Cebu Island fascinates visitors with its complete natural
environment. Divers are spoilt by breathtaking underwater
life, steep walls, unaffected healthy coral reefs, lots of
turtles and sometimes also whalesharks, … . Cebu also
has amazing potential as an outdoor destination with lots
of hidden natural treasures you can visit while learning to
Freedive. The Island offers remote mountain sites and white
sandy beaches all along the coast. This is the perfect place
to learn to Freedive and enjoy underwater life in a completely
new way.…Sandy beach, quiet 
Resort
with warm Pool and a relaxed atmosphere and best of all there
is NO mass tourism here.
The Philippines is officially known as the Republic of the
Philippines is an archipelagic nation located in Southeast
Asia with Manila as its capital city. The Philippine archipelago
comprises 7,107 islands in the western Pacific Ocean, bordering
countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Palau, the Republic
of China (Taiwan), and Vietnam. Cebu is one of the provinces
of the Philippines. It lies to the east of Negros Island;
to the west of Leyte and to the southeast is Bohol province.
Its capital is Cebu City, the oldest city in the country.
Mactan is the island facing Cebu City where the International
airport is located.
Extreme
Sports Café can now offer Freediving courses in The
Philippines on Cebu. Extreme Sports café’s partner
freediving centre’s base is Moalboal. Since the 1970s,
Moalboal has developed a tourism industry based on diving
and beaches. It is here where you will find the sole two white
sand beaches on the western shore of Cebu Island, the Panagsama
Beach, where most resorts are established and the White beach
at Barangay Savedra, which used to be a quieter beach that
locals frequent, has only recently developed. In fact some
of the best diving in the world can be had in Moalboal.
Freediving, Breath Holding or Apnea is a beautiful sport for
people who love the feeling of being under water without the
aid of artificial/Scuba breathing equipment. Freediving allows
you to enjoy underwater life in a completely new way. With
special training and preparation nearly everybody can learn
how to hold their breath.
And it doesn't take long, in only 2-3 days you will be able
to hold your breath for 2-3 minutes. Some people can even
manage to hold their breath for 4 minutes after short training.
Most tourists prefer to come to the Philippines from September
to April. But you can travel to the Philippines YEAR ROUND!
April and May are a little bit hotter and there is not really
a distinctive rainy season. July to September you can have
more rain. Cebu Island is protected from major storms and
typhoons by the surrounding islands, which means that there
are only small waves. Cebu City has a little more rain than
Moalboal. The Water Temperature is always between 26 and 29
Degree Celsius.
|
Freediving Courses - Cebu - The Philippines |
Freediving
Courses on Cebu have no set start dates/days and are available
from
August - May.
1-Day
Freediving Introduction PHP 2,900
This Introduction into Freediving includes short theory, breathing
and relaxation training, pool training and a short training
deep dive (max. 15m) on our house-reef. After this Introduction
most divers upgrade to the
complete Open Water Freediver!
No prerequisites. 
2-Day
Open Water Freediver PHP 5,400
This is the Basic Freediving Course including complete theory,
breathing and relaxation training, pool training and a training
deep dive on our house-reef. This course gives you all the
information and skills you need to immerse yourself in the
sport of Freediving.
No prerequisites.
3-Day
Advanced Freediver PHP 8,000
This course is for those that want to advance and go deeper
and for a longer time. You will learn lots of new techniques,
tips and tricks to improve and
fine-tune your technique. Try out fluid goggles, nose clip,
… to improve your personal best’s. At the end
of the course advanced students will have the chance to freedive
the cathedral in Pescador Island
(27m) which is rated as one of the top dive sites off the
west coat of Cebu Island.
Prerequisite:
Completed the Open Water Freediver Course or any other Beginners
Freediver Course or proof of qualification.
2-Weeks
Master Freediver PHP 28,000
You will improve your freediving skills in every aspect so
that deep equalization, time and depth are coming as a result.
You will have specific training sessions depending on your
capacity practicing different disciplines, free-immersion,
constant weight, unassisted, dynamics and static. If you have
an upcoming competition then go for this course! It’s
like having a personal trainer! Prerequisite:
Completed the Advanced Freediver level to
attend this course.
1-Day
Guided Spearfishing Trip PHP 2,000
Spear-Fishing:
•
1 Big Trygon (Spearguns.High tech. High precision.)
•
1 Riffe
•
1 Seatek for Beginners
•
1 small Sepadiver for rookies - Access to 4 Guns (1 Trygon,
1 Riffe)
•
2
incompressible Floats + 2 air filled floats for blue water hunting
•
All
lessons have min.2 and max. 8 Students
• All Courses include a
print out or PDF version of a Freediver Manual.
• For solo students (VIP
Course) it is an additional PHP 500per
day.
