Author: Atlantis Dive Resorts and Liveaboard

We pull off from the black sand beach on a bangka, an elongated wooden boat used extensively throughout the Philippines for transportation in this island nation. We head southeast towards Apo Island, a tiny green speck on the horizon. Within minutes of leaving shore, Atlantis Resort vanishes behind the narrow shoreline amidst the tall, swaying coconut trees. Negros Island, which we just left, becomes its own sea of green, set against a dramatic backdrop: The peaks of the dormant volcano Bukid Talinis (bukid meaning “mountain”) tower at 1,903 metres above sea level, reaching into a cloudless sky. From this vantage point, it’s hard to believe nearly 30,000 people live here, in Dauin. You can see little sign of human life once you’re a mile offshore.