Learn to Dive in Dumaguete

Once you have landed you will be met in arrivals and transferred to Atmosphere Resort and Spa, which will take around 40 minutes. Once you have settled into your room, spend the rest of the day at leisure, whether shaking off any jetlag with a relaxing spa treatment or sunbathing by the pool. If you're keen to explore, Dumaguete is home to a wealth of natural sites, from thundering waterfalls to glass-topped lakes and bubbling hot springs.

As far as first breaths underwater go, Atmosphere Resort & Spa's house reef is a pretty spectacular starting point. The open water course will take around three days to complete and comprises the theory portion (we recommend completing this prior to arrival via e-learning) and mastering your underwater skills in the pool before completing your course exploring the marvellous open ocean. Atmosphere Resort & Spa enjoys a prime position in the Coral Triangle, as well as having fantastic muck diving sites, meaning divers can start their log book with a wealth of envy-inducing sights.

Located a 45-minute boat ride off the coast, Apo Island is a community-organised fish sanctuary that is, quite simply, overflowing with marine life. Divers are virtually guaranteed to see several green and leatherback turtles on each dive as well as colourful shoals of tropical fish, barracuda, sea snakes and beautiful hard and soft coral formations. Look out for dolphins as you make your way back to the mainland in time for sundowners on the beach.

While muck diving might not necessarily sound appealing - it literally involves diving on a dark 'mucky' seabed - we can assure you it is far from it as it gives the opportunity to spot hidden treasures disguised on the seabed. And as introductions go, Atmosphere Resort & Spa has some of the best muck diving sites we've come across. Keep your eyes peeled and you'll see all sorts of weird and wonderful critters, including frogfish, nudibranch, mimic octopus, leaf fish, ghost pipefish, scorpionfish... the list goes on.

Led by a guide, navigate the forested mountain-scape of Dauin by ATV, stopping to hike local trails for magnificent views and seeking out volcanic hot springs for a relaxing soak. If you want to pump up the adrenaline, take a trip to the Rush Zipline Adventure which, located 30-minutes from the resort, is a 2,000ft zipline of pure adrenaline with fantastic views to boot. On the way back, explore the local mountain town of Valencia, or take a refreshing dip at the Pulang Bato waterfall before heading back to the hotel in time for sundowners by the pool. In the evening, enjoy a candlelit dinner on the beach.