Dive Review of Atlantis Dive Resorts/py Atlantis Azores in
Philippines/Tubbataha

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Atlantis Dive Resorts/py Atlantis Azores: "Extremely Hard Working Crew Made Diving Very Easy", May, 2024, by David M. Stanwick, CA, US ( 2 reports with 3 Helpful votes). Report 12973 has 2 Helpful votes.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	It had been 7 years since my last liveaboard so this was a shakedown cruise for me. In most respects this trip exceeded expectations. I had previously enjoyed the luxury of gearing up on the boat and jumping off the swim deck, but on the Atlantis you get on a Zodiac and are transported from the mother ship to the dive site, which is usually only a few minutes away. I was anticipating a lot of hassle dealing with getting my gear in and out of the Zodiac and changing tanks, etc., but the crew did all this work. Everytime we returned to the mother ship two to four crew members would be waiting for us with hot towels and would enthusiastically sing "Hello (your name), Wel-come Baaaack!" They did this for EVERY dive! This ritual was a delightful way for the crew to learn our names. The downside of this mother/daughter-boat arrangement is that you generally didn't have access to your gear between dives should you need to fix something or make adjustments. However, the crew will bring your cameras back on board, rinse them, and then place on the camera table between every dive. As the days rolled on, the crew would get into a rhythm and load the cameras onto the boats for the next dive without checking with their owners. In one case a diver's camera was taken down to the wet boat with a battery compartment still open. This resulted in some shouting and a few drops of sea water in a battery compartment, but no serious consequences. However, from then on, the crew was careful to check with each diver before taking cameras down to the boat. To me, reef conditions were pristine in most places. The only exceptions were areas where anchors may have dragged years ago yielding large scars of barren/dead/broken corals. Currents were minimal most of the time, but there was always the concern that conditions could change without warning, so the dive guides struggled to keep the group within a range of about 100 feet or so. The pace was determined by the mild current, so these two constraints meant little time to setup and take good photos in one spot. Occasionally, the group would linger in one area (such as on top of the reef), providing more time for photos, but I wanted to spend more time on the walls and overhangs. Missing were the expected large numbers of pelagics. There were some, but this was a disappointment for many in the group. The other group of eight on this trip were more fortunate. Some cool nudibranchs were captured, a few pygmy seahorses, white tip sharks, eels, and turtles. I was happy to see the reef teaming with various colorful fish species, and large schools sizeable fish were seen circling above us at various times during the week. I also loved the variety of healthy and undamaged hard and soft corals, clams, sponges, and fans. Onboard the crew was always very accommodating. Food was spectacular, in my opinion. Lunch usually featured a choice of 6 to eight dishes, including several salads. There was a light breakfast available before the first dive at 07:30 am, and then a full breakfast when you came back around 09:00 am. Dinner most nights was plated from menu selections you make earlier in the day. The food was consistently five stars. Don't know how they were able to do it, but everything, including salads was always so fresh. The ship was equipped with Starlink so we have internet access at no extra charge. This was a pleasant surprise as we were told by our charter operator that we might only be able to send a couple of short emails during the entire week. Two minor negatives: 1. There are two stainless steel "Dutch" doors separating the galley from the salon. They crew tried to keep these closed as much as possible, but they made a scratching metal-to-metal sound every time they were opened or closed, which is many many times per hour. I found this annoying from the very beginning. They should figure out a way to quiet these doors or just leave them open. 2. Whether on the back of the ship or in your cabin, the showers will not deliver cool or cold water, only hot or very hot. Even the sink in your cabin will only deliver hot water.
Websites	Atlantis Dive Resorts py Atlantis Azores
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Northern California, Cayman Islands, Belize
Closest Airport	PPS	Getting There	MNL -> PPS
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	-°F / -°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	75-100 Ft/ 23-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	?
Enforced diving restrictions	Due to expected currents and remoteness of locations, dive guide had the difficult task of keeping our group of eight close together at all times. Night dives normally prohibited, but one was granted by the park authorities. Depth < 100 feet, dive time < 60 minutes strictly enforced.
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Camera table was average size, but unfortunately some divers who didn't have cameras hogged up some of the precious space with personal dive gear. Many of us had Olympus TG-x cameras in the standard Olympus housing, plus strobes and video lights; and there were a few GoPros and phone housings. The point is that there were no gigantic camera housings but we barely had enough space. Two large metal boxes for battery charging equipment took up a lot of space too. There were two air blowdown hoses, but we would almost always need to remind the crew to turn the air on. Why it's not on all the time is a mystery -- unless it's being fed from the Nitrox tank!

Report currently has 2 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of Atlantis Dive Resorts/py Atlantis Azores in Philippines/Tubbataha

Atlantis Dive Resorts/py Atlantis Azores: "Extremely Hard Working Crew Made Diving Very Easy", May, 2024,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Atlantis Dive Resorts/py Atlantis Azores in
Philippines/Tubbataha