Dauin Masasa Beach

Dumaguete · Negros Oriental · Philippines

Masasa Beach in Dauin is where the Philippines' muck diving obsession reaches its peak. This stretch of volcanic black sand along Negros Oriental's coast has become a pilgrimage site for macro photographers, offering a concentration of rare and bizarre critters that rivals Lembeh Strait with the added advantage of unlimited shore access. I entered from the beach in waist-deep water and began the gentle descent down the sand slope. Within five metres of shore, at barely three metres depth, my guide pointed to a coconut shell. Inside, a blue-ringed octopus pulsed its warning colours, the electric blue rings flashing against its tan body. It is one of the ocean's most venomous animals, and one of its most beautiful. The slope continues gradually to twenty-two metres, and every depth band holds different treasures. At eight metres, a mimic octopus flowed across the sand, transforming from flounder imitation to lionfish profile as it moved between burrows. A flamboyant cuttlefish walked across the substrate on its modified arms, its body rippling with purple, pink, and yellow patterns too improbable for any artist to invent. The guide system at Dauin is extraordinary. Local guides work the same sand slope daily, tracking individual animals and knowing which debris pile hosts which species. My guide found a hairy frogfish the size of a thumbnail clinging to a piece of rope. A pair of harlequin shrimp dismembered a sea star in their den beneath a piece of coral rubble. A thorny seahorse swayed on a piece of hydroids. Nudibranchs are everywhere, and serious collectors can log dozens of species in a single dive. Chromodoris, Nembrotha, Phyllodesmium, and Flabellina species compete for attention with their impossible colour combinations. Night diving transforms Masasa again. The sand comes alive with hunting creatures. Bobtail squid bury themselves in the sand with only their eyes exposed. Stargazers lurk half-buried, waiting for prey. The same slope that yielded thirty species by day reveals thirty different ones after dark.