News
Diving with… Atmosphere Resorts & Spa, Dumaguete, Philippines
In this ongoing series, we speak with the people who run dive centres, resorts and liveaboards from around the world about their businesses and the diving they have to offer…
What is your name?
Ulrika Kroon
What is the name of your business?
Atmosphere Resorts & Spa
What is your role within the business?
Marketing & Branding Manager
How long has the business operated for?
9.5 years
How long have you dived for, and what qualification are you?
I have dived for 21 years and I am now a PADI Master Instructor.
What is your favorite type of diving?
I love macro and underwater photography, so I am really in the best part of the world!
If you could tell people one thing about your business (or maybe more!) to make them want to visit you what would it be?
Being a luxury boutique resort for divers is quite unusual and we think that people are blown away by the luxury dive service at Atmosphere. We have fantastic diving and we see the most unusual critters in the world but what makes us really stand out is that guests receive the proper VIP-treatment. From private guides and a marine biologist who dives with guests, to hot face towels and somebody putting your fins on. The service will blow you away!
What is your favorite dive in your location and why?
I love our house reef, the Atmosphere House Reef. It is right in front of the resort and it is a protected marine sanctuary, which means that no boats are allowed inside, nor are fishermen. It is very large – it takes at least three dives to dive the whole site – and it has everything from a school of barracudas, a few shipping containers comprising an artificial reef, to mandarin fish mating, pygmy seahorses, lots of frogfish, as well as turtles. We also have a lot of octopus, blue-ringed being a favorite! Such a great mix and only 10 yards from the resort.
What types of diving are available in your location?
Along the Dauin coast where we are located, there is black sand and the dive sites are a mix of sand with critters (pure macro), artificial reefs made from car tyres or metal structures or sunken boats/cars, but there are also very healthy reefs with lots of bigger fish.
What do you find most rewarding about your current role?
I get to tell the world about how great Atmosphere and the diving here is! I also make lots of movies showcasing us which is fun. I go to dive shows but I also still teach sometimes and that’s still very rewarding.
What is your favorite underwater creature?
Frogfish! We have so many frogfish – from hairy frogfish to giant frogfish or sargassum fish. They are sort of our mascot, we love them!
Are there any exciting changes / developments coming up in the near future?
We are always expanding, when it comes to the resort and the dive operation but I can’t tell you any details as I am pretty sure it’s classified…
As a center what is the biggest problem you face at the moment?
We are not really facing any problems but I would like to say that one concern that we have is the fiddling with marine life to get good photos. All new divers know that you don’t touch marine life or even the bottom when you dive, not even to get good photos. However we have seen an increase in award-winning photographers (or wanna-be award-winning photographers) who move and manipulate marine life to get that winning shot. It’s a practise that needs to stop and as an environmentally aware dive center and resort, we take it very seriously.
Is your center involved in any environmental work?
Yes, we do most of our dives in marine sanctuaries of which the biggest one is our own house reef, where we pay a certain amount per diver to keep the sanctuary protected. We also sunk three large shipping containers to create an artificial reef a few years ago. We do regular clean-ups, we are super-strict on touching and buoyancy and the resort as a whole is very environmentally friendly – no disposable plastic, printing on recycled paper etc.
How do you see the SCUBA / Freediving / snorkeling industry overall? What changes would you make?
I think it is looking awesome for the future with more and more people getting certified and diving which is great. We wish that more dive centers would be environmentally aware, both when it comes to trash and pollution but also when it comes to handling marine life. All this fish feeding/shark feeding and fishy-handling is not good for the future of the industry.
What would you say to our visitors to promote the diving you have to offer?
At Atmosphere you get an amazing mix of some of the world’s best scuba diving. The renowned Apo Island with its pristine corals and innumerable turtles is a short boat ride away. Some of the world’s rarest critters compete for the underwater photographer’s attention along the Dauin coastline. No dive sites are further than 20 minutes away and we have a house reef where you can see virtually everything on your underwater wish list. Add to that the luxury dive service of a five star resort and you’re in diver heaven.
Where can our visitors find out more about your business?
Our website is super-informative and really pretty: www.atmosphereresorts.com but we are also very active on social media so I suggest visiting our facebook and instagram accounts: www.facebook.com/atmosphere.resorts and www.instagram.com/atmosphereresorts.
Gear News
Scubapro Free Octopus Promotion 2024
Free Octopus with every purchase of a SCUBAPRO regulator system
Just in time for the spring season, divers can save money with the FREE OCTOPUS SPRING PROMOTION! Until July 31st SCUBAPRO offers an Octopus for free
with every purchase of a regulator system!
