personal, travel, passport, and health information. The process is relatively straightforward, but attention to detail is crucial.
e-Travel Requirements: Valid Passport
Flight/Sea Transportation Bookings
Proof of Accommodations Once you've made your Electronic Travel Declaration you will received a Travel QR Code. Print this QR Code and travel with it. Upon arrival at the airport,proceed to the immigration area, where you will present your approved eTravel QR code. It is essential to have a printed or digital copy of your One-Stop eTravel Declaration QR readily available for inspection. You must also present the same passport you used to register to the immigration officer. The immigration officer will verify your eTravel QR and passport, and once cleared, you'll be granted entry into the Philippines.
- e-TRAVEL link click HERE
- The website https://etravel.gov.ph/ is the ONLY OFFICIAL registration website for all travelers to the Philippines.
Diving & Itinerary:
Salaya Beach Houses is ideally positioned along the Dumaguete coast to give our guests access to a huge variety of diving experiences. The shores of Dumaguete are world famous for muck diving. With over 15 dive sites, they provide divers with a wealth of the much-desired unusual macro critters. Natural and artificial reefs give divers the chance to spot schooling jacks and barracuda as well as a wealth of other wide-angle friendly sights.Critters such as the Ambon Scorpionfish and Mototi Octopus previously thought to have only been in Lembeh, are regularly being spotted. There has been an influx of divers visiting Dumaguete to photograph its diversely rich underwater subjects and seascapes. We have world class facilities dedicated to photographers and an in-house Instructor who can take you through the Underwater Photography Course, and look after your photography needs. Whether you have a point-and-shoot or a Big-Rig we have you covered. With a fully digital conference room, dedicated camera room with individual lockable workstation, we can comfortably accommodate photography workshops for 20 people.
Salaya DGT Equipment Rental Rates - TBA
Daily Price / Weekly Price (6 days)
BCD (Scuba Pro Hydro or Lite Hawk)
MK21 Regulator w/ Console & Octopus
Mask
Fins (fits bare foot and boot)
Snorkel
Mask, Fin and Snorkel Set
Wet Suit (3mm shorty)
Dive Light (5W ultra bright LED)
Dive Computer (Suunto)
DIN Adaptor (limited stock)PROPOSED ITINERARY:
While our personal Dumaguete Experience may vary due to weather and conditions, the outline below will give you a good feel for the exciting week in store for us:
Jun14, 2025 if doing 7 day pkg: This will be the official ARRIVAL date in DGT. READ THE LOGISTICS TOPIC ABOVE for when to arrive in MNL prior to the trip.
- After arriving in MNL at least 1-3 days before we depart we will all stay at the GROUP HOTEL SET UP BY SINGLEDIVERS.com. Only those members who are at the group hotel will be part of the group transfers and only those who book the group hotel via SingleDivers.com will be included in group transfers.
- On Jun 14 we will depart to DGT via car/flight/van very early in the am
- Each day we will be able to dive up to 3 dives a day.
- Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are included daily and is available at 7:00am on premises for breakfast and whatever time we return for lunch. (Non-divers can enjoy lunch starting at noon)
- We can do optional night dives but you must have done 2 might dives before this trip or plan to hire a guide to help you if you have 0-2 night dives
- We will dive for 6 days during our fully loaded DGT diving extravaganza.
- Day 5 OR Thursday Jun 19 is 'Tip Day Thursday' when we collect the group tip for our amazing staff and crew.
- Day 6 or Friday will offer a couple of early dives, clean and dry your gear, pack and get ready to wind up our exciting experience
- Day 7 or Saturday will be our departure day from DGT back to MNL.
Experience Required & Training/Workshops:
- Minimum Certification / Experience: Philippines diving is suitable for divers of most experience levels. HOWEVER the diving is so exciting and fun that we do not recommend it as a first timer's trip UNLESS you plan to hire a private guide to help you. The unique 'Rent A Buddy' program SingleDivers.com offers is NOT available for this trip. Private guides run 65-100 per day Currents are light to none but can be present due to tidal changes.
- Certification in Paradise - there are no SingleDivers.com training activities nor workshops currently planned for this trip but Instruction / Classes can be available on this trip. Please let us know what you are interested in and we will check with the resort about doing training during your trip and what they would charge. Often they will give us a better price so feel free to ask us to assist. If you would like us to help arrange additional training for you, send an email to trips@singledivers.com and request assistance.
- We will also check to see if any of our trip participants are instructors who would like to teach on the trip and let you know. We are glad you are interested in continuing your dive education and we hope we can help you continue your goal of ongoing training.
- PRICES: Prices for classes in Paradise are always more expensive than doing them at home. Sometimes SingleDivers.com has instructors on our trips who are happy to teach AND usually offer a member discount to anyone interested in taking a class. The more that take a class the more feasible a discount becomes .
