We always say that you can take two trips to the Philippines, one above and one below the surface. Considering that more than 70% of our planet is covered by water, taking a diving course will allow you to discover the underwater world and, believe us, in the Philippines it’s truly amazing. The Philippines is located in the Coral Triangle, the place with the greatest marine biodiversity on the planet, so discovering what lies beneath its waters is an absolute must. We became divers in the Philippines and, since then, we haven’t been able to stop exploring underwater spots around the country. In this article, we want to tell you what it’s like to take a diving course in Bohol, which we believe is the best place to get your Open Water certification in the Philippines.

We’re not going to lie to you: diving is an adventure sport and is always a little intimidating for anyone who has never tried it. Breathing underwater isn’t natural and it’s normal to be afraid that your ears might give you trouble or even wonder whether it’s something you’re going to enjoy. The first thing we have to tell you is that you’re not alone; we’ve all been there, so you can relax because your diving instructor will understand you and help you overcome those concerns you have.

Also, when you’re learning to dive, being able to communicate clearly with your instructor is essential, especially when it comes to safety procedures and the skills you’ll practice underwater. In Bohol, you’ll find plenty of experienced instructors used to teaching students from all over the world, many of whom have devoted their lives to teaching diving courses in Bohol.

Keep reading because we’re going to tell you everything about diving courses in Bohol.

What is the Open Water Diver course?

It’s a course that certifies you to dive independently down to 18 meters anywhere in the world. There are different certification agencies, the most important being PADI, which is why the diving course is known as the PADI Open Water Diver (OWD).

We’re going to focus on this one, but there are many more courses you can take to continue progressing in your diving journey. The next one is the Advanced Open Water Diver course, and there are also Discover Scuba Diving experiences, but we’ll tell you about those at the end of this article.

Why take a diving course in Bohol?

As you can read in our article about diving in the Philippines, there are tons of places to dive throughout the country and you’ll find instructors at all of them. However, if we had to choose just one place to get started in the underwater world, we have no doubt: the best place to take a diving course is Bohol. Why? For several reasons:

• The most important one: Panglao, which is an island next to Bohol and where almost all of Bohol’s diving schools are located, has one of the best reefs in the Philippines. From your very first dive, when you’re scared to death and don’t really know what you’re doing, you’ll already be seeing marine life, and we promise you’ll forget about any fears you may have. This doesn’t happen in other places in the Philippines, where they’ll probably take you to shallow, sandy dive spots with little marine life or where visibility isn’t that great. In Bohol, visibility is rarely less than 10 meters and very often reaches 30 meters, so there is no feeling of claustrophobia. If you want more information about what diving here is like, take a look at our article about Diving in Panglao.
• Alona Beach is the best-known beach on Panglao Island and is where most of the schools offering diving courses in Bohol are located. Since you’re going to spend 3-4 days doing it, it’s much better to go somewhere with good tourist infrastructure that makes your life easier. For example, we don’t see the point in taking a diving course somewhere where you can’t see the sea from the classroom. In Panglao, besides being able to take a dip at the beach between classes, you can hardly take a step without finding a restaurant. You also have beachfront hotels, so you can pop back to your room to rest or take a shower without wasting too much time. It’s true that this is one of the most touristy places in the Philippines, but far from seeing that as a disadvantage, we see it as an opportunity to have a comfortable and enjoyable course.

• Because there is so much competition among diving schools, taking a diving course in Bohol means there’s a good chance you’ll have good instructors, good equipment and good facilities. That said, not all of them are the same and, since this is such an important decision (your safety and comfort are at stake), it’s worth making sure you choose a good center. Unfortunately, we’ve seen all kinds of things in Panglao, and there are centers with equipment in terrible condition, gear that isn’t cleaned properly and facilities that leave a lot to be desired. At the end of this article, we’ll go into more detail about this.
• Competition has also made the prices of diving courses in Bohol somewhat lower than in many other popular diving destinations in Southeast Asia. At the moment, the complete course with equipment and materials costs around 18,500-19,000 Philippine pesos.
• What’s more, some of the diving schools in Bohol really go the extra mile and offer professional photographers you can hire so you’ll have a great keepsake from your first dives and, why not, show them off on Instagram.
• There are lots of things to do in Panglao besides diving, so during your Open Water course in Bohol, you can also slip away to see spectacular beaches (Dumaluan is top-notch), snorkel with a huge school of sardines or watch incredible sunsets. Once you’ve finished, you can also take a day trip to explore Bohol or simply continue your trip through other parts of the island.

