Infiniti — a purpose-built Philippine dive yacht for macro life, reefs and thresher sharks

Infiniti is for divers who want the Philippines' small things and big animals in the same week. Dauin brings black-sand muck diving, artificial reefs and rare macro life; Apo Island adds protected coral and turtles, while the wider Visayas routes are chosen for thresher sharks, whale sharks, vivid walls and schooling fish. The yacht returns to Dauin, so the trip begins and ends at Atlantis Dumaguete rather than adding another domestic transfer between embarkation and disembarkation. That matters when the real aim is a full week in the water. The boat is built for diving rather than adapted to it, with a spacious working deck, camera facilities and crew support that keeps the practical jobs moving. It suits divers who want serious access to the water without giving up a comfortable saloon, a large terrace and food that is treated as part of the trip rather than fuel between dives.

Infiniti makes the impression of a working dive yacht with the space and finish expected on a newer liveaboard. It was built as a dedicated scuba vessel, not converted from a general-purpose boat, so the route from cabin to dive deck is organised around tanks, cameras and repeated entries into the water. The yacht has a large terrace with shaded areas, loungers and tables, while the air-conditioned saloon gives everyone somewhere cool to eat, read or review images. The layout is substantial enough for a full charter, but the limited diving operation keeps the boat from feeling like a floating resort with a dive centre attached. Cabins sit on the lower deck, and all have private bathrooms, air conditioning and porthole windows. Once aboard, the useful detail is simple: equipment has a place, cameras have a room, and the deck is made for doing the same dive-day jobs again tomorrow.

Infiniti's atmosphere is built by a crew that stays close to the practical details of a dive trip. Equipment is handled, cabins are cleaned daily, meals appear without turning every interval into an announcement, and the crew speaks English and Russian. That service matters more after several dives, when a diver notices whether a wet towel is replaced, a drink appears, or a camera can be put down safely without being moved. The group is capped at 25 passengers, but the experience is shaped less by the number than by the boat's working routines and the guides' attention in the water. Evenings are not only for films and drinks: the crew may give a marine-life presentation, show images or explain the next destination. It is a sociable boat without requiring constant participation. The strongest passenger feedback centres on the same things: the crew notices details, the food is excellent and people leave wanting to return.

The Dauin sites make the route worth boarding for. Dauin coastline drops onto black volcanic sand to a maximum of -25m, where frogfish, ghost pipefish, seahorses, nudibranchs, flamboyant cuttlefish and mimic octopus reward slow searching. House Reef reaches -30m across muck, coral slopes and frequent green turtles; Pura Vida Housereef also reaches -30m and places an artificial reef in the black sand, with frogfish, ghost pipefish, seahorses and flamboyant cuttlefish. Eva's Point is a wall at the mouth of Campomanes Bay, down to -32m, with coral gardens, overhangs and pygmy seahorses. Sunken Island reaches -30m and begins with a plateau crowded by reef fish, turtles and rays. Patchy-patchy brings scattered coral mountains, swim-throughs and schooling fish; Catmon Point adds valleys, canyons and a possible whale shark sighting. Apo Island is the standout protected area: dense coral, turtles and reef fish, with reef sharks, garden eels, jacks and hard coral recorded there. Trips last 8 days and 7 nights, on Visayas North, South or West routes from Dauin to Dauin.

Dauin coastline →

Max. depth · 25 m

House Reef →

Max. depth · 30 m

Pura Vida Housereef →

Max. depth · 30 m

Coral Garden →

Max. depth · 20 m

Sunken Island →

Max. depth · 30 m

Patchy-patchy →

Catmon Point →

Canyons →

Max. depth · 35 m

Apo Island →

Across the Dauin route, expect repeated chances for green turtles, hawksbill turtles, nudibranchs, scorpionfish, frogfish, lionfish, soft corals, shrimps and seahorses. The interest is in the change of scale: one dive may be a turtle over a coral slope, the next a camouflaged frogfish or a nudibranch on black sand. Apo Island is the place for animals and reef life not recorded elsewhere on this route, including reef sharks, garden eels, jacks and extensive hard coral. House Reef is the named site for anguilliform eels, squid and octopus. Eva's Point is where a patient macro diver looks for pygmy seahorses. Catmon Point is the specific site associated with whale sharks, while Toscana is the place for angelfish, surgeonfish and damselfish. These are possibilities, not promises; current, visibility and animal behaviour decide what appears on a given dive. The route's strength is that the habitat keeps changing, so a missed subject at one site is not the end of the search.