• Additional ABC (Mask,
Fins, Booties, Wetsuit) Equipment Rental PHP
450per day.
A
word about safety!
Scubadiving,
Freediving and all other activities offered are potentially
dangerous. All the activities have detailed briefings &
top quality rental equipment. Staff are also trained in handling
emergencies & have a First aid kit to hand..
All
Freediving courses can be booked online.
| Favourite
Divesites in Moalboal - Cebu - Philippines |
•
Pescador Island: The Cathedral – a spectacular dive
through at 26m
• Saavedra Marine Sanctuary:
Fish, Fish, Fish and lots of bigger fish at just 5-10m!
• Airplane Wreck: 5min
by boat from the resort is a small airplane at 22m.
• Kasai Wall: Turtle or
your money back! If you don’t see a turtle you get your
money back or free glasses.
| Accommodation
Whilst Freediving - Cebu - Philippines |
Moalboal
and Cebu City offer a wide variety of accommodation raging
from exclusive
resorts to budget style. Let us know what you are looking
for.
|
Instructor & Facilities - Cebu - Philippines |
Wolfgang
Dafert is the Mastermind behind Freediving in The Philippines.
The Austrian Freediver and PADI Scuba Instructor has lived
in the Philippines since 2006. After
successfully building up and managing two 
dive
centres for Resorts in Moalboal he isnow managing his own
successful company.
Wolfgang has been freediving for more than 12 years all over
the world and has been teaching students now for over 4 years.
Wolfgang is also a very close friend and divebuddy of World
Record Freediver Herbert Nitsch who frequently visits Cebu.
The Freediving courses here are quite special as Herbert shares
his knowledge and experience with students. Students have
the opportunity to dive with The World Champion and get hints,
tips and training techniques that are sometimes beyond the
information other instructor’s have.
Training
facilities:
• Aircon Classroom with
Whiteboard, and Video Projector •
Pool 26-32 Degree, 0.9m – 3m, perfect conditions
for static, but not suited for dynamic
• Deepdive training:
With beginners from buoy
Advanced students (and in case of current) from the boat,
in a nearby deep bay (7 minutes boat ride)
• 80m and 120m rope - 14mm
thick and non stretchable
• No natural depth restriction
(like Apnea Total. 20m) in front of the resort it is 40m and
just 100m away it is more than 100m, 500m away it is 400m
|
Other Activites - Cebu - Philippines |
Being
a passionate outdoor enthusiast Wolfgang has discovered some
of the best spots and routes the island of Cebu has to offer
over the years. With this knowledge and his experience he
also offers guided outdoor activities for guests including
Canyoning, Motorbike Tours, Mountainbike Tours and also Cultural
Tours in Cebu City.
A word about safety: Scubadiving, Freediving
and all other activities offered are potentially dangerous.
All the activities have detailed briefings & top quality
rental equipment. Staff are also trained in handling emergencies
& have a First aid kit to hand..
Scuba
Diving Beginner and Advanced courses.
PADI Open Water Diver course, the most popular dive program
in the world!
This 
3-4
Day Course program teaches you the complete knowledge and
skills necessary to dive with a buddy without instructor supervision
to a maximum depth of 18m. Minimum age is 10 years.
Canyoning Adventure Kawasan
For over a year now Wolfgang has been offering a day Canyoning
Adventure in Kawasan. The area is very pretty and offers fresh
water bathing, a Tarzan swing and the opportunity to climb
up beside the waterfall and imitate the high divers of Acapulco!
The higher up the river valley, the prettier it gets, with
places where you must swim up a gorge and clamber over rocks.
Good fun!
• Unspoiled Jungle Forest
• Warm Water in the Canyon
23 Degree Celsius
• Interesting Wildlife
and Flora
• Challenging, but not
too hard
Includes: Transportation,
Life Jacket and Booties rental, Entrance Fee, Guide.
Motorbike Tour
The Island of Cebu is perfect 
for
Motorbike Tours. Nice weather, little traffic on side-roads,
tropical scenery, waterfalls, rivers and friendly people all
over are factors that will make your Tour an unforgettable
adventure. After a short briefing and some riding tip’s
you depart from Moalboal generally around 9-10am. There are
3 different routes on offer, easy, medium and hard. Depending
on the lunch-break time and chosen route you return to Moalboal
around 3-5pm.
Includes: Motorbike
rental for 1 day, (Enduro Honda XR200) Tour Guide, Support
vehicle on Standby, Helmet, Bottled Water.
|
Useful Notes - Cebu - Philippines |
•
Both
Cebu and Moalboal have cheap and fast Internet cafes. Anywhere
on Cebu
Island you can use your own handy phone, there is coverage
almost everywhere by leading providers in the Philippines.
