Freediving in the Philippines

Freediving in the Philippines

In a country made up of over 7,000 islands, you can bet that majority of its people loves the sun, the ocean, and swimming! Of course, there are many other water activities we enjoy such as doing island expeditions, spearfishing, and freediving!

As the #1 Expedition Company in Coron, we'd like to share some insights about another water activity in this glorious country of ours. We already talked about spearfishing in Coron, so this time, let’s talk about freediving in the Philippines!

If you’ve been wanting to learn freediving, the Philippines is one of the best places to do so. There are so many freediving courses that everybody can learn and you can even have deep diving training after the basics, and there are so many wonderful spots to do so after getting your certification. If you’re already an experienced freediver, you can skip the lessons and visit our numerous sites that’s perfect for snorkeling and freediving. Have you seen our colorful coral gardens? You’ll be so amazed at the beauty of our underwater world!

Basic Freediving

Basic freediving courses can last 1-3 days depending on the dive school you’re learning from and the level or certification you’re aiming for. Here, you’ll get all the necessary information on freediving and of course, immersion in freediving as a sport. After that, you can go for advanced courses and training.

When choosing a place to get your certificate, make sure you find an AIDA Certified school. Association Internationale pour le Développement de l'Apnée (AIDA) or in English, International Association for Development of Apnea is a worldwide rule and record keeping body for competitive breath holding events. They are the ones who have set standards for safety, comparability for those who wants to go for the world record, and freediving education.

Freediving spots in the Philippines

Since our country literally has thousands of beaches, it’s undoubtedly a paradise for beach lovers and underwater adventurers. Where are the best spots to freedive in the Philippines? Read on.

Fun fact: The Philippines sits at the center of almost 6 million square kilometres of coral reef species more than anywhere else on Earth.

Batangas

If you live closer to the metro or if you wanna make a quick escape without flying to a different island, Batangas is the way to go. With various dive sites and beautiful beaches, you’ll surely have a good time! You can go to Bauan for a quick dip or swim with schools of jacks when you visit Tingloy Island.

Coron, Palawan

We’re not just putting this in our list because we’re biased. We’re putting Coron in our list because it is amazing! Our team has (individually) been to different places in the Philippines and believe me when I say that Coron is one of a kind.

Aside from the beautiful corals and fishes, Coron gives you a unique opportunity to freedive for some shipwrecks. One of the islands we frequent on our expeditions would be Black Island and you can freedive around a shipwreck there. Skeleton Wreck and Lusong Gunboat are also beginner freedive favorites and if you wanna check out a one of a kind lake, dive in on the fresh and salt and brackish waters of Barracuda Lake.

Panglao, Bohol

Panglao is sort of like a playground for scuba divers and underwater photographers but if you don’t wanna go down with all those gears, freediving is definitely welcome!

There is a marine sanctuary off the coast of Panglao, Bohol and you won’t be disappointed with the clear waters and abundant marine life. Get to swim with sea turtles, frogfishes, moray eels, mackerels and barracudas. The best part is, you’ll get to enjoy the dive even if you’re a beginner because the waters are usually calm and you don’t have to dive too deep to witness the underground magic!

Wanna read about more freediving sites? Let us know. And as always, cheers and have fun!

 

Cheers,

Riya