What Better Place to Change Your Life

Then on a Tropical Island like Panglao

Vincent is Leading all the Freediving Development Programs

We might very well have one of the world’s most robust professional development programs. Our very own Freedive Academy founder is responsible for the company’s business development and all the freedive instructor training programs.

“Our objective isn’t to get you certified. We aim to have you leave here as a knowledgable, highly skilled, and well-trained professional ready to take on their new life!”

The team has a hunger for learning and a passion for knowledge. With hard work and a love for the oceans, we build an incredible base for development programs. At the Freedive Academy Panglao, we can teach Molchanovs Instructor courses, AIDA Instructor Courses, all SSI Freedive Instructor levels, almost all Freediving Speciality Instructor courses, all SSI Swim Teacher Levels, all Mermaid Instructor courses, the React Right First Aid and Emergency First Responder Instructor courses and all Life Guard Levels. Become a Pro in Panglao, and you’ll have an adventure of a lifetime.

Changing your Lifestyle Has Never Been So Much Fun!

Learning, Developing New Skills, and Gaining Experience in a Tropical Paradise!

Maybe you want to do an Instructor Course to gain new knowledge. Perhaps you want to do a course to teach your friends how to freedive. Or maybe you are done with your life back home, and are you looking for opportunities to change your lifestyle? There are many, many, many reasons why you could take an instructor course. Regardless of your motivation, when you decide to do a course, you want to do it at a proper development center. Travel to Panglao and train with skilled professionals and very experienced instructor trainers. At the Freedive Academy Panglao in Bohol, Philippines, you will find that special place you are looking for.

Being based on Panglao Island offers excellent opportunities for instructor development programs. First, Panglao is a luscious green island covered by palm, coconut, and banana trees. Driving around the island on your scooter with shorts and flip-flops almost immediately makes you experience the flip-flop freediver lifestyle. The island has excellent facilities and restaurants and offers cheap but high-quality, long-term stay housing.

Furthermore, the groceries are cheap but very nice. The Filipino people are very friendly, caring, and welcoming, and arranging and extending a Visa is super easy in the Philippines – much easier than in any other Asian country.

The Freedive Academy is located on the North Side of the island – the beautiful, quiet, green, and non-tourist side with year-round near-perfect diving conditions!

The freediving center and facilities are brand-new and top-notch – designed by freedivers for freedivers!

Right in the middle of the academy ground, we have a two-lane, 25-meter pool with a shallow water static area and sitting area, making the pool perfect for your instructor courses. It is ideal for the instructor course pool presentations and dynamic and static training. We’ve built you a very nice shaded outside chill-out area with a bamboo canopy. This pool-side terras has wall fans, nice tropical tunes playing on the speakers, and a big couch where we regularly have people sleeping on – this is how you know you are at a good freediving center – we have people sleeping everywhere :).We use the same area for our stretching sessions and our gym equipment. Although it’s not too much gym equipment, the rowing and cycling machines, the dumbles, the TRX setup, battle ropes, and gym balls make it the perfect environment for your apnea training. Inside the academy, we have the reception with a living room with a seating area, a retail shop, the kitchen and upstairs, and a large and dedicated instructor course classroom specifically designed for the long and intense instructor courses. Each of our classrooms is fully equipped with all the possible presentation tools you might need for your courses and presentations.

We’re located about 300 meters from shore. When we go to the ocean entry via shuttle or scooter, it’s only with a 15-meter swim – we’re literally crossing the famous Napaling shoal of Panglao sardines every day before we reach our first fixed dive lines. We have lines ready for you with depths of -50, -80, and -130 meters for those belonging to the world top. With year-round near-perfect diving conditions, freediving doesn’t get better than this. The water temperature ranges from 26 – 31C, and the visibility is usually around 30 meters and goes up to an easy 40 meters – we even had a few 50-meter days! With excellent year-round diving conditions, we can be very flexible and plan our course schedules wisely. With us, you will get the most out of your course.

This is what it will be like to do a freediving course with us.

Please note that this video was shot at our first location. We still dive at the same incredible Napaling Reef with the sardines but moved about 300 meters down the road to a brand-new and fully equipped dive center with bungalows and a two-lane 25-meter pool.

We run SSI Freediving Instructor Courses almost Every Month!