• Cebu Island is Malaria-free.
Despite this fact we recommend traditional Mosquito bite prevention
(lotion, fan, mosquito net) against Dengue fever.
• Common medicines (like
antibiotics or aspirin) are available in Cebu City or Moalboal
pharmacies and are also much cheaper than in Western countries.
• Moalboal has 2 Physicians,
but for major health problems or emergencies we recommend
Cebu Doctors in Cebu City. (offers western standards)
• In Moalboal and Cebu
City you can change most major currencies - cash. Travellers
Checks are only accepted in Cebu City and in US $ currency.
• Moalboal has no ATM!
The nearest ATM is in CarCar, which is 1,5 hours by car/bus.
• Cebu is served by Mactan-Cebu
International Airport in Mactan Island, thirty minutes drive
from downtown Cebu City.
|
Getting There - Cebu - Philippines |
Cebu
City is a travel hub with an International Airport (on Mactan
Island), Taxis and
Ferries with connections to other Philippine Destinations.
The
airport is only 30 minutes by taxi from the City centre.
Moalboal is located 90 km southwest from Cebu City on Cebu
Island. There are several ways to reach Moalboal:
• By Bus
- Cebu City the South Bus Terminal - There are departures
every 30 minutes to Moalboal (travel time: two and half hours).
We recommend the yellow Ceres bus line. Cost one way: PHP
90.- From the bus stop in Moalboal take a tricycle (motorbike
with side car) to White Beach around 6km distance.
• By Taxi -
Hire a taxi in Cebu City - Tell the driver to go to Moalboal
– White Beach.
• By Van –
The Freediving Center can organize transfers directly from
any place on
Cebu Island to Moalboal. Price around PHP 2,500 for an aircon
minivan - max 6 persons. 
International flights service the island from:
• Hong
kong by Cathay Pacific Airlines and Philippines
Airlines
• Singapore
by Silk Air and Qatar Airlines
• Kuala
Lumpur by Malaysia Airlines
• Osaka
and Tokyo by Philippine Airlines
• Europe
Qatar Airways via Doha – Good, Cheap and only 1
Stopover
From Manila there are hourly flights operated by several domestic
airlines.
From Cebu you can travel by air or sea to almost any other
point in the Philippines. Seaair and Asianspirit offer cheap,
local flights. Cebu also has cheap ferries going to nearly
all the popular travel destinations.
All
Freediving courses can be booked online.
In
competitive freediving there are currently eight disciplines
used by official governing bodies. In each discipline, both
men and women hold separate records. The following official
disciplines are recognized by AIDA, CMAS, or both.
Pool disciplines
Static (STA)
This Freediving discipline requires the freediver to hold
their breath for as long as possible while staying motionless
in the water. It sets high demands for the competitor's concentration
ability and skills.
Dynamic without Fins (DNF)
This Freediving discipline is a variation of the above (STA),
where the longest possible distance is achieved without the
use of fins.
Dynamic with Fins (DYN)
This Freediving discipline requires the freediver, with use
of fins, to swim the longest possible distance under water.
Depth
disciplines
For all AIDA disciplines, the depth the athlete will attempt
is announced before the dive. This is accepted practice for
both competitions and record attempts.
Constant Weight (CWT)
This freediving discipline is considered by insiders to be
the original freediving discipline.
The freediver descends and ascends using his fins/monofin
and/or with the use of his arms without pulling on the rope
or changing his ballast. The discipline sets the highest demands
to the freediver's mental power, physique and technique.
Constant Weight without Fins
(CNF)
This freediving discipline requires the freediver to swim
down and up along the rope as in classic constant weight,
using only his own muscle strength, without the use of propulsion
equipment and without pulling on the rope.
This discipline has been called 'the true human aquatic potential'.
Free
Immersion Apnea (FIM)
The freediver dives under water without the use of propulsion
equipment, by pulling only on the rope during descent and
ascent.
Variable
Weight Apnea (VWT)
The freediver descends with the help of a ballast weight and
ascends using his own strength: arms or legs, by pulling or
not pulling on the rope.
Historically, the sled has evolved from a simple weight attached
to a noose, till today's highly sophisticated, hydrodynamic
sled leading the diver downward with high speed. New sleds
descending "feet first" are now generalized unlike
the old sleds which used to descend "head first",
like presented in the famous Luc Besson's movie "Le Grand
Bleu".
No-Limits Apnea (NLT)
This freediving discipline has traditionally been the discipline
to reach the deepest of all disciplines today. No limit is
the absolute depth discipline. Going down with a sled, and
going back up with a balloon, a diving suit or a vest with
inflatable compartments.
Each
organization has its own rules on recognizing an attempt.
All
Freediving courses can be booked online.
