A New Philosophy, a New Direction, A New Center with Bungalows.
The Best Freediving Center in the World, Sounds all Nice and Fancy, but What Does it Mean…
It came as a shock to the people who we told the news first.
Are you really splitting up the business? Yes, we are.
We started in Panglao in 2015, and in early 2019, we moved to a new location, but in mid-2019, we split up FREEDIVE+. For different reasons, but most of all, because of a different way of thinking.
On September 1st, 2019, the entire international team left the old center and moved into a new and incredible academy.
We thought about it long and hard; we didn’t want to be the biggest anymore. We need to be better, we need to be different, and we need to do it our way.
What makes the Best Freediving Center in the World?
Highly Skilled Instructors, a Great Facility, Premium Freediving Gear and Teaching Materials, and a Fantastic Location!
Do you want the best? Good! Because we’ve built you the best-equipped freediving education center in the world! The academy is incredible. We build native bamboo bungalows to experience the island life fully. We have a fantastic outside lounge and divers area. All classrooms are fully equipped with the most modern teaching tools. We extended the pool to a two-lane 25-meter competition pool with shallow water static area. And the gear we use for diving is the best available in the market. We are very happy with how things are coming along in Panglao.
You can breathe again – it’s official! We just won another Travellers Choice Award!
After two years of pandemic and lockdowns, a super typhoon, the Academy, Panglao, and international traveling seem to be bouncing back really well. Seeing all the smiling faces in and around the shop is quite unbelievable – the diving is excellent, and the vibes in Panglao are incredible!
We feel very, very blessed to receive such great feedback and reviews from all our customers – a big thank you to all of you! It’s highly appreciated!!!! And we’re not the only ones noticing all the positive feedback. TripAdvisor also noticed, and they awarded us the TripAdvisor Travellers Choice Award 2022! To all of you who took the time to leave your reviews and feedback.
Thank you, you are incredible!
Please continue sharing your feedback and photos on TripAdvisor, Facebook, Google, and don’t forget to give your instructor or coach some kudos. It will make their day for sure!
The Freedive Academy Panglao and Eco-Friendly Apnea Sports Resort!
Teaching Areas:
2 ‘smaller’ classrooms suited for four students – but with plenty of space left to accommodate at least eight students each.
1 larger Instructor Training classroom suited for ten students built for our SSI Instructor Courses, AIDA Instructor Courses and the Molchanovs Instructor Courses and Workshops.
We have a bamboo canopy with relax area and deck directly pool-side, which we use for our scheduled yoga classes, stretching sessions and occasional pranayama and meditation classes.
Pool Area:
We extended the swimming pool to a two-lane 25-meter pool with shallow water static area. The pool has comfortable shallow-water sitting areas for spectators or those who want to chill out in the pool :). From time to time, we’ll still travel to the 50-meter Olympic pool in Tagbilaran via a 20-minute scooter ride.
Open Air Gym and Exercise Area:
We have a small (but big enough) outdoor gym equipped with several home trainers for apnea cycling and apnea rowing. We added a corner for dumbbell training and other basic strength training. The outdoor area has a TRX setup, gym and balancing balls, battle ropes, and a pull-up bar. This gym is free for those joining us for master training or anyone who does a freediving course with us.
9 Large Native Bamboo Bungalows:
The first five bamboo sports bungalows are finished, and they look incredible. The final four bungalows will be built during the low season of 2024. All bamboo bungalows have high-grade heat isolation. They also all have ventilators, a private bathroom with toilet and shower, a whiteboard for scheduling your training, and a mini-refrigerator, and each has its own dedicated high-speed fiber internet connection.
The Building, and What’s Next.
And, of course, the remainder of the facility is top-notch too. We have a big reception, lounge, shop area, a nice office, showers, and locker rooms. Furthermore, we have several shaded outside areas for people to hang out and chill (read; sleep) after their sessions. Everything that a proper dive center needs to operate efficiently.
We are currently developing a second property 300 meters down the road from the academy. This property is located about 50 meters from the ocean. It will function as a satellite shop for the big academy with a retail shop selling more freediving gear, will house the canoe and paddle board rental, and with an office here too, our Bohol tour business will be operated from here.
Our Big Next Project; the Restaurant!
The next big project is the opening of our brand new restaurant, The Bottom Plate, which, because of COVID-19, we had to postpone. We will serve primarily local and organic, strictly vegetarian and vegan meals that look spectacular and are each super healthy and perfect for athletes, seekers of depth, and adventurers.
The restaurant will be located at the satellite location on the main road to the famous Napaling Reef. Hopefully, by mid-2024, the academy and the second shop will be finished, and we will have the most incredible dive center and much more we could ever hope for.
We are building something incredible on a fantastic island, but there will be some inconveniences from time to time.
We immediately apologize for this. We want you to be part of it. Please bear with us 🙂
A final big big big thank you!
You, our customer, gave us the belief we could actually pull this off. You came by the hundreds and loved what we were doing. Thank you for everything! You freaking rock!
And big big big thank you to our instructors, staff, and interns. With well over 20 staff members worldwide, we are a big dive center, but thanks to you, we were able to keep the family and personal atmosphere. You are the Freedive Academy Panglao, and we couldn’t be happier with our freediving family! Thank you!
And the investors. Thank you for your trust in our plans, dreams, wishes, and goals – it’s truly incredible! We are proud to call you our friends!
* We’ll continue to update this page with the developments of the center. The last page update was in May 2023.