• After finishing your Open Water course in Bohol, you’ll have the chance to do your first dive as a certified diver in Balicasag, which is, without a doubt, one of the best marine sanctuaries in the Philippines. Seriously, you’ll be blown away by the number of turtles and schools of fish and by how beautiful the corals are. Some people have hit the jackpot and come across a whale shark during their Open Water course in Panglao. How amazing is that! You can read all about this trip in Diving in Balicasag.
• Getting to Panglao (Bohol) is very easy. As we explain in How to get to Bohol, there are direct flights to Panglao International Airport, just 10 minutes from where Bohol’s diving schools are located. You can also travel to and from nearby islands such as Siquijor, Cebu, Camiguin or Leyte by boat. And, in case you were wondering, you’ll also find great diving there so you can keep putting your new diving certification to use.

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What is the Open Water course in Bohol like? How many days will it take?

The first thing you need to know about diving courses in Bohol is that they are very personalized. Usually there will be 2, 3 or a maximum of 4 divers, and you may even find yourself with an instructor all to yourself. Since this is training that will stay with you for life and covers some very important concepts, schools keep the groups small.

As elsewhere in the world, the diving course in Bohol will take 3-3.5 days to complete. There is no fixed number of days, as it depends on how comfortable you are in the water. Your instructor will adjust the pace based on how you’re progressing. Although you may already be a certified diver by the third day, we recommend allowing at least 4 days so you don’t end up short on time.

Many schools, including the one we can recommend if you leave us a comment, save time by using what is known as e-learning. In other words, when you book your course (and pay a deposit, because they’ll need to pay the PADI certification fee), they’ll send you the materials online so you can work through the theory at home, completing the different quizzes and even the exam. It’s a way to get ahead and have more free time to make the most of Bohol without spending all day tied up with diving. In this case, you’ll be able to finish your course in 2.5-3 days and on most of those days you’ll finish around midday, leaving the afternoon free to do whatever you want.

The Open Water course in Bohol is divided into 3 clearly defined parts: theory, confined-water practice and open-water practice. To give you an idea, this is roughly how it works day by day:

First day of your Open Water course in Bohol

You’ll fill out several documents with your details, a medical form and another one about safety and the responsibility you assume during the course. Depending on what time you arrive, you’ll start “enjoying” the wonderful theory videos.

They’re a little tedious, but we’ve all had to go through them and it’s the best way to learn. There are 5 videos in total, corresponding to the 5 lessons in the manual you’ll be given. At the end of each lesson, there are some exercises that most instructors will have you complete. Usually, on the morning of the first day of your diving course in Bohol, you’ll watch 3 videos and then the instructor will give you a lesson on the basic concepts covered.

In the afternoon, depending on how the instructor thinks you’re doing, you’ll do your first dive in a swimming pool or in a shallow area of the sea. This is known as a confined-water dive and is designed to help you overcome your fear of breathing through the regulator and learn basic skills such as descending, controlling your buoyancy, clearing your mask underwater or donning and doffing your equipment such as the buoyancy control device (BCD) or weights while underwater. You’ll also learn how to assemble and disassemble your own equipment outside the pool.

As we mentioned, this part can be skipped if you get ahead with the theory by booking the course in advance, since you’ll receive the e-learning materials. In this case, you’ll usually be free by around 2 p.m.

Second day of your Open Water course in Bohol

What you do on this day depends on how the first day went, but usually you’ll continue with the theory sessions from the previous day and then do your first open-water dives, in other words, in the sea.

On this day, you usually won’t descend deeper than 12 meters, and the instructor will continue teaching you basic skills so you can become an independent diver in the future. It’s common to do exercises such as sharing air with your buddy or learning how to use dive tables. A dive usually lasts between 30 and 45 minutes, depending on your air consumption.