Payment Details
PROGRESS PAYMENTS:
Due to the closeness of the trip we are not offering progress payments on this trip.
Note: Trip must be paid in full 90 days prior to departure. Extras must also be paid in full 30 days prior i.e., Nitrox, extra nights etc. IF YOU NEED EXTRA TIME LET US KNOW! (Note that to add an extra to the trip you must pay for it when you add it).
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
SingleDivers.com uses a secure payment gateway fully integrated into our online booking system that allows you to pay for trips or merchandise using the following payment options.
For full payment information related to your transaction, our shopping cart, how to manage a failed transaction, etc click HERE . We ask that you read this as you will certify when you sign up for one of our trips that you have.
Insurance, Documentation & T&C's
INSURANCE
TRIP Insurance is MANDATORY due to CHRONIC CRAZY TRAVEL ISSUES and/or covid, other pandemics as well as the island location and so IS required on this trip! TRIP insurance is RELATIVELY inexpensive. Even if you have insurance that you think covers your trip…it is CHEAP (approx $100-$200) to get a supplemental policy to ensure you are covered for your investment in your dive trip. If you opt to not get trip insurance you are responsible for all losses related to your trip including not going for any reason. If diving a LIVEABOARD please consider the liveaboard rider offer by DiveAssure.com.
PRO TIP 1: Do not get the standard policy...it really does not cover enough to be useful. Consider instead a deluxe policy OR an annual policy for a set amount that you gamble a little on knowing you won't have a catrastropic loss every trip so you'll save money AND be covered when you need it most!
PRO TIP 2: Any policy is better than 'no policy' ie. 'self insuring'. We have the least number of issues with Dive Assure but most trip insurance policies will work except for the one's offered by the airlines. They only pay $200 towards a complete loss of your dive trip if they are responsible. While a nice supplemental...do not rely on this as its designed to cover the flight only.
We recommend: Dive Assure: for either a 'one time'SingleDivers.com policy OR an annual policy for BOTH Dive & Trip OR just Trip Insurance providing PRIMARY COVERAGE with excellent rates and coverage! Please use THIS LINK and/or reference SingleDivers.com via the drop-down menu under GLOBAL PARTNERS. (If you can not find the drop down, do not reference anyone and email info@singledivers.com your policy info and we will do it for you via our Dive Assure company representative. OR SIMPLY USE THIS LINK AND YOU WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY TIED TO US. )
DIVING INSURANCE:
DIVE Insurance is required on all trips - GET THE DELUXE POLICY! DIVE insurance is VERY inexpensive. Even if you have insurance that you think covers DIVING ACCIDENTS and air lifts…it is CHEAP (approx $100-$125) to get a supplemental policy to ensure you are covered for an entire year of diving.
PRO TIP; The two primary suppliers of dive insurance DiveAssure.com and DAN are inexpensive enough to carry both. This way you will have the best coverage internationally, the best coverage domestically, primary insurance, secondary insurance and if a claim is denied on one policy you can submit it on the other. No matter what happens...YOU ARE COVERED!!! ... PRICELESS!!!
We recommend: Dive Assure: for either a 'one time' policy OR an annual policy for BOTH Dive & Trip Insurance providing PRIMARY COVERAGE with excellent rates and coverage! Please use THIS LINK and/or reference SingleDivers.com via the drop-down menu under GLOBAL PARTNERS. (If you can not find the drop down, do not reference anyone and email info@singledivers.com your policy info and we will do it for you via our Dive Assure company representative. OR SIMPLY USE THIS LINK AND YOU WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY TIED TO US. )
you can also use....
Diver's Alert Network: Please use our reference number when ordering: ID1603080 (This only works if you are a new first time DAN member.)
DOCUMENTATION
All SingleDivers.com trips require necessary documentation to facilitate booking your trip and/or making it a better experience for you. Once you complete your documents online our automated system will take the information from your last trip with us and fill out your new trip forms for you. You then add any missing information and/or change anything that is no longer current. You will find the forms you need to complete under MY TRIPS which you will find under TRIPS in the main menu across the top of the site. Since each trip requires a unique set of docs, please choose the correct trip from your "My Trips" drop down and then complete the forms required for that trip. Some trips will also ask you to complete the resort or liveaboard's forms as well.The AIR AUTHORIZATION FORM is only required when you are having SingleDivers.com book air for you but this includes air that is part of the trip pkg price.
Not all of our forms are online as they are either infrequently used or being phased out. If you need a form that is not in our online directory, send an email to trips@singledivers.com and ask for the form you need.
TERMS & CONDITIONS
All SingleDivers.com trips require:
- You agree to a number of things when you join our trips including buying insurance to cover your investment, reading all the trip details and trip pm's, doing all the required documentation etc. Please click HERE to read them all.