Because we’re a true Professional Freedive Instructor, Swim Teacher, and Mermaid Instructor Development center, so we can run different Freediving Instructor Courses and Swim Teacher Courses monthly. The below SSI programs are available, and we can offer them all as long term programs, including freediving internships with free housing and free staff lunches.

SSI Basic Instructor Course (SSI Scuba Instructor Cross Over)
SSI Freediving Assistant Instructor Course
SSI Freediving Instructor and Advanced Freediving Instructor Course (Level 1 and 2)
SSI Performance Instructor (Level 3) Upgrade
Freedive Instructor Cross Overs

Zero to Hero Freediving Program
Freedive Instructor Internship
Swim Teacher and Freediving Instructor Combo
Mermaid Instructor and Freediving Instructor Combo

You are choosing the Right Agency for your Freedive Instructor Course!

At the Freedive Academy, we teach SSI, AIDA, and Molchanovs Instructor courses. This page outlines the differences between the different freediving Instructor courses.

When we started the dive center in Panglao in 2015, we primarily taught the Scuba Schools International systems courses. Starting with the SSI Freediving Courses and system was a great decision – it greatly benefited the start of our dive center.

SSI has 50 years of experience teaching scuba courses since 1970 and has been teaching freediving since 2008 via progressive courses for both recreational and professional levels. SSI is the only agency in the world that conducts its classes using international ISO standards, guaranteeing safe practices, standards, and continuous high quality.

As an instructor, dive professional, or, like we were, a starting dive shop, you can count on SSI for support. You will have a global agency backing you up when you have questions. And your students will get their study material via their website or the MySSI mobile app. It was clear from the start that we couldn’t find a better partner than SSI.

Change your Lifestyle! Move to a Tropical Island!

At the Freedive Academy Panglao, we offer many possibilities to become a pro-freediver. We provide different instructor courses at all levels. We can offer them as a package with training and housing included. You can start a Zero to Hero program at any time. Or you can join our Freediving Instructor Internship, where you immediately gain experience working as a Freediving Instructor.

You’ll surely love what Panglao offers regardless of which package you choose!

Fill in the form today; check the possibilities. Usually, you’ll have an answer within hours.

Name*
First Last
Email*
Phone / WhatsApp
Interested in*
Estimated Arrival Date*

The SSI Freediving Instructor Course!

Do you want to become a Professional? Then your Training Starts Here!

People who want to change their lifestyle or gain more knowledge about freediving start with this course. It’s the 10-day SSI FITC or SSI Freediving Instructor Training Course, an extensive course suitable for the three different entry-level instructor levels.

If you start this course, for example, after your advanced freediving course (SSI Level 2), you can become an SSI Freediving Instructor, previously called the Level 1 Freediving Instructor. If you have finished your SSI performance freediving course (SSI Level 3), you can become an SSI Advanced Freediving Instructor – previously called the SSI Level 2 Instructor. We aim to make everyone an SSI Advanced Freediving Instructor – being able to teach more freediving courses will give you greater flexibility as an instructor or future shop owner. But if you start after your advanced freediving course (Level 2) or have difficulty with some of the skills requirements, you can first focus on becoming an SSI (Level 1) Freediving Instructor. Again, it’s the same course; you can even switch levels at the beginning of the course. And then later on, when you have a bit more experience, you can easily upgrade from SSI Freediving Instructor to SSI Advanced Freediving Instructor.

We often organize these instructor courses in Panglao. Candidates must have a valid CPR, AED, First Aid, and Oxygen Provider certificate. Before the course, the candidate must complete the Instructor Training record with a statement of understanding, a liability release, and an SSI Dive Professional Agreement. Furthermore, the student must have a medical statement not older than one year old and signed off by a physician. The first aid course and the medical examination can all be done in Panglao but must be completed before the course. And of course, lastly, the candidate has to have a minimum age of 18.

We Teach in one Freedive Instructor Course 3 Different Instructor Levels.

Below is an overview of the different levels, prerequisites, and what you must do to qualify for a certain level.

SSI Advanced Freediving Instructor

The SSI Advanced Freediving Instructor (SSI Level 2 Freediving Instructor) can teach Try Freediving, Basic Freediving, Pool Freediving, and the Freediver and Advanced Freediver courses.

Prerequisites: The candidate must have 100 logged dives, have completed the Performance Freediving program, have a First Aid Certificate (no older than 2 years), and hold the specialty certification for Training Technique.