Third day of your Open Water course in Bohol

If everything has gone as expected, you’ll have 2 deeper dives ahead of you that day, down to a maximum of 18 meters. The instructor will always stay right beside you, teaching you new skills and making sure everything is going well. You’ll find yourself starting to enjoy the underwater world and the feeling of being in a parallel world.

You won’t get out of taking your final exam. It’s multiple choice and, don’t worry, we still haven’t met anyone who has failed it. Once you’ve passed, you’ll be ready to dive almost anywhere in the world! Welcome to the underwater world!

If you’ve chosen e-learning, you may already have finished your diving course in Bohol by day 2, but it doesn’t hurt to keep the morning of day 3 free in case you need it.

PADI e-learning in Bohol

As we mentioned, there is a way to shorten the course a little during your stay in the Philippines by learning some of the theory while you’re still at home. This is known as PADI e-learning. When you book the course with the center, you’ll need to pay a deposit (around 5,000 pesos), and they’ll pay the PADI fees in advance and send you all the materials.

Don’t worry: even if you’ve done everything online, at a good diving school in Bohol, the instructor will explain everything in detail and review everything you’ve studied on your own to make sure you’ve understood it all. Remember that this is an adventure sport, so a responsible center will put safety first.

IMPORTANT: please, when looking for a school for your Open Water course in Bohol, make sure the procedure is similar to what we’ve described and that the number of students isn’t large. Don’t be swayed by trivial things; what matters is safety.

How much does it cost to take a diving course in Bohol?

The prices of diving courses in Bohol are about average for the Philippines and Southeast Asia in general. Although taking the Open Water course in Thailand (specifically on Koh Tao) used to be the cheapest option in Asia, the truth is that prices have risen considerably and now even exceed those in the Philippines. What’s more, considering the crowds (yes, even underwater) and what you’ll see on your first dives, we think the value for money in the Philippines is much better.

In general, almost all diving schools in Bohol charge around 20,000-21,000 pesos ($460-$510), depending on the exchange rate) for taking the Open Water course in Bohol. This price includes the equipment, manual, logbook (a little booklet where you’ll record all your dives from now on) and, most importantly, the PADI fees. PADI is the world’s most important diving organization and the one that certifies you as a diver so you’ll be able to dive anywhere in the world from then on.

Keep in mind that your diving certification card will be mailed to your home later. In the meantime, you’ll have a diver number and appear in the PADI database, so you’ll be able to keep diving during your trip to the Philippines. PADI now also has digital certifications, so don’t worry.

Prices are similar at almost all diving centers, so we wouldn’t be swayed by saving a few pesos or by a big discount. Seriously, we don’t want to sound repetitive, but saving $16 or $32 isn’t important when your safety and a skill you’ll have for life are at stake.

As we mentioned, if you’re going to do e-learning, you’ll usually be asked for a deposit. We strongly recommend getting a Revolut account (with this link, you get $10 free and you can read more about it in Best cards for the Philippines) because this way you won’t face huge fees for paying in a currency other than dollars (or euros) or making transfers to the Philippines.

Which diving school should you choose for your Open Water course in Bohol?

We’ve already given you a few clues above, but for us it’s essential that you choose a school that offers, above all, safety and professionalism.

Even though we may not want to hear it, diving is a dangerous sport and accidents happen. In most cases, they’re down to (bad) luck, but sometimes they could have been avoided.

In our opinion, a good diving school should offer the following, in order of importance:

