Archives: TripAdvisor Review

Great conditions, great location, friendly and helpful staff.

I was training for deep freediving in Panglao for 2 weeks and felt very pleased that I chose Freedive Academy Panglao as my destination. With an easy 2 minute swim to 70+ meters of depth and a 5-minute swim to 130 meters with little to no current, 35+ meters vis and usually calm surface conditions; it’s safe to say conditions couldn’t get much better. It was a great location for training, and I improved very rapidly thanks to the conditions and very accommodating staff. Freedivers are picky and usually, OCD (myself for sure) and the staff accommodated all of my sometimes small but important requests with no questions asked, in order to make me feel like I had everything I needed to achieve my training plan. With everything available from the pool for static and dynamic to pure O2 for recovery for deep dives; I will definitely be a return customer at Freedive Academy Panglao.

Fun and exciting freediving experience.

My 1st freediving experience was full of fun and excitement. Edwin, my instructor, was able to explain all the necessary information. With 1 full day of learning, I am able to hit my target. The place is so nice, clean and big with very friendly staff. I will definitely come back to fo my level 1. Thank you Freedive Academy Panglao and hope to see you all soon.

Good training facility.

Timely and responsive service. The instruction was excellent, and just the right level of technical and practical information.

Quality instruction.

I went last year to get certified as a Basic Freediving Instructor. Vincent, the owner of Freedive Academy Panglao, is an excellent mentor and instructor, and he was very professional. The resort itself was awesome and very accommodating but what really stood out was the quality of teaching. The Basic Freediving Instructor course is only a 1-day course if you are already an SSI Assistant Instructor or higher in the SCUBA side of things. Vincent made sure to take time and explain teaching techniques worked with us 1 on 1 on coaching methods.

Good stuff!

Great facilities, training team and freediving experience!

My brother and I booked a 1-day SSI introduction to freediving course on May 24, 2018, at Freedive Academy Panglao. We took our scooters and drove through the lush green jungle to get there at 8:30 am. Upon arrival, we were warmly greeted by Vincent, the Dutch owner of the academy and our instructor for the day, Patrick, hailing from Belgium.

The academy is nicely integrated into a quality hotel. The buildings are modern and there is a nice pool in the middle. The courses are given in an air-conditioned classroom with big bay windows.

The 1-day course is well built and has a good balance between theory and practice. The theoretical SSI materials for our course level covered important (and very interesting) aspects of the sport such as physiological changes, breathing techniques, safety precautions, gear specifics, etc.

Our instructor Patrick is a really cool guy that knows his stuff. He’s great at teaching complicated subjects while keeping it fun. We could tell that he loves to share his passion for freediving. He was always available to answer our questions, even if they were dumb or unrelated to freediving. We really enjoyed getting insights from a seasoned freediver like him.

Before lunch, we had a pool session where we got comfortable with our gear and learned how to hold our breaths longer and fin with proper technique. We were also taught how to perform a rescue.

Later that afternoon we went to the ocean for our first dives and oh my….what a spectacle! The topography of the ocean floor there is unique and cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Barely 10 meters from the shore, the ocean bed falls into a beautiful vertical coral wall. It’s very hard to describe in words how mesmerising the site is.

Our ocean session was very successful and a total blast. We learned how to duck dive, how to fin properly along the line, how to properly do recovery breaths, and more! Both my brother and I feel like we learned a lot and that we are much more confident divers.

I recommend Freedive Academy Panglao without hesitations. It’s a great way to spend your time in Panglao, and it’s well worth your money. Thanks guys for a great time! See you soon.

Perfect place to train.

At the beginning of May, I completed my SSI Level 2 freedive at Freedive Academy Panglao with Patrick as my instructor. The location is perfect with a drop right on the doorstep going down to 25m and very quickly to depths for those much more capable than me! The school is relaxed and professional with lots of space. Patrick is a very patient instructor with a huge wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion for the sport. When I was struggling with certain aspects, especially my relaxation, it was very useful for him telling me his approach, how he overcame certain problems and discussing different techniques. He has high attention to detail and helps improve even the smallest flaw in technique. He helped me a lot with my body position in freefall and finning technique among many other things. I came out of the course a much better and safer freediver. It was a pleasure being coached learning at Freedive Academy Panglao, and I will definitely come back again. Bring on level 3! See you in the deep blue 🙂

One of the best places in the world to learn and practice freediving.

I came here in October 2017 to practice freediving, and I improved my performances drastically in no time. 7 months later, I am still here… The water conditions are just amazing. It’s simply one of the best places in the world to practice and learn freediving. The school is run by Vincent, who is a great person. The school philosophy is based on high-quality services, you will get everything you expect and more. For a beginner course, there is a 25m drop off just 10m from the shore, so no need to take a boat, and you can learn freediving next to a colourful cliff full of fish and coral, this is unique in the world.

For advanced freedivers, there is an 85m mooring line less than 100m from the shore that you can access anytime you want… perfect for deep training! If you are interested in training with world-class competitors, just come and join the master course program!

We can also regularly observe diverse marine life like Mantas, Whale sharks, Dolphins, and even Whales coming to visit the place. Water temperature varies between 27°C to 31°C, and there is weak to no current. Between December and March, it can become a bit choppy during the day, but it is almost always very quiet in the morning. It is very rare that we cannot dive, it happens maybe in total 10 days during the year.

Last but not least, the island of Panglao is a little paradise. It’s green, quiet, Philipino people are friendly and welcoming, they speak English, the roads are new, you’ll find a good gym around, some malls and cinemas 20 minutes away in Tagbilaran city, and a good nightlife, nice bars, and restaurants in Alona, with also decent vegetarian options. And life is cheaper than in Thailand.

Well, I had planned to visit all the Philippines, and it has been almost impossible for me to leave the island so far… ^^

So, do not hesitate to come here, just watch the video to discover the place, and you’ll understand!

See you soon 🙂

SSI Freediving Level 1 and 2

I took the level 1 SSI freediving course to see what it was all about and ended up loving freediving. Patrick was very professional taught a great course. I liked it so much. I took level two. Patrick was patient and taught me not just the course material but other ways to be a better freediver. Vincent, the manager, was very accommodating and helpful. I would really recommend it for any level.

Perfect place for freediving

This place is perfect to learn freediving from a beginner level to a professional level.

It’s also perfect for already qualified freedivers who want to train. 100m+ available close from the shore, don’t even need a boat and the conditions are always pretty good. The reef is also pretty nice, and I’ve been lucky enough to see whale sharks, pilot whales, dolphins, and even a blue whale since I’m there.

And in bonus, a very friendly team and nice people are living there.

I’ve already spent more than 6 months there, and I’m still not planning to leave.

Probably one of the best freediving spots in the world!

If you love freediving, you have to visit this place. You can go at any time in the water because there is no boat ride needed. They have unlimited depth just in swimming distance direct of the resort. The conditions are amazing, I came in April and had perfect conditions until October – super flat waters, awesome visibility 40m+ and 30 degrees of water temperature. After October, the conditions are still great compared to other locations. That means water temperature goes down to 26 degrees and a few waves but still very enjoyable dives. I am here for 6 months now, and I couldn’t dive on 2 days only.

You can come just for a course or stay longer and enjoy the master training program. Or you decide to become an instructor. They teach all the way up to the highest level in SSI freediving – the SSI Instructor Trainer.

On your days off you can visit some of the great beaches or restaurants on the island. Panglao has it all, or you drive to the city on your scooter where big shopping malls are (they air all new movies in the cinema for only $2). You can buy local food and fresh vegetables, and you will be welcomed by the locals everywhere with a big smile.

I don’t want to leave