Thresher Shark →

Alopias pelagicus / Alopias vulpinus

Whale Shark →

Rhincodon typus

Seahorse →

Hippocampus

Nudibranch →

Nudibranchia

Hawksbill Turtle →

Eretmochelys imbricata

Lionfish →

Pterois volitans

The dive team consists of internationally certified instructors and Divemasters, with captains and crew licensed as required locally. English and Russian are spoken on board. Atlantis works with small dive groups, no more than six divers in its regular guided operation, allowing a guide to spend time looking rather than simply leading a line. Briefings cover the site and the marine life worth searching for, which is particularly useful in Dauin's black-sand muck where the best subjects can be smaller than a thumb. Infiniti requires a minimum age of 15, Advanced Open Water certification and 25 logged dives. Personal dive accident insurance is required for the charter. Oxygen, first-aid kits, radios, satellite and mobile communication, GPS, radar, sonar, a locating beacon and fire equipment are carried. A defibrillator and a specific recall system are not listed. Diving courses and specialties are available through Atlantis, including Nitrox training, but a course is not part of the standard dive package.

The dive deck is shaded and laid out for repeated gear-up and water entries, with personal storage, rinse tanks and a dedicated platform. Nitrox is available through a Nuvair membrane system and low-pressure compressor, alongside air; the yacht carries cascade storage for both gases. DIN adaptors are available. Infiniti has multiple compressors, so filling is part of the boat's own operation rather than a shore-side interruption. Photographers get the most complete setup: a dedicated camera room with work surfaces, shelves, drawers, charging stations, media screens and fresh-water tanks for camera equipment. Hot-water showers are available after diving, and separate camera rinsing prevents housings and regulators sharing the same wash. Tenders support diver transfers between the yacht and sites, while the main platform handles boarding and exits. Tank material and volume, rental-equipment brands, SMB provision and the number of tenders are not stated, so they should not be assumed.

Between dives, the best place is the partially covered terrace, where loungers and tables give a choice between shade, sun and a view of the next anchorage. The air-conditioned saloon is the retreat when the deck becomes too warm, with a library, films, music and board games rather than a timetable of organised entertainment. Photographers have a more practical refuge in the dedicated camera room, where equipment can be charged, cleaned and checked without taking over the living spaces. Snorkellers and non-divers can use the boat's water access and relax while the divers are below. On cruising legs, the yacht moves between sites rather than wasting the transfer on a resort change, and evenings may be spent on deck looking at the sky or listening to a destination presentation. The quiet hours are therefore genuinely useful: recover, work on images, eat, then go back in.

A liveaboard day starts before the first dive briefing, with the compressor already doing the work and divers moving from breakfast to gear without a long shore transfer. The first dive is followed by food, rinsing, drying and a proper pause before the next briefing. Further dives are placed through the day, with meals and snacks keeping the gaps short; night diving is available where the itinerary and conditions allow. Between sites, the yacht cruises onward while divers rest on the shaded terrace, work in the camera room or retreat to the saloon. The important rhythm is not a printed clock: briefing, dive, recovery, eat, repeat, then a quieter evening when the boat is under way. A marine-life talk, destination presentation or image show may fill that last stretch before sleep. On embarkation day, boarding is at 4 pm; disembarkation is at 7 am after the final night aboard.

Meals are freshly prepared and served as part of a full-board day, with buffet service, local and Western cooking, vegetarian choices and snacks available throughout the day. The food is one of Infiniti's strongest points: passengers consistently come back to the quality and variety, which matters when the table has to support several dives rather than simply fill an evening. Non-alcoholic drinks, tea and coffee are available, and beer, wine and local rum are served for social occasions; wine at dinner is included. The bar stays open between dives, so a snack or cold drink does not depend on a formal meal time. The kitchen can accommodate dietary requirements. That combination gives the day a useful shape: eat before the next dive, eat again when the gear is rinsed, then sit down properly when the boat is settled for the evening.

The cabins are on the lower deck, with porthole windows and private bathrooms rather than resort-style balconies or large land-facing views. Premium Deluxe cabins are the more spacious choice, while Deluxe Triple and Deluxe Twin cabins use bunk-style arrangements suited to sharing. Every cabin is air-conditioned, non-smoking and equipped with its own bathroom, hot-water shower, hairdryer and shower gel. The point of the layout is not to imitate a hotel room; it is to give wet divers a private place to sleep, shower and dry out between dives. The air-conditioned saloon and the broad terrace take the pressure off the cabins during the day, especially when cameras, towels and dive bags are in use. At night, the porthole gives a small connection to the water outside, while the yacht's engine and movement remain part of sleeping aboard a working vessel.

Infiniti departs from Atlantis Dumaguete in Dauin and returns to Dauin on the recorded Visayas North, South and West departures. Airport and hotel transfers can be arranged as optional extras; the usual arrival support runs through Manila and onward to Dumaguete. Arriving in the area the night before is sensible, leaving time for any flight or road delay before the 4 pm embarkation.