Around 250 scuba diving enthusiasts are expected to take part in the Dauin Dive Festival in Dauin, Negros Oriental, scheduled from June 25 to 29.
In a press conference on Wednesday, Mayor Galicano Truita announced that this year’s festival will mark a shift, as it will be spearheaded by the private sector for the first time, unlike previous years when the government led the initiative.
For the past four years, the event was known as the Dive 7 Festival, organized by the Department of Tourism in Central Visayas.
Following the creation of the Negros Island Region—which re-assigned Negros Oriental, Siquijor, and Negros Occidental—the event was rebranded.
“I suggested renaming it to Dive Dauin Festival, and the Negros Oriental Divers’ Association [NORDA] agreed,” said Truita.
He added that future editions will adopt the name International Dauin Dive Festival, reflecting its growing global reach and its role in boosting local tourism.
The five-day festival will feature an underwater photography competition, and a coastal and underwater cleanup.
NORDA President Glenn Carballo confirmed the participation of international divers from Japan, Korea, Italy, and other countries.
Woodrow Maquiling Jr., Provincial Tourism executive director, welcomed the transition to a private-led event, saying it helps keep the festival “insulated from political propaganda.”
NORDA Vice-President Reggie Reyes said that aside from the dive festival activities, a new event is in the making that will involve shooting underwater with mobile phones.
“There is an emerging interest for a sponsor-driven activity that will have the same concept of competition but then with the use of cellphones because it is now possible to use these underwater,” Reyes said. (Judy F. Partlow)
