Dive Dauin Festival & Underwater Photography Contest
Dive Dauin Festival, since its inception in 2021, has, in just a few short years, become the richest and soon to be the Philippine's biggest internationally recognized “Underwater Macro & Wideangle Photography competition in the Philippines, Boasting over $10,000 US in Cash and prizes to be won. The competition is held in June each year on the island of Negros Oriental, a world-class muck destination boasting countless species of nudibranchs, shrimp, crabs' seahorses, ghost pipe fish and a wealth of other little critters that can be found in the reefs dotted along the black sand slopes. Plus, larger megafauna and corals.
Marine sanctuaries have been set up along the coastline to preserve the reefs and seagrass beds. These are essential feeding grounds for turtles and homes to the other unique creatures that inhabit these waters, boasting 29 of 33 known species of frogfish, (BBC Planet Earth 2-episode two, Frog Fish special was filmed in Dauin). The AviyMaes Divers Resort House Reef known as Población 1 Dauin North, a protected marine sanctuary for over 40 years, is a great place for spotting various species of Frog Fish. Diving practices are stringently enforced, and judges will disqualify photographers if their images show signs of manipulation or animal stress.
For those craving Wide Angle or somewhat larger marine life, the tiny island of Apo Island, located just 35 minutes boat ride (5km) from the shores of Dauin, has been a designated Marine Protected Area (MPA) since 1982. In 1982, a marine scientist, Dr Angel Alcala, who grew up in the region, persuaded the somewhat sceptical locals that setting up a protected area would benefit the surrounding fisheries. His theory was that adult fish would spill from the protected area into the surrounding area, where the protected area functions as a shelter for fish to escape, mature, and spawn.
Fish spawning in the protected area would produce larvae that are carried by the currents to other communities on the reef. A true marine conservation success story in the Philippines, it is the oldest continuous Marine Protected Area in the Philippines. It helped shape the Dive Daiun festival into a Macro photographer and Wide-Angle paradise!
This diminutive, little island has played an essential role in shaping the marine conservation efforts of the entire country. Such has been the success of the community-based sanctuary that has been established here has inspired similar projects all over the Philippines and even around the globe, as a direct result, there are currently over 1,500 small Marine Protected Areas in the Philippines, started by local communities that have wanted to emulate the success of Apo Island. As a direct result of the successful implementation of the MPA's, Dive tourism flourished, with the Philippines now constantly voted as the Number 1 dive destination in the world as a direct result.
The Dive Dauin Festival (originally named Dive 7) competition conveys a strong community-based based sustainable environmental message with locals, local business dive shops department of tourism, local LGU and dive resorts work together to organize clean-ups both along the shore and underwater bringing a unique perspective to the event. Even the trophies are made from recycled and upcycled materials.
The Dive operators take the competition very seriously and strive to help their clients “win” a category and be the photographer's number one resort choice. They do everything they can, without disturbing the ecosystem, to help their clients win! None take that more seriously than Silver Reef Resort, which holds multiple workshops hosted by renowned award-winning underwater photographers before the event and boasts world-class underwater photography facilities, making them the preferred host for the professional photographer's event.
Dive guides are also trained by Photographers who teach them how to spot the perfect subject, from the smallest critter to that perfect wide-angle or animal behaviour shot. Dive guides trained in this specialty are referred to as “Spotters” and take their profession very seriously, closely guarding the secret locations of the “rarest critters” and only sharing them with clients, which makes choosing which resort to book with before the event very important.
Naturally, the best of the best spotters are reserved well before the competition. Alternatively, AivyMaes Divers Resort caters to both the novice and the professional, offering an affordable option with stay dive for both the novice and the professional with Packages that won't break your budget and employ professionally trained “critter spotters” that will do everything they can to help their client win. The competition has spilled over to the “critter spotters “, with each vying to be the best and have their client/resort win!
Whether you're a professional Underwater Photographer, novice, or in-between, Dive Dauin Festival offers something for everyone with bigger, better prizes to be won every year; coupled with “World Class Diving”, it's a must-do for your dive calendar. (See Scuba Diver Magazine ANZ edition 73 for more information)
Planet earth was not filmed in front of aivy mays, it was filmed in maayongtubig on the atmosphere house reef.
Thank you for brining this to our attention the article has now been amended.