Duration: 12 days

Performance & Course Completion Requirements:

Constant Weight Bi Fins (CWTB): 40mtr. or 3 x 25mtr. with 1-minute rest
Dynamic Bi Fins (DYNB): 85mtr.
Static Breath-Hold: 4:00min.
20mtr. Standby Rescue (1min. Rescue Hang)

20mtr. BO Rescue (50mtr. tow incl. Rescue Breaths)
5x 20mtr. (1min. surface interval)
400mtr. Swim: In less than 15min.
800mtr. Swim with Equipment: In less than 15min.
Tread Water for 15 minutes.

* All skills need to be demonstrated at an instructor-level quality.

Price without package discount per person: $1350

Please note that before starting the SSI FITC, you will need to pay the SSI annual and registration fee for the first year. Additional one-time fees with SSI are the Freedive Instructor Kit and the SSI Advanced Freediving Instructor Upgrade Kit.

The additional fee to pay SSI directly for the Advanced Freediving Instructor level will be around $350. In the following years, your annual cost to stay active will be about $100.

SSI Freediving Instructor

The SSI Freediving Instructor (SSI Level 1 Freediving Instructor) can teach Try Freediving, Basic Freediving, Pool Freediving, and the Freediver beginner course.

Prerequisites: The candidate must have 100 logged dives, have completed the Advanced Freediving program, have a First Aid Certificate (no older than two years), and hold the specialty certification for Training Techniques.

Duration: 12 days

Performance & Course Completion Requirements:

Constant Weight Bi Fins (CWTB): 30m (or 5x20 with 1-minute rests)
Dynamic Bi Fins (DYNB): 60mtr.
Static Breath-Hold: 3:00min.
Standby Rescue (1min. Rescue Hang): 15mtr.

BO Rescue (50mtr. tow incl. Rescue Breaths): 15mtr.
5x 15mtr. (1min. surface interval)
400mtr. Swim: In less than 15min.
800mtr. Swim with Equipment: In less than 15min.
Tread Water 15 minutes

* All skills need to be demonstrated at an instructor-level quality.

Price without package discount per person: $1350

Please note that before starting the SSI FITC, you will need to pay the SSI annual and registration fee for the first year. The Freedive Instructor Kit is an additional one-time fee with SSI.

The additional fee to pay SSI directly for the Freediving Instructor level will be around $300. In the following years, your annual cost to stay active will be about $100.

SSI Freediving Assistant Instructor

The SSI Freediving Assistant Instructor can teach Try Freediving, Basic Freediving, and Pool Freediving.

Prerequisites: The candidate must have 50 logged dives, have completed the Freediver (Level 1) program, have a First Aid Certificate (no older than 2 years), and must hold the specialty certification Training Techniques.

Duration: 12 days

Performance & Course Completion Requirements:

Dynamic Bi Fins (DYNB): 50mtr.
Dynamic Rescue Between 2 - 4m (50m tow)

Static Breath-Hold: 2:30min.

* All skills need to be demonstrated at an instructor-level quality.

Price without package discount per person: $1350

The additional fee to pay SSI directly for the Freediving Assistant Instructor level will be around $300. In the following years, your annual cost to stay active will be about $100.

Please Note: We can certify you as an SSI Freediving Assistant Instructor – previously called pool instructor – but we never do this. As an SSI Instructor (Level 1 Instructor) or Advanced Instructor (Level 2 Instructor), you can also teach the pool courses. Since we have a fantastic dive spot, we always certify the candidates as Freediving Instructors or Advanced Freediving instructors.

We run the SSI Freediving Instructor courses pretty much every two months. Usually, we teach them in English. Dutch is possible, too, and if you prefer another language, please get in touch with us since we also regularly work with translators.

If you want a quick reply, please use the short form on this page.

For more detailed information about Courses, Accommodation, Prices, etc. Please follow the below links.

For more detailed information, please fill in this form.

Change your Lifestyle! Move to a Tropical Island!

At the Freedive Academy Panglao, we offer many possibilities to become a pro-freediver. We offer different instructor courses at all levels, and we can offer them as a package with training and housing included. You can start a Zero to Hero program at any time. Or, every quarter, we have our Freediving Instructor Internships starting. With both, you can immediately gain experience working as a Freediving Instructor.

Regardless of which package you choose, you’ll love what Panglao has to offer!

Fill in the form today, just check the possibilities. Usually you’ll have an answer within hours.

