Philippine alternative

David Reubush · Issue 61, Jul/Aug 2011 · pp. 67–70

Products mentioned: Ikelite SS 200 strobe, Ikelite DS 161 strobe, Nikon D7000, Nikon 18-70mm lens, Nikon 60mm macro lens, Ikelite Housing

For most divers, Indonesia is “the” place to go for all things tropical: hard and soft corals, large and small fish, and all sorts of wild and wonderful reef creatures. All of the well-known locations and many that have yet to be discovered are photographer’s delights. However, ‘Variety is the spice of life.” is a truism that also applies to diving. The Philippines were not on my diving radar screen until I met a couple on a live-aboard in Indonesia a few years ago. They raved about a place called Dumaguete and said that they visited several times a year for a month at a time. What really grabbed my attention was their enthusiasm about the critter diving (aka “muck”) at Dumaguete since I also love critter diving. When I got an email flyer from Rick Heydel of Bluewater Scuba in Franklin, Tennessee, who I had traveled with before, offering a trip in February, 2011 to Atlantis resorts in bo…