This is our 2nd time in Dauin, however we specifically came for macro (muck diving) this trip. Although there is a beautiful Apo island just 30 minutes away from Dauin, we dedicated this trip in shooting the ‘small critters’. To get to Dauin, we drove 3 1/2 hours from Cebu City to Liloan port. We took a ferry for 30 minutes to Sibulan, Dumaguete and another 1 hour drive to Dauin. We stayed in 2 different resorts while we were in Dauin- Mike’s dive resort and Acquadive (in Zamboanguita, which was 20 mins from Dauin).

We were at the tail end of the ‘Octopus season’ which runs from October to January. The most famous dive site for Octopus in Dauin is the not so secret “Secret corner”. We dove there twice, and in 1 dive we saw 8 Octopi! This site may be tricky, as any other ‘corner’ dive sites because the current can be strong or may change directions at any time and may not be conducive for photos and videos. It was our first time to see the Mimic octopus and we were so amazed as to how it camouflages like this photo:

Another type of octopus, not to be confused with mimic octopus is a Wonderpus. It has small eyes on elongated stalks with a conical papilla over each eye.

Another subject I love to photograph was this sheep nudibranch (which was around 3 mm in size). It is so tiny that you could easily miss seeing it with your naked eyes. Thanks to my CMC-2 diopter (A magnifying lens), I could clearly see the beauty of this critter.

Even though I see this quite often in Cebu, Candy crab is still very nice to photograph especially with its vibrant pink color.

However, our ultimate favorite critter in the whole trip to Dauin is the the Flamboyant cuttlefish. It is a color machine that constantly flashes vibrant yellow, maroon, white, brown and red along its body. It is however the only poisonous cuttlefish. Unlike other cuttlefish species, the flamboyant cuttlefish doesn’t dart away when threatened. It remains stationary and flashes its hypnotic color scheme.

We can’t wait to go back to Dauin and apply the tips we’ve learn from our friends in Oceanshutter. We would definitely go back for the hairy frogfish season!