Name*
First Last
Email*
Phone / WhatsApp
Interested in*
Estimated Arrival Date*

The Next Level SSI Freedive Instructor Upgrade Courses

We can teach almost all Specialities Courses and SSI Instructor levels!

You have been teaching freediving courses for a while; perhaps you own a freediving center, and you have a good number of certifications under your belt. Then, it’s time to take your Instructor capabilities to the next level.

For most freediving Instructors, the next logical step would be the SSI Performance Instructor Course (Level 3 Instructor Course) so that they can also teach the Performance Freediving Courses. Others might be tempted to start with Professional Development Courses and choose the Basic Freediving Instructor Trainer Course so they can also teach Basic Freediving Instructor Courses.

Whatever course you choose, Freediving in the Philippines is incredible, and the Freedive Academy Panglao has got you covered with all possible SSI levels!

SSI Basic Freediving Instructor (SSI Scuba Cross-Over)

The SSI Basic Freediving Instructor can teach Try Freediving and Basic Freediving.

Prerequisites: The cross-over candidate must be an SSI Dive Control Specialist or SSI Assistant Instructor.

Duration: 1 day

Performance & Course Completion Requirements: The candidate must be able to complete and demonstrate all skills as outlined in the Basic Freediver Training Manual.

Basic Freediving Instructor Trainer

The Basic Freediving Instructor Trainer can teach Basic Instructor Courses.

Prerequisites: The upgrade candidate must be, at minimum, an SSI Freediving Instructor with at least 25 Basic or Freediver (Level 1) certifications and assisted in at least 1 Instructor Training Program.

Duration: 3 days

Performance & Course Completion Requirements: The candidate must be able to complete and demonstrate all skills as outlined in the SSI General Training Standards.

SSI Performance (Level 3) Freediving Instructor

The SSI Performance Freediving Instructor can teach all recreational freediving levels.

Prerequisites: The upgrade candidate must be an Advanced Freediving Instructor with at least 30 Basic, Pool or Freediver certifications and issued at least 10 Advanced Freediving certifications.

Duration: 3 days

Performance & Course Completion Requirements:

Constant Weight Bi Fins (CWTB): 40mtr. (monofin or free immersion allowed)
Dynamic Bi Fins (DYNB): 100mtr.
FRC Dive (Mouthfill at 5mtr.): 25mtr.

Dive Line Pull Rescue: 25mtr.
BO Rescue (50mtr. tow incl. Rescue Breaths): 20mtr

* All skills need to be demonstrated at an instructor-level quality.

Price per person: $650

Be sure to contact us; Package Discounts may apply.

The above price includes taxes, snorkeling fees, freediving gear rental, and facility use.

We run the SSI Freediving Instructor courses pretty much every two months. We usually teach them in English, but Dutch is also possible. If you prefer another language, please contact us since we also regularly work with translators.

If you want a quick reply, please use the short form on this page.

For more detailed information about Courses, Accommodation, Prices, etc. Please follow the below links.

For more detailed information, please fill in this form.

Change your Lifestyle! Move to a Tropical Island!

At the Freedive Academy Panglao, we offer a wide range of possibilities for becoming a pro freediver. We offer different single-instructor courses, which can be offered as a package with training and housing included. We also provide options like joining our Freediving Instructor Internship, where you immediately gain experience working as a Freediving Instructor.

Regardless of your chosen package, you’ll undoubtedly love what Panglao offers you!

Fill in the form today, just check the possibilities. Usually, you’ll have an answer within hours.

Name*
First Last
Email*
Phone / WhatsApp
Interested in*
Estimated Arrival Date*

Doing More than ‘Just’ a Freedive Instructor Course.

An Instructor Course can be much more than just 10 or 13 days of Studying!

You now know about our Freediving Center in the Philippines, the SSI Freedive Instructor Courses that we run here in Panglao, that we run them every other month, that we dive from shore without a boat, and that you might even have read about all the things you can do in Panglao. We can offer so much more than ‘just’ a Freediving Instructor Course.

Panglao Island is a beautiful green island in the heart of the Philippines. And thanks to its geographical location and the unique location of the academy, we can offer fantastic near-perfect freediving conditions year-round. Add to that the life on the island, great restaurants, bars, cheap but great grocery shopping, lots of activities for your days off, and nice and affordable long-term housing, and you realize that Panglao is perfect for a long-term stay. And because the Freedive Academy Panglao can offer so much more than ‘just’ an instructor course, many of our visitors decide to stay here longer and combine their Instructor Course with training or one of our other programs. Have a look, and see what fits you!