• Qualified, experienced instructors who empathize with your concerns and fears. Of course, if they love their job and pass on their passion for diving to you, even better.
• Good communication: it’s normal to have fears or doubts when you’re learning, so it’s important to have an instructor who explains things clearly, answers your questions and makes sure you feel comfortable before moving on to the next skill.
• Small groups: don’t let anyone convince you otherwise; look for personalized attention so you can learn better.
• Good equipment: unfortunately, in the Philippines it’s very common for wetsuits, BCDs or masks to be in poor condition. It’s normal for equipment to wear out over time, but not for it to be full of holes or look like it’s falling apart. If you can, stop by the center and take a look.
• Cleanliness: if you see just one rinse tank for cleaning all the equipment… be suspicious! Having a wetsuit (which people often pee in) washed in the same place as the mask or regulator isn’t just disgusting; it’s also a source of bacteria and subsequent infections. We’re not saying this for the sake of it, we’ve seen exactly this at some diving centers in Panglao.
• Good facilities and boats: if a center has a classroom (even better if it has sea views), large boats in good condition (you’ll appreciate the comfort and not having to constantly bump your tank into other divers’ tanks) and a few extra touches such as common areas where you can meet people, you’ll feel more comfortable, since you’re going to spend many hours there.
• Good location: being right on the beach isn’t the same as being a block or two back, right? Plus, if you can walk there from your hotel, it’ll be more convenient.
• Friendly atmosphere: we all like to calm our nerves by chatting with other divers, so if the atmosphere is friendly and there’s a beer or two at the end of the day, even better.
• E-learning option: so you can get some of the work done in advance and have your afternoons free to spend at the beach.

We’re seasoned veterans when it comes to diving in the Philippines. We both learned to dive there (Claudia in Anilao and Jairo in Bohol) and we know many of the diving schools in Bohol firsthand. If you want us to recommend the one that, in our opinion, is the best and the one we always go with, leave us a comment and we’ll give you more information.

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Other diving courses in Bohol

Of course, it doesn’t end here. There are more diving courses you can take in Bohol:

Discover Scuba Diving (DSD) – Discover Scuba Diving in Bohol

If you don’t have time to take your diving course in Bohol or want to try it first to see whether you like it or not, an alternative is to do a Discover Scuba Diving experience. This is a dive for someone who doesn’t yet have an Open Water certification and, therefore, you’ll dive to a maximum depth of 12 meters and you’ll always be accompanied by your own instructor. Before heading into the sea, they’ll give you some basic instructions. It lasts 2 or 3 hours.

If you ask us whether a Discover Scuba Diving experience in Bohol is worth it, we’ll tell you that we think it’s the best place in the Philippines to do one. We think it’s one of the best places to see marine life from minute one.

Approximate price: 3,500 pesos

Advanced Open Water Diver in Bohol (AOW)

It’s the next step after Open Water. You learn some additional skills such as navigation or night diving and improve your buoyancy. In addition, the deep-diving specialty will allow you to descend to 40 meters for the rest of your life as a diver. This is particularly important if you want to dive with thresher sharks in Malapascua or if you want to dive the best wrecks in Coron.

The course usually lasts 2 or 3 days, since you’ll do 5 dives as well as some theory. There is also the option to complete part of the theory online.

Approximate price: 18,000 pesos

Rescue Diver and EFR (first aid) in Bohol

In this 4-day course, you’ll learn how to identify diving problems and how to solve them. It’s a course that will give you even more confidence when diving, since you’ll learn rescue techniques both at the surface and underwater. The Rescue Diver certification is usually combined with a first-aid certification (EFR).

Approximate price: 20,000 pesos (Rescue) + 8,800 (EFR)

Divemaster in Bohol

If you’ve thought about taking the leap into the professional world and becoming a diving guide, you’ll first have to complete the Open Water course, followed by Advanced Open Water, Rescue Diver and EFR before moving on to Divemaster. A minimum of 40 logged dives is required to begin, and you must finish the course with 60.

The course has to be completed over a minimum of 10 days, but most of the schools we’ve spoken to over the years recommend doing it over a period of at least 1 month so you can gain enough experience. During this time, you’ll learn a huge number of theoretical and practical skills and will have to pass various tests and exams. You’ll also assist other divemasters or diving instructors when they’re guiding clients.

Approximate price: from 40,000 pesos

Diving instructor in Bohol (IDC)

In this case, the course qualifies you to teach courses to other people. In reality, it’s an extension of the divemaster course. You’ll need 100 dives before you can begin this course, which usually lasts around 15 days.

Approximate price: from 95,000 pesos

Do you have any questions or suggestions about diving courses in Bohol? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below.