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I had my first freediving experience doing the Wave 1 course in Panglao. All the team was super friendly, the conditions are amazing and the instructor (Sophie) was very knowledgable, friendly, and helpful! I loved the course so much that I decided to return after only 2 days, to continue with the Wave 2 course! The time I spent there was amazing and I can only recommend doing your freediving with this academy! For sure I will return to the Freediving Academy Panglao at some point in my freediving adventure!…
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Date of experience: June 2022
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Had a great experience in the academy. I had my wave 1 course and stayed in the bungalow for the entire duration of the course. The place felt like a home for 3 days. Emily and Vincent were very humble and accomodating. They make sure you are well taken care of. They invited me to have dinner with them 😅 The course was amazing! My instructor, Igor, was very patient and you can tell he is very skilled instructor. We extended our time on one day just to work on my duck dive 🤣. He doesn't leave until he can see progress. I learned a lot through the whole stay. They provide all the gears needed for the course. The ocean is nearby the academy. You can really learn alot and see improvements in your freediving skills here. Will be back here for sure whenever I find myself in bohol again! -Kyle…
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Date of experience: June 2022
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Highly-recommended for complete beginners or recreational divers who want to develop technique and knowledge from experienced and well-informed instructors. So lucky to have Sophie as our instructor, she made us feel comfortable and safe during all our dives. Kudos to Vincent and Emily for creating this fun, lovely haven for everyone who wants to learn freediving. Emily has everything you'll ever ask for. Just tell her and it will magically appear 😉 Their shop is filled with nothing but high-quality and tested products, at great prices. Bought our fiberglass long fins here! 10/10 would definitely recommend to friends. I'll surely go back!…
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Date of experience: May 2022
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Response from VincentSparreboom, Owner at Freedive Academy Panglao
Responded 4 weeks ago
Hi Aya! Thank you thank you thank you so much for your amazing review! It was nice having you around! Can't wait to see you back here again! Hope to see you soon!!!! :)
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When we took the course we already have basic experience from Batangas and we have a lot of problems and mistakes to correct! We're having trouble going deep and our only limit is only 3 meters; we panic most of the time, we can't equalize that much, finning is not perfect, and because of these things we can't enjoy freediving and can't see the fishes. We knew our knowledge was lacking. Especially when you want to freedive with your partner, you need to know more about safety and rescue procedures. Enrolling in this course taught us everything we need to know! And I'm pretty sure this is one of the best decisions we have ever made! I didn't expect it to be so much fun and exciting! We had an amazing instructor. Ms. Sophie Bellin was the best that we could ever dream of! She was very patient with us. And it was more fun than being under pressure. She is a brilliant teacher with lots of experience in freediving and sports. She helped us to be calm, patiently correct our mistakes, and always remind us of the things we always forget. She made it easy for us to understand the technicalities. Well, you'll never know these basic techniques could help you better. Now I'm proud to say in just 3 days, I could be calmer and more confident in the water, now I could dive between 7-8M, and swim at least 40M in the pool. Thanks to Ms. Sophie for assuring us during the lessons that we are safe! Shout out to Ms. Emily as well. She helped us a lot and made sure we are well taken care of! And Vincent who shared a lot of his experience and inspire us! The thing I love about this academy, and the instructors, is that they have everything you need. It's like mini heaven for freedivers! xD I am thankful for all of the lessons in this academy. I will make sure to refer it to everyone I know. And will surely come back!…
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Date of experience: May 2022
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Response from VincentSparreboom, Owner at Freedive Academy Panglao
Responded 4 weeks ago
Hi Mary, thank you so much for your review! It was super nice having you two around! I love your laughs! :) I hope you can make it back to Panglao soon!
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My time in the academy was not good, it wasn't better coz you know why? It was one of the BEST training experience I had. Emily and Vincent is one generous and kind couple. They are generous in terms of sharing there skills and knowledge when it comes to freediving. Despite the trying times, they even gave us their Go Deep freediving tools. That is how generous they are. I also need to mention that they are also quite funny especially Emily who's laughter is so contageous. If you are a dog lover they have these adorable rescued dogs, Leah, being my fave. hehe. In terms of the place, it didn't feel like an academy nor a training institution as their place feels like an extention to my HOME and Vincent and Emily is my family. A family member that supports you all throughout. Encourages and lifts you up and most of all cheer you on. I will never forget my AWESOME experience in the academy. I can't wait for their new freediving ventures as I believe in their vision.…
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Date of experience: January 2022
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Response from VincentSparreboom, Owner at Freedive Academy Panglao
Responded 5 Apr 2022
Kenn! I just noticed that we missed replying to your review... I'm so sorry... Thank you so much! I hope all is well and hopefully you booked your flights back already? 🙂 Panglao is missing you - it's not the same here without you 😕
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