Join us with one of the following Freedive Instructor Development programs.

Molchanovs, SSI or AIDA Instructor Combo

The Molchanovs, SSI, or AIDA Freediving Instructor Combo

It doesn't matter if you do a Zero to Hero, a freediving internship, or a single instructor course with training; with the Freedive Academy Freediving Instructor Combo, you get the best of two worlds!

First, please note that this is not a 2-in-1 course - you won't get two certifications with one course! The Freedive Instructor Combo is an entire Instructor course followed by an Instructor crossover course.

Some guests want to take the SSI Instructor course because it, like no other, prepares them to become proper dive professionals. Some want to become AIDA or Molchanovs instructors because of the agencies' flexibility.

The Freedive Academy runs SSI & Molchanovs, SSI & AIDA, and Molchanovs & AIDA combo courses.

We are saving time with performance requirements that are often the same between the different agencies. We're saving time discussing and demonstrating the skills. An excellent example is also, with the SSI and AIDA Instructor Course, we add instructor candidate skills video review, which is usually only done with the Molchanovs FITC. We are adding more value to the different courses, running both courses more efficiently, and thus can do the crossover in a shorter time frame and, therefore, cheaper. The combo package is one fantastic and compact package for both certificates! It's truly the best of both worlds.

Price without package discount per person: $1750

Please note that the above price does not include the mandatory ~$350 SSI fee for the registration and annual membership fee, the SSI Freediving Instructor kit, and the Advanced Freediving Instructor kit.

Also, the first-year annual membership and professional registration of Molchanovs are not included, which is $200.

The additional fee to become an active AIDA Instructor is the least expensive of all agencies and is set at €50 a year.

Zero to Hero Freediving Program

You love the water, you love to swim, and you want to do something incredible! You’ve seen the freedivers in videos or when you were doing scuba, and you know that this freediving ‘thingy’ is something for you. You are meant to be a freediver! The Zero to Hero freediving program lets you start with the Freediver Course (Level 1) or Advanced Freediver course and will end with you becoming a Freediving Instructor.

Swim and Freediving Instructor Combo

A first in the industry! We are very proud to be the world’s first freediving center to offer all SSI Swim Teacher Courses. Whether you want to teach kids, baby swimming, adult swimming, or competitive swimming, getting a swim teacher certificate is a great way to increase earnings and gain more business opportunities. When you do your Freedive Instructor Course with us, you can get up to a 35% discount on all Swim Teacher Programs.

Freedive Instructor Internship

You are sure you want to make freediving your profession – and why not? Who wouldn’t want the flip-flop lifestyle on a tropical island like Panglao? The Freedive Academy Panglao offers the possibility of training and gaining solid experience working at a freedive center. After your training in the afternoons, you’ll help out around the center or retail shop, and in exchange for your work, you get a significant discount on the program price. We also provide our interns with housing and free lunch. You’ll be a skilled freediver and experienced instructor at the end of your Freediving Internship!

Instructor Course Cross-Overs

You might be an SSI Scuba Instructor or a Freediving Instructor with AIDA, CMAS, PADI, or any of the other agencies. In most cases, a cross-over to SSI shouldn’t be a problem. Here, you will find the Freediving Courses Equivalency Chart.

The SSI Freedive Instructor Course Schedule

We run SSI Instructor Courses pretty much every 1,5 months now!

You must schedule your trip wisely. The start of your Zero to Hero freediving program should be planned around your instructor’s course. And although you can come earlier or leave later, the freediving internships are scheduled around the yearly quarters. If you do ‘only’ an instructor course with us, arriving in Panglao the day before your course starts is not uncommon but makes it very challenging.

Please feel free to contact us anytime with any scheduling questions you may have.

Our guests are finding us for professional development programs and instructor courses! The beginner-to-freeding instructor programs with the new bonuses are especially popular. Every month, we run at least one, mostly two FITCs, mostly Molchanovs and AIDA, and every couple of months, an SSI Instructor Course. We are also continuing to run Wave 3 Instructor upgrades online.

The courses below are confirmed and happening, but some might still have somewhat flexible dates. If the below dates don't work with your particular schedule, please don't hesitate to contact us! We have the team in place, and since most of our guests are here long-term, we can often move courses around. Message us!

~Oct 3 - 12, 2024

AIDA ITC