Atlantis Dumaguete - muck diving, post retirement dives 835, 836, 837, and 838 June 17, 2025

I arrived at Atlantis Dumaguete the afternoon of June 16, 24 hours after my flight departure from San Francisco thanks to a 6 hour wait at Manila Airport to catch one of the twice daily flights followed by a 45 minute drive in amazing traffic to travel the 16 km to the resort. Below are select pictures from the four dives I made the following day, June 17, my 72nd birthday. If you wish to see them all, go to: https://photos.app.goo.gl/XvnTWJLoa4dPUAif7 I had my own dive guide this first day, Wing, and he's been the guide for Russ, Barbara, and I for subsequent dives. He is superb at finding even the tinyest of critters on the resort's muck dives. Below, Wing has reached out with his pointer and below it you can barely make out the very colorful (once its lit by a strobe) head of a Convict Snake Eel. Below:

There were thousands of Garden Eels everywhere you look, but all uw photographers swiftly learn that they are alluring but frustratingly camera shy, it takes great patience to get close enough for a good shot and I, predictably, lack it.Also, on my first of the day's four dives I was using my wide angle 10-17 mm Tokina but swiftly realized I needed to be using my 60 mm Canon macro lens for the following much dives. Below:

These colorful guys are everywhere but its species is TBD when I have a few extra minutes to research, about 4-5 inches long, below:

A Leaf Scorpionfish. You can just make out his eye on the right end. Below:

Cornetfish are frequently quite shy, but this one was cooperative, below:

Lucky, lucky, lucky....to have a great guide. Wing found a Bluering Octopus, small, dangerously venemous. Its a bit out of focus in the foreground in my wide angle shot with Wing, followed by my one shot with it in focus. I hope I get another one when I'm using my macro lens. Below:

Wing has sent up his smb to show the boat our position for pickup to end our first dive, but he pointed out that that bit of moss on the bottom was a (I think) Hairy Scorpionfish, actually, a pair of them. Below:

On our second dive I was really glad I'd switched to my macro lens because Wing immediately found this pygmy squid, about 1/4 inch long, I could barely make it out with my naked eye! Below:

Next up was a Ghost Pipefish about 2 inches long, it went over to a nudibranch (species tbd...)together with an amazing Skeleton Shrimp (remember the aliens in the station from "Men in Black"?!). Below:

What kind of a tiny (maybe 3/16 inch) transparent shrimp on the tip of a Sea Pen that the incredibly sharp eyed Wing found? Below:

I'm very proud of the following picture of an inquisitive Anemonefish (species tbd). Tom Campbell, whom together with his partner Beth Davidow, selected and planned this incredible dive trip I'm on, teaches photographers that the best photos are those where the subject is having a conversation with the photographer. This one was clearly asking "Where's Tom and Beth?!" Tom and Beth sadly had to drop out of this trip just days before departure due to Tom's leg injury. I was shooting macro, I didn't want to reset my strobes pointed for macro so I just set my camera's fstop to 6.3 and gpt this very very lucky shot, below:

Next, Wing pointed out these incredibly "Sexy Shrimp" on Bubble Coral, they range between maybe 1/8 to 1/2 inches long. Really cool, below:

Next up, a Whip Coral Shrimp, maybe 3/16 inches long. Can you see it? Wing could, I couldn't! Below:

A cute pair of a type of Cardinal Fish, I think, they're about 1/2 inch long. I love the background, a cool type of echinoderm but my imsomnia and age addled brain (at 72 there's no question about the old adage "The older I get, the better I was!"applying) won't give me its name...Oh, wait,returning later, a Crinoid, aka Feather star! Below:

Below: White Sea Cucumber, another kind of echinoderm.

A really cool, unusually patient and cooperative Shrimpfish, aka Razorfish, below:

A beautiful, obligatory, juvenile Lionfish, below:

Sharp eyed Wing pointing out another tiny nudibranch, below:

Beautiful, tiny, nudibranch, about 1/2 inch long. Finding these little subjects with your eyes, then in the camera's viewport, while hovering motionless, isn't easy. Below:

Wing found this amazing transparent amber colored claw tipped shrimp on Bubble Coral. Below:

A beautiful Ornate Ghost Pipefish, maybe 2 inches long, below:

Two more tiny nudibranchs, maybe 3/16 inches long, on a plant. Below:

Cute Lemon Gobies, about 1/2 inches long, on an urchin teste, below:

Mantis Shrimp, his head is about 1 inch across, below:

Spiny Sea Horse, about 3-4 inches, below:

Another tiny (1/4 in), beautiful, nudibranch, species tbd:

Love this Shrimp Goby (species tbd) but I missed getting his partner Bulldozer Shrimp, below:

Hunting Mantis Shrimp, vicious predator, about 4 inches long. Shrimp fisherman call them "thumb splitters" because they strike painfully when your sorting your shrimp catch. Below:

Skeleton shrimp, about 1 inch, below:

Spiny Sea Horse, about 5 inches, below:

White Frogfish, about 2 inches, below:

Snake Pipefish, about 8 inches long. In the first photo you can also see the krill/shrimp he is hunting in the water around him. Below:

Below: Emperor Shrimp with nudibranch

Mantis Shrimp:

Frogfish, about 3 inches, below:

Beautiful 3 inch fish, species tbd, below:

I forget the name of this goby, known for acting like a cleaner goby, but taking out little bites. Below:

Below: Cowfish, about 9 inches long

I spotted and swam over to this Hawksbill Sea Turtle during our safety stop completing out fourth dive on my 72nd birthday. Check out his eye. Below:

A great memorable day of diving, on my 72nd birthday, or maybe, my last day as 71 since it wasnt yet June 17 in Clearwater Florida where I was born. The wonderful restaurant at the resort baked a magnificent chocolate cake for my birthday, shared around. The birds have started singing, time to get ready for my third day of diving with dives at 8:30, 10:30, 2 pm, 4 pm...then, maybe, a night dive...