It is not very often that we get to explore new dive-sites here in Negros Oriental. Even less opportunities since that terrible virus bring everything to an almost-standstill. When the Dive Monsters got a note from our friend Guido, that he is planning to go Scuba Diving in Siaton, there was no further information needed to have the full Dive Monster Family on the trip.
When Angels travel…
…the sun will guide their way. And of course, that was also the case when we went diving in Siaton. In Dumaguete itself, it was a bit cloudy in the morning. But passing Dauin did (like many times) the trick. Just wondering if that is due to some weirdos recently moved there. Upon arrival in Zamboanguita at Wellbeach, from where our dive-trip to Siaton started, the sun was out in all of its beauty. The bangka was scheduled to leave at 8:00 am. With us on the boat, were Joe, MacMc, lovely Marevic and Guido. With such great company, sun and calm sea, there was no doubt, that this will be a great day out with friends. The crew had all gear, snacks, and drinks ready, and we left in time, heading south towards Siaton.
Siaton is a municipality in the very southern tip of Negros Oriental, best known for Tambobo Bay. However, there are not many operators ever going there for scuba diving. Siit Bay is famous to park the boats for repair… or as it is now, to park it because of no business.
Diving in Siaton – Antulang North
The trip just took a bit longer than an hour. Just past the hour of nine in the morning, it was time to gear up for the first dive. There is no real name for the dive-site, so we called it Antulang North, as it is located just north of a resort with the said name.
Mama Monster had her typical equalizing issues between 3 and 8 meters but overcame them really quick. Dive Monster Jr and OT followed our guide, Joe was, well he was being Joe, McMc followed Guido and Marevic (the Gardner) followed her camera-viewfinder on the hunt for the most incredible underwater creatures of the area.
The conditions were probably as perfect as they can get. All creatures seemed to feel that positive vibe of us and showed off in full force. There was not enough time and air in the tank (we still don´t have an Exolung for unlimited air supply) to get a proper shot of each of that amazing critters coming our way. But when you watch the video, you may get a good idea what we are talking about.
Antulang South – Our 2nd dive in Siaton
At the end of the first dive, Jr. had some sinus issues and headache. Sadly, it didn´t get better during our surface interval and she had to skip the second dive… and what a dive it was.
We entered Antulang South in a colorful coral garden, which does not need to hide behind Apo Island. It makes one even more questioning, why there is no proper infrastructure to dive there more often. It is probably the laziness and the convenience of going to Apo Island. However, as you can see in the second part of the video, it is simply a dream-world down there.
The time flew by and even the most experienced divers in the group had a bright smile in their face. Dive Monster Sr. tried to look serious, so that Jr. won´t be too disappointed that she missed the dive… He did a bad job in that!
We decided to skip the third dive as it was already way past lunchtime, and we still need an hour to get back to the resort. On the way back, we went into Siit Bay to have a look at turtle Island and cruised along the beautiful shoreline back north to WellBeach Resort.
Let´s do it again!
With Dive Monster Junior missing the second dive, it is basically our duty to go there again. There are also more dive-sites to explore. We can´t go there all around the year. If the wind comes from the wrong direction, it would be a very rough ride, and certainly not much fun going there. However, the window for the trip should still be open for a few weeks and I am sure that everybody who was on that trip will join the next to dive Siaton again.
Cheers
Rhoody
