Muni on this:
What if you could travel, dive, maybe spot a couple of huge sea turtles, hang out with a bunch of awesome people, and help keep our sea and beach clean at the same time?
It sounds too good to be true, we know, but Liquid Dumaguete, a dive resort in Dauin, Dumaguete owned by husband and wife team Tim & Zoe Latimer has recently begun this great initiative scheduled every first Sunday of the month called Sunday Funday.
Having only started in December 2012, Sunday Funday has gotten great reception from past participants and eager future participants, and we’re glad that Muni got to be a part of it this February!
So what exactly goes on in a Sunday Funday? Lots!
At 2pm, Dive Instructor Adam Detre briefing participating divers about the importance of the clean-up dive and the day’s dive plan (Photo c/o Liquid Dumaguete)
Tim Latimer rounding up the non-divers: kids, guests, and other Dumaguete locals for the beach cleanup, and joking that the divers would get to do a fun dive while the rest would have to sweat it out on the beach, but we prefer to think of it as a fun scavenger hunt for the kids 😛 (Photo c/o Liquid Dumaguete)
First dive team back with sacks of trash from their dive and trash from the beach cleanup (Photo c/o Liquid Dumaguete)
While on the cleanup dive, we managed to spot 2 huge sea turtles, felt embarrassed that our rubbish was invading their homes, but also glad that we were there to help clean up.
When the rest of the divers got back from their own clean-up dives, it was now time for the free discover SCUBA course at the pool for basically anyone who’s curious about getting into diving but are still hesitant about committing to the full course.
The now certified Dive Instructors Saila Kitola and Julia Firsova, along with Adam to briefly teach the new folk about diving (Photo c/o Liquid Dumaguete)
After getting introduced into diving with such warm and capable instructors, it wouldn’t surprise us if Liquid suddenly got several new students to sign up for Open Water Diver courses!
A lot has happened at this point, but the fun doesn’t end there. At 5pm, Dive Instructor Jim Thompson leads a rather challenging environmental quiz created by Zoe. This month’s theme was all about the world’s oceans and seas, with both guests and staff participating.
Muni is also very thankful to Zoe for giving us a chance to talk about cutting the crap and consuming consciously, just some of the causes we champion at Muni. After all, even if Liquid continues on with their Sunday Fundays once a month, the amount of trash we produce on a daily basis is far greater than the amount we’re able to collect during cleanups, so really, one of the best ways to keep our seas and beaches clean is to reduce the amount of trash we produce.
At the end of our share, we threw a trivia question at the audience based on our “presentation” to win a beach-friendly beach blanket from Lagu! Congratulations to Al for correctly answering that a whopping 15.5 dump trucks worth of sand were unintentionally eroded from the beaches of Boracay in 2011!
Al with his fabulous beach-friendly Lagu, which is now available in limited quantities at the Liquid Dumaguete Dive Shop
When asked about their decision to initiate Sunday Funday, Zoe shares, “Our primary motivation was to try to educate locals and tourists about the plight of the ocean. The amount of debris we see every day is astounding and really does not take much to make a difference. The main problem this country has is the lack of understanding about garbage and what happens when you drop that plastic wrapper out of the jeepney window! We are trying trough our Sunday Fundays to try and make people – locals and tourists alike – understand the need to be more aware about theirevery day habits. After all without the ocean to support us we will not be here.”
Liquid Dumaguete’s common area and undoubtedly one of the best places to hang out in Dauin 🙂
Apart from Sunday Funday, Tim and Zoe also envisioned Liquid as a place where they can help the local community by providing livelihood and in effect teaching them about the value of our natural resources, at a resort constructed with as much natural materials and as little concrete as possible, with a dive shop that also supports local enterprises.
Newly painted wall mural by artist-environmentalist AG Sano who was just at Liquid the week before!
“We fell in love with the Philippines back in 2004 when we first came here. We loved the attitudes and constantly smiling faces of the locals and for me the emphasis on family values is huge, and I hope that through living here, my children will grow up understanding the importance of family. Plus the diving and lifestyle here is amazing”, Zoe adds. “We have had the pleasure of living and working in many different countries around the world. From the Caribbean to Asia to Europe and though each country has something amazing to offer, our hearts have always been in the Philippines.”
Adorable dive shop secretary Nez and dive instructor Adam with a map of dive sites in the area
The always smiling and funny boat crew who convinced us to take a photo of sleeping dive master Jun
As Filipinos, we shouldn’t have to wait for people from other countries to tell us about how beautiful our country really is, how rich we are with natural resources and good people, and how we should properly value and take care of that, but I’m sure glad that Zoe and Tim are among those people who are helping make more Filipinos realize that.
I’d been to Liquid last year, and it’s definitely the type of place one would love to come home to, Sunday Funday or not, for its relaxed, homey atmosphere, warm staff, and quite literally breathtaking seascapes (both above and below sea level).
The view of Apo Island with boat ladders as leading lines
Stunning sunrise (with a bit of a crescent moon still hanging around) at Liquid Dumaguete
Planning your next trip? Consider booking it at Liquid Dumaguete on the first Sunday of the month!
Liquid Dumaguete
KM 12 Bulak, Dauin
Negros Oriental, Philippines 6200
+63917-314 1778
info@liquiddumaguete.com
www.liquiddumaguete.com
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