Off-gasing Day Trip Tip: Valencia

As a scuba diver you know that when you dive, your body absorbs nitrogen. If you come up too fast, or do a dive which is too long & deep, this nitrogen can form harmful bubbles in your body and you are “bent”. What constitutes too long & deep a dive is what your dive computer or your dive tables tell you. And: Not only do you need to be careful with your dive depth & times, but you also have to avoid flying in an airplane after diving. The reduced pressure in the airplane cabin causes bubbles to form more easily. PADI recommends not flying 12 hours after one dive, and 18 hours after multiple dives. If you train to become a diver with us, you’ll learn about all of that in some detail.

But fortunately the island of Negros, where Salaya is located, is also really interesting on land and you will have things to do on your off-gasing day. The island is geologically rather young, and still volcanically active – it’s on the Philippine Mobile Belt, between the Eurasian and the Philippine sea tectonic plates. The Canlaon volcano in the south of the island shows regular, minor activity (far enough from us so that it won’t affect your vacation!). As a consequence of this volcanic activity, Negros has many of those fascinating hot geothermal vents. Inlands from Dumaguete, up in the mountains in Valencia, you can see steam emerging from the rocks, and nearby you can take a very comfortable dip in the iron/sulfur rich hotsprings.

Here is a little video of a trip to the volcanic vents, and the Red Rock Hotspring in Valencia: