Dauin is just south of Dumaguete, the big city on Negros Oriental. It is just an easy 1hr Ferry ride from Siquijor.
Aivy Maes, another second home for me. I came here the first time in 2019, and this is where I became addicted to 'Muck Diving'. From the very first dive, I screamed out of the water, 'YES, that was so cool' and I was hooked. I have returned here every year since (except Covid, and happy to be welcomed by familiar faces that make me feel at home. If I couldn't dive, I would be happy staying here. It is very quiet and comfortable. 'My' bungalo does not have Air Conditioning, nor my own BathRoom. Two of the things that never used to bother me, but now, are a necessity when booking. However, I still LOVE this place. The fan in my room works, and the Bathroom/Shower is big and clean. It is a small place, so I've never had to wait in line. Compare my room here,...enough room for a bed, with my room in Siquijor, (last post). I always put up my mosquito net here, there are mosquitos here at dusk, and I don't want them sleeping with me. A HUGE difference, huh?
But I am right on the beach ... that counts for a lot ! My Bungalo is the one with the orange hammock. The beach is out front.
First, I had to get something to eat, and I knew exactly where and what. The Dive Cafe has been my regular place since I started. I saw on FaceBook that they had moved and changed their name to D-Dive Restobar. I was happy to see that they didn't move too far, thankfully! My favorite item on their menu is the Spaghetti Bolognese. So here I am. This photo was posted on their web page on FaceBook ! I walked in, and they recognized me... amazing! OMG, such a wonderful sauce, and so unexpected in the Philippines, (or anywhere I've traveled), ...made from scratch, there was even a Bay Leaf in it.
Also, good news, the Dive Light that Kevin ordered for me and had shipped here, had arrived! Again, I charged it, .... held my breath, and ... it works ! It will be fun trying to figure out how to use it.
I had been messaging Mark, my Dive Guide and Eyes from last year when I was at Siquijor. He is now 'Free-lancing' in Dauin, and I wanted to dive with him again. He has amazing eyes, like Rocky, and I knew that. Unfortunately, a lot of other people now know that too, and he is in high demand. Several months ago, he tried to get me on his schedule. But, me, not wanting to plan, made no commitment. But he made contact with them the day I arrived asking if he could Guide me. They agreed! So I messaged him and asked to set up a schedule. HA, he is booked into JUNE ! No time for me, only the day I arrived. WTF ? A couple hours later he arrived, with his little son, and sister. We had a nice visit, and he said he could do Night Dives with me any night while I'm here.
I like Night Dives, they are exciting and you see things you won't see during the day. But .... I don't like the fact that at 5pm, when I'm thinking about dinner and bed, I have to get dressed and get in the water. After the dive, getting out, clothes and equipment rinsed, showered...and now it's 8pm. But I really don't want to dive with anyone else, so, we planned a Night Dive the next evening. He knows where the critters live, and sees the smallest things, like Rocky. I really don't know how they do it, it is a talent that very few others have.
I know I've shown a photo of Nemo and their eggs, and we saw another one on this dive.
I took a photo of the eggs again. Compared to the first photo, these eggs must have been laid recently. There are no eyes showing.
Not a Nudi, but a little 'pea' of a baby fish, so cute !
Mark points to this... so very tiny, and, it's dark. I didn't know what it was, another new one for me. It is a Doto, and I've seen a Dotos before, but this one was very different. I'll know next time, it's a Doto sp6, which means 'they' haven't decided on an exact identification and name.
I've shown lots of photos of those tiny FrogFish that mostly are so cute. This is a Giant FrogFish, and I can't say they are cute. This 'guy' was as big as a soccor/foot ball, and didn't move a muscle. It just sits there, and when an unsuspecting meal comes along, it gets sucked into his very wide open mouth. He was sitting pretty much right out in the open, beside 'stuff'.
These Spiny Tiger Shrimp are about 1/2" and difficult to see when they are traveling along the sandy bottom.
Easier if you can catch them moving across a black background at night.
I've shown you many photos of a Hairy Shrimp, this one needs to shave her legs !
Mark shines his light on this. I'm thinking it's that purple-ish thing....
No he wants me to see that little tiny thing on the top of that blade of grass ! Turns out is is something like this. According to the book, this is another Stilger sp
I think this is a Pipe Horse, cousin to a Sea Horse ...
I met MaryAnn on Roatan, Honduras around 2015. We met again for a week of diving in Costa Rica in 2023. We realized we were both going to be in Dauin at the same time. We got to catch up one very rainy afternoon and evening, before she started her LiveAboard Cruise. So wonderful meeting up with friends and keeping in touch.
I've shown you many different kinds of shrimp, Hairy, Spiny Tiger, Cryptic Sponge, etc. This is just a Shrimp, I think, the kind we like to eat.
