Atlantis Beach Resort, Dumaguete - something goes wrong there

[Rhoody]

As other stuff kept me busy I stopped working at Atlantis Dive Resort in Dumaguete last year.

I never said anything bad about Atlantis and the value for money, but what I now hear and read on different SCUBA diving boards is just scary and life-threatening.
As safety in diving is my primary issue I am seriously concerned what is going on there now.

Last year I was contacted to help with some information about the altitude of the waterfalls. Putting my 2 Cents of knowledge together and the public post on DumagueteInfo.com there must have been a Decompression problem. Getting in contact with the person I found out that the customer-caring management sent them to 650 – 700 meters altitude after 2 weeks of “hardcore”-diving (up to 4 dives a day) and two dives in the morning.

One of the guests suffered the next day during the flight from decompression-problems and had to extend the stop-over in Singapore for treatment in the recompression chamber.

Around the same time Chef Guenther gave me a note that some Star-Divemaster went to Apo Island did a 42 meter dive and after a quite short surface interval a 46 meter dive. Those dives were no technical dives. Back on the Boat the diver recognized some itchy skin and red spots, a very clear sign for decompression problems. The responsible person on the boat was the Diveshop manager of Atlantis Dumaguete and a IDC-Staff Instructor from Puerto Galera. The education-level of those should be high enough for some proper treatment, but at least Guenther the Chef (not diving since 3 years) knew what to do.

Other Philippino Instructors got fired for doing things like that, even there was no accident or problem involved. That probably never happens if you are the little puppie of one of the owners.....

I know It's a long post but it is even longer on that site (read more)

and the story continues.... soon.

cheers

Rhoody

[Deep Blue]

Hi Rhoody,

I was in Puerto Galera with Atlantis. I liked the operation, very professional. I had only one issue as I did not book unlimited diving.
I needed to dive with an American group who had the unlimited package and wanted to dive 4 times and night dives. So the underwater-time was very strict limited and we rarely hit 50 minutes. With the expensive diving at Atlantis and a limited dive time I don't think I will dive with that operation again.

I need to add, that it is very professional there and safety orientated, but still the value for money is not the best, maybe if I would take the non-limit-package

regards

deep Blue

[Rhoody]

Deep Blue,

as I was working at Atlantis Dumaguete for a long time and at Asia Divers in Puerto Galera also for a while, I know the operation of ATL in PG quite well. One of the Partners, some Dive-masters, Instructors and even Course - directors learned their business at Asia Divers, what is still the best dive-operation in Puerto Galera.

This is also one thing what really shocks me, as I don't think the things happened above are in the interests of Andy Pope, one of the owners... Unless he changed completely.... that would be more than sad, as I had a lot of respect for Andy...

Anyway, I got some more issues and emails, I may post them either here or in my private blog Living and Diving in the Philippines

cheers

Rhoody

[nitrox_frischling]

Hey, if they want to kill themself after a surface stop of 45 minutes between two 45 meter dives just let them. even a beginner with 12 logged dives like me knows the basics of scuba diving and i hope that the atlantis staff will be guided on a better way soon, because i once was there and i liked it the time i was there in 2004/2005

NF

[Deep Blue]

Deep dives can be done in a safe way, even with a short SI in between.

Hi Rudi,

you're not with Atlantis anymore? I just was on your Dumaguete page and clicked the link there. What are you doing now? Eating and drinking and getting bigger each day?

Hope you are fine, we are planning to visit Dumaguete like usually in August, if you are not there anymore we might go to another, cheaper resort.

When do you visit us in Macao ? shouldn't you have a Visa-run soon?

regards from John and a big hug from my side

Viv

[nitrox_frischling]

Hello Deep Blue,

yes I fully agree with You that many or all Deep Dives can be done with short stops on the surface or boat, but in the Thread of Rhoody I wasn´t able to see what kind of air the Folks from Atlantis dived. Was it Pressurized Air, Nitrox or Trimix?

With Pressurized Air I will never ever go that deep because I have just started my EAN Course for up to 60% Oxygen so when I know what they have dived when they got that Problems I can say more about it. To say something about that makes no sense without knowing what was in the bottle and I think that You agree with me.

Best Regards,
NF

[Rhoody]

Actually I mentioned that they were no Technical dives, so no Trimix. With enriched air you can't go to that depth anyway.

With regular compressed Air are dives down to 50 meters no problem. (no PADI diving). Sure, they will end as decompression-dives. I would not do that with a single "regular" 80 cuft tank. With a 100 cuft. maybe if the conditions are right.
As I know the "old" Atlantis regulations I am just wondering, I have actually some more thing. Emails and posts from public boards...
I just can't agree if recreational divers who pay alot of money are taken in dangerous situations.

Rhoody

[nitrox_frischling]

I also was there in 2004 during my Trip to the Philippines and I found the Atlantis is a good place to stay, but......

The other Morning after my Arrival from Ozamis City I wasn´t able to find a Staff Member who can tell me something about pending Open Water Diver Course coming up in the next few days, and that was a bit dissapointing for me.

Everything else beside that was good I have to say and to be honest. The Rest of the Staff is friendly, the Rooms are big and clean and the variety of Food they offer was Excellent and Fresh, but as Rhoody mentioned in his Starter of the Thread it is very Scary especially for a beginner just like me with 12 dives in his logbook when I can read what goes on there.

For the Future I hope that they will find the way back to the good things and that the Level of Security is going to raise soon on the level where it should be.

NF

The big european owned dive-resorts in Dauin are very expensive anyway. There are better places to stay and dive with...