Get a free S270 OCTOPUS with purchase of these combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with A700
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with S620Ti
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with D420
MK25 EVO Din mit S620Ti-X
Get a free R105 OCTOPUS with purchase of the following combinations:
MK25 EVO or MK19 EVO with G260
MK25 EVO or MK17 EVO with S600
SCUBAPRO offers a 30-year first owner warranty on all regulators, with a revision period of two years or 100 dives. All SCUBAPRO regulators are of course certified according to the new European test standard EN250-2014.
Available at participating SCUBAPRO dealers. Promotion may not be available in all regions. Find an authorized SCUBAPRO Dealer at scubapro.com.
More information available on www.scubapro.com.
Blogs
Northern Red Sea Reefs and Wrecks Trip Report, Part 3: The Mighty Thistlegorm
Jake Davies boards Ghazala Explorer for an unforgettable Red Sea diving experience…
Overnight, the wind picked up, making the planned morning dive a bit bumpy on the Zodiacs to the drop point on Thomas Reef. There, we would dive along the reef before descending through the canyon and then passing under the arch before ascending the wall with a gentle drift. The site provided great encounters with more pelagic species, including shoals of large barracuda, tuna, and bigeye trevally.
Once back on the boat, it was time to get everything tied down again as we would head back south. This time, with the wind behind us, heading to Ras Mohammed to dive Jackfish Alley for another great gentle drift wall dive before then heading up the coast towards the Gulf of Suez to moor up at the wreck of the Thistlegorm. This being the highlight wreck dive of the trip and for many onboard, including myself, it was the first time diving this iconic wreck. I had heard so much about the wreck from friends, and globally, this is a must on any diver’s list. Fortunately for us, there was only one other boat at the site, which was a rarity. A great briefing was delivered by Ahmed, who provided a detailed background about the wreck’s history along with all the required safety information as the currents and visibility at the site can be variable.
Kitting up, there was a lot of excitement on deck before entering the water and heading down the shoreline. Descending to the wreck, there was a light northerly current which reduced the visibility, making it feel more like the conditions that can be found off the Welsh coast. At 10m from the bottom, the outline of the wreck appeared as we reached the area of the wreck which had been bombed, as our mooring line was attached to part of the propeller shaft. Arriving on deck, instantly everywhere you looked there were many of the supplies which the ship was carrying, including Bren Carrier tanks and projectiles that instantly stood out.
We headed around the exterior, taking a look at the large propeller and guns mounted on deck before entering the wreck on the port side to take a look in the holds. It was incredible to see all the trucks, Norton 16H, and BSA motorcycles still perfectly stacked within, providing a real snapshot in time.
Overall, we had four dives on the Thistlegorm, where for all of the dives we were the only group in the water, and at times, there were just three of us on the whole wreck, which made it even more special, especially knowing that most days the wreck has hundreds of divers. Along with the history of the wreck, there was plenty of marine life on the wreck and around, from big green turtles to batfish, along with shoals of mackerel being hunted by trevally. Some unforgettable dives.
The final leg of the trip saw us cross back over the Suez Canal to the Gobal Islands where we planned to stay the night and do three dives at the Dolphin House for the potential of sharing the dive with dolphins. The site, which included a channel that was teeming with reef fish, especially large numbers of goatfish that swam in large shoals along the edge of the reef. These were nice relaxing dives to end the week. Unfortunately, the dolphins didn’t show up, which was okay as like all marine life they are difficult to predict and you can’t guarantee what’s going to be seen. With the last dive complete, we headed back to port for the final night where it was time to clean all the kit and pack before the departure flight the next day.
The whole week from start to finish on Ghazala Explorer was amazing; the boat had all the facilities you need for a comfortable week aboard. The crew were always there to help throughout the day and the chefs providing top quality food which was required after every dive. The itinerary providing some of the best diving with a nice mixture of wreck and reef dives. I would recommend the trip to anyone, whether it’s your first Red Sea liveaboard in the Red Sea or you’re revisiting. Hopefully, it’s not too long before I head back to explore more of the Red Sea onboard Ghazala Explorer.
To find out more about the Northern Red Sea reef and wrecks itineraries aboard Ghazala Explorer, or to book, contact Scuba Travel now:
Email: dive@scubatravel.com
Tel: +44 (0)1483 411590
Photos: Jake Davies / Avalon.Red
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