Panglao, Philippines

It’s More Fun in the Philippines!

Experience the Philippines!

It’s more fun and experience the Philippines are the two most famous quotes in the Philippines, and they’re true! The same goes for Freediving in the Philippines – you have to experience it! There are very good and understandable reasons why freediving in the Philippines has gotten so popular, especially freediving in Panglao. We’ll get to the dive and living conditions in a bit, but first, a little bit more information about the things that make the Philippines a must-visit destination for travellers and freedivers.

The People of the Philippines and their 7107 Tropical and Spectacular Islands!

We wanted to start this page with the number 1 reason to visit the page, but we couldn’t… Every day we wake up to the sounds of geckos, frogs and other mystical nature sounds. We walk outside of our bungalow and are greeted by palm trees, banana trees and coconut trees. And each morning on the porch of our home, the cool ocean breeze reminds us that we live in paradise. At the center, we do our morning stretching and yoga. With a short walk, we’re at the ocean side, where we are looking out over the flattest open ocean freediving dive spot you have ever seen in your life. The ocean is flat as a mirror, and then when you see a small pod of dolphins passing by, you know, it doesn’t get better than this; it is paradise.

The Philippines is a massive country. With a size larger than countries like Spain or the UK, it can comfortably house the +100 million Filipinos – the kindest, loving, helpful and warmest people you’ll ever meet in your life! But the country offers much more than ‘just’ fantastic conditions for freediving and beautiful people.

Because of its enormous size, the biodiversity in the Philippines is simply incredible. The country has jungles, mountains, volcanic islands, swamps, white, black and red sandy beaches. And interesting for us freedivers; enormous ocean drop-offs going to hundreds of meters depth almost immediately from shore. All of this results in on-land riches of animals and plants, almost just as incredible as the underwater world of the Philippines. In the Philippines, you will find the adorable yet equally creepy Mouse-Deer. You will see unique birds and parrots – 620 species, to be exact! But you will also find colourful butterflies and Carabao’s, the Asian Water Buffalo, on every island. Are you looking for something cuter than the Carabao? No problem. At about 30 minutes with a scooter away from our center, in our province Bohol you will find the national pride, the Tarsier monkey. The Philippines’ wildlife, big and small, is simply amazing.

Let’s continue with the climate of the Philippines. It doesn’t matter which month you visit the Philippines – it is always flip-flops and shorts weather! Even in the rainy season, the temperatures are still high and will never drop below 30C. And talking about the rainy season people get fearful talking about ‘The rain season’, but there’s no need for regarding the Philippines. The rainy season slowly starts in September or October and ends in about February. Usually, you won’t get more than 1 or 2 hours of rain per day, and this is mostly at night, but then when it rains, it really, really, really rains. But don’t worry, with the outside temperature of +30C, you will be dried up within no time – and flip-flops are made to get wet anyway 😉 Whether you come in January, May or December, the sun in the Philippines is always shining bright!

Spectacular Freediving in the Philippines!

With Panglao Island as the Freedive Capital of Asia!

Panglao, labelled by many as ‘The Freedive Capital of Asia’, is a beautiful green island. Panglao is connected via two bridges to the larger island of Bohol and is located in the Central Visayas Region of South-Central Philippines. It is one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines, and that is not for no reason.

The island enjoys a tropical climate all year round. We are based on the Northside of Panglao Island, and because we’re ‘protected’ by the much larger islands of Cebu and Bohol, we are often spared from wind, waves and strong currents. This makes us enjoy perfect freediving conditions nearly all year round. And as one of the only few center’s in the Philippines – pretty much Asia – we can dive without any depth limitations at our fixed dive lines, just a short swim from shore.

Panglao is renowned for its beautiful green everywhere! It’s stunning coral reefs, incredible dive spots, white sandy beaches, and numerous hangouts all nature lovers will enjoy. So is Bohol, for example, home of the world-famous nature park, the Chocolate Hills, known for its extraordinary landscape.

Aside from its natural beauty, Bohol has many historical and cultural riches dating back to the Spanish colonial era. Limestone churches, museums and monuments such as the Blood Compact Shrine are all awe-inspiring and worth visiting.

Panglao hotels and resorts offer their guests high-standard accommodations/services, modern amenities, and top-class facilities. The serenity of the whole island makes Panglao a perfect place for unwinding and relaxation. Whether you’re a budget diver or want a more luxurious freediving vacation, the Freedive Academy Panglao will make your stay an escape to paradise where you can have the best and most comfortable stay you could ever wish for.

But besides the near-perfect diving conditions, the island has become popular with freedivers because of the many high-quality restaurants and lively nightlife of the island. Whether you like your steaks on a grill, pasta, or organic vegan and vegetarian food, Panglao has it all!

How is the Freediving in Panglao, and what are the Dive Conditions?!

The freediver travels to Panglao directly from Manilla to Panglao International Airport or via Cebu International Airport. From Cebu, it’s a short 20-minute flight or a 2-hour ferry, and both options are possible many times a day. It’s a 1-hour flight from Manilla. And then, when the freediver arrives in paradise Panglao, checks in at one of the many budget or deluxe resorts, or visits the center after he found his resort, it’s time for a swim. The freediving center is located only 300 meters from the entry point, reefs and dive lines.

We have fixed dive and surface lines. With a 15-meter swim, we have 50-meter depth. We use this first ‘shallow’ fixed-line for the freediving courses, but we can cater to all deep divers with our 80 and 130-meter lines. And because of the center’s ideal and unique location on the island, we rarely have any current. We are very, very, very (!) proud to say that we are the ONLY center in the world with a fixed 130-meter buoy – we love our drop-off!! And whether you need a 20, 30, 80 or 120-meter line with us, you grab a buoy at the ocean side and swim out. With us, you don’t have to worry about the session times of other freedivers.

We don’t need a taxi or pickup truck to get to the ocean side. With 130-meter fixed lines without much current, year-round water temperatures of around 30°C, most days around 30 and up to 40-meter visibility, and a fantastic house reef, with the rare mantas, dolphins, whales and whale sharks visitors, freediving doesn’t get better than this.