I never really got a good photo of this Crab, don't even know it's name. But it was tiny and constantly moving, ....and I was concentrating on the painting by Edvard Munch, The Scream.....
which is actually the 'butt' end of the crab. His eyes are white and at the top of this photo. Can you blame me?
Then there was this ...
And I think this is Squat Lobster
Ok, so, not everything I see is pretty or cute. Some are just creepy.
This is a White Eye Eel, rather common. But I saw it myself, and positioned my light myself and took this photo.
I did get to do a Day Dive with Mark, b/c he had a cancellation. And it was a good one! Ok, so now back to the pretty, and cool Nudis. I've shown you several different colors and shapes of Shaun the Sheep. I've just recently been aware of the Banana Nudi.
Just as tiny as the other ones. This one was living on the same quarter-size shape leaf... but it was yellow rather than green. Love this one too !
Another new and exciting Octopus for me .... exciting after I knew what it was. It is a Mototi (Mo TOE Tee) Octopus. I didn't know what I was looking at, it was hiding into a rock crevice, where they normally hide. I took the photos and then saw one tentacle come out, OH, it's an Octopus! I learned later that this is the 'one-ring' octopus (actually it has one on each side). You can see the blue ring in the middle of the photo. It is about the size of the Blue Ring Octopus (4"), and is also poisonous. It also is very rare to see one. Mark is amazing to see these things !
The Elysia is one of my favorite Sea Slugs. I desperately want to get a photo of one that I am proud of. Not there yet, but I'll keep trying. It's not that small, 1/2", but....
Next up on the Day Dive is the Marionia. It looks like a soft coral. They are large enough to easily see, ...once Mark showed me. We were in the current, and it was swaying.
We did several more night dives. One especially exciting, and we saw lots of Nudi's seeming to want to mate. This one is proof. They line up head to tail and their sex organs come from the middle of their bodies. You can see the connection here. Nembrotha linolata is their name.
On the weekends a man walks the beach with a cooler and wonderful ice cream. I hear his little bells and I grab my 30 pesos (.50) and go running. Mango is my always my choice, with pieces of fresh mango inside.
I saw the Peach-color Cryptic Sponge Shrimp on Siquijor ... this one was white... on white sponge coral of course.
And a BobTail Squid, that was a bit more cooperative than the last one. Maybe because it was night.
Love was in the air for 2 Nembrothas
'Let's give them something to talk about' .... said 2 Hypselodoris tryoni
'My place or Yours' ....Dark Margin Glossodoris
This is a Girdled Glossodoris ... big and fat, beautiful colors, and easy to see.
A Candy Crab, a 'Pretty in Pink' crab
This one was very tiny ... it was on the move .... I'm going with Phyllodesmium ???
My last dive with Mark at Aivy Maes, Dauin, was a Night Dive with friends. Right away in the water Mark spotted a CuttleFish. I wasn't ready, and I don't know why it shows up Blue?? I like it. It was a more neutral color. Lights and angles can make a difference.
Actually I didn't feel like I was ready the entire dive. This is a Coconut Octopus, not very large. And he was not coming out of his coconut shell, that's why it's called a Coconut Octopus.
And I really wasn't ready for the next one. Mark showed me a small orangey fish-like critter that was swimming around, actually 2 of them. I didn't know what they were. Probably about 2-3" long, with lots of frilly appendages. I am now told it was an Ambon ScorpionFish. I saw one once here in Dauin, but I have never seen one so small, nor one swimming like a fish. Lots of sand in the water and poor photos, but you might get the idea. I don't knowingly post photos that I, personally, did not take. Mark occasionally used my camera, ...and he may have taken this photo.....
Next I saw this pretty red Sea Star
Many of our friends were in the distance, with their lights pointed. Usually that means something special, so we headed that way. I've always seen Flamboyant CuttleFish while in Dauin, but I had not seen any this year. Solved that problem. These are so special, their colors radiate across their bodies in a fluid movement, it's mesmerizing. They walk on 2 front paddle-like feet.
This one had a lot of yellow and bright pink. You could watch them forever,... or until you ran out of air :)
Check out this short video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/dWu-n-dLb1E
The last thing we saw in the shallows before exiting was a Bobbit Worm (remember Lorena Bobbitt ? Yes, it was named after that 1993 news story.) This is one scary worm. It buries itself in the sand, with only it's head showing. It has sensors, and when an unsuspecting prey sets them off, it projects itself out of the water and grabs it with it's jaws. This is a photo of it, but I didn't get too close.
That's a gruesome way to end a Blog ... so I'll just say, hang on, like this Candy Crab, until my next Blog. I'll be fly to Manila, and take a bus to Anilao Scuba Dive Center. For more Muck Diving and finding some new critters.
dp
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