Diving safely in Dauin

Dauin now has its own hyperbaric chamber, also known as a recompression chamber. It treats decompression illness (“the bends”) and other diving injuries, so specialist treatment is available right here in Dauin. The centre was built by the Department of Tourism and is run by its infrastructure agency, TIEZA.

The chamber is staffed from 8 AM to 5 PM and answers emergency calls 24 hours a day. We keep its phone numbers at the dive centre, so if you ever need it, we make the call for you.

If you notice anything unusual after a dive, tell your guide or instructor straight away, even if it seems minor. Signs to watch for include:

• Unusual tiredness, weakness or dizziness
• Pain in your joints or muscles
• Tingling, numbness, itching or a skin rash
• Headache, confusion or difficulty breathing

Our team will look after you and help you get medical care quickly. A chamber close by doesn’t replace dive insurance: treatment and evacuation can be expensive, so we strongly recommend it, and we can arrange DAN cover at the dive centre by the day, week, month or year.

How we keep you safe

• PADI 5 Star Career Development Center: we teach and dive to PADI standards, and we train dive professionals right up to instructor level.
• Accredited in the Philippines by the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Philippine Commission on Sports Scuba Diving (PCSSD).
• A trained team: everyone on our dive team is a certified diver and trained in Emergency First Response (EFR) first aid and CPR.
• Emergency oxygen and a first-aid kit on our boat, at the dive centre and in our trucks.
• Small classes: usually two or three students per instructor. When a class has four, we usually bring in an extra assistant.
• Tested air: the PCSSD tests our compressor air every year, and we hold their certificate.
• An emergency plan for the dive centre, with the Dauin chamber’s numbers close at hand.
• We check before you dive: we ask for your certification, logged dives and the date of your last dive. After more than 6 months out of the water we recommend a check dive, and after 12 months a Scuba Refresher.
• Medical questionnaire: everyone taking a course, and certified divers who haven’t dived for more than 12 months, completes the PADI medical questionnaire. If any answer is “yes”, a doctor signs it before you dive.
• Local knowledge: our guides dive these sites every day and brief you before each dive.
• A sheltered side all year: in the northeast monsoon our house reef is sheltered, and in the southwest monsoon the El Dorado side is, so we can always choose calm sites.
• Safety comes before the plan: our guides may change a site, shorten a dive or cancel it whenever it is safer, and Apo Island boat trips only go when the sea and the Coast Guard allow.
• Nitrox is only for certified Enriched Air divers, and you can take the PADI course with us.
• Power cuts happen in the area from time to time. At the resort, a standby generator switches on automatically when the power goes, and off again when it’s back.

The full details are in our Terms and Conditions.

Choosing the right dive centre

Whether you dive with us or with someone else, these are the things worth checking before you book:

• A recognised rating from a training agency, such as a PADI Dive Center or 5 Star rating, and, in the Philippines, Department of Tourism accreditation.
• Dive professionals with current ratings, who ask about your experience and your last dive, and plan the dive around you.
• A clear briefing before every dive: the site, the maximum depth and time, and what to do if you lose your buddy.
• Small groups, so your guide can keep an eye on everyone.
• Well-maintained rental equipment, and air from a regularly serviced compressor.
• Emergency oxygen and a first-aid kit at the dive site and on the boat, with staff trained to use them.
• An emergency plan that includes the nearest hyperbaric chamber and hospital.
• Respect for the reef, such as Green Fins membership: no touching, chasing or feeding marine life.

After your dives

• Flying: wait 18 to 24 hours after your last dive before you fly, and plan your last dive day around your flight.
• Drink plenty of water, and don’t dive after drinking alcohol or taking anything that affects your judgement.
• Tell us about any medical condition or regular medication when you book, so we can help you plan.