Course overview

Become a certified diver with the SSI Open Water Diver course in Moalboal, Cebu, earning an internationally recognised certification to dive with a buddy to 18 metres. Using SSI's digital learning, confined-water sessions and four open-water dives on the gentle Panagsama Beach house reef, you build solid fundamentals while turtles and the famous sardine school swim alongside. You finish a fully certified SSI Open Water Diver.

What you’ll learn

• Set up, maintain and use full scuba equipment
• Master all essential skills including mask clearing and regulator recovery
• Control buoyancy and perform smooth ascents and descents
• Plan dives, monitor your gas and use the buddy system
• Handle common problems and basic self-rescue
• Dive independently with a buddy to 18 metres

Prerequisites

• Minimum age 10 (junior) / 15
• No prior certification required
• Able to swim and demonstrate basic watermanship
• Medical questionnaire; physician's clearance for some conditions

What's included · What's not

Probability of sightings · month-by-month

What you're likely to see each month, based on historic operator logs.

Day-by-day itinerary

1. Day1
   Theory & confined water

   Work through the SSI digital sections and confined-water skills in the shallows off Panagsama Beach.
2. Day2
   Open-water dives 1-2

   First two open-water training dives on the house reef among turtles and reef fish.
3. Day3
   Open-water dives 3-4

   Final two training dives near the sardine school to complete certification.

Verified through iDive

Every partner school in the iDive network is vetted on safety, instructor credentials, equipment standards and student feedback. Talk to a iDive dive pro on WhatsApp for current availability and reviews specific to Moalboal.

Frequently asked questions