Panglao Buoyancy Specialty
Ever wondered how some divers seem to glide effortlessly, barely moving, while staying perfectly level? If so, it’s time to join our Panglao Buoyancy Specialty—one of the most rewarding upgrades for any certified diver.
This focused program helps you master the art of buoyancy, trim, and controlled movement underwater. You’ll learn how to adjust your weighting, use breath control, and fine-tune your body position to move with ease and precision, making your dives longer, smoother, and more enjoyable.
It’s the smart next step if you want to feel more in control, reduce effort, and protect the reef while diving Panglao’s stunning walls and coral gardens. After this course, you won’t just dive - you’ll fly underwater.
Personal Attention Over your Buoyancy Course
Our professional instructors will guide you through every aspect of buoyancy control, helping you understand the theory and feel confident applying it in real dive situations - so you can dive smoother, safer, and with total control.
Professional Instructors with Expert Knowledge
Teaching buoyancy well takes real experience, and our instructors have plenty. With their expert guidance, you’ll learn how to fine-tune your trim, adjust your weighting, and move with control and ease underwater.
International Standards
Solid buoyancy skills will serve you on every dive—whether you're exploring tropical reefs, cold-water wrecks, or deep walls. No matter the location or conditions, mastering buoyancy means more control, comfort, and confidence underwater.
Panglao Buoyancy Specialty - What you'll learn
Buoyancy might seem basic, but true mastery changes everything. Better trim, smoother movement, and accurate depth control make every dive easier, longer, and more enjoyable. Whether you're exploring coral reefs, diving in open blue water, or hovering over a wreck, solid buoyancy skills are the foundation of confident, relaxed diving. It’s the course divers often say had the biggest impact on how they feel underwater. With the help of our experienced instructors, you'll not only improve your control—you’ll redefine how you dive.
Trim – The Key to Balance and Control
Trim is your underwater posture. A well-balanced, horizontal position helps reduce drag, conserve energy, and keep you neutrally buoyant with ease. In this section, we’ll help you adjust your gear setup, fine-tune weight placement, and learn to hold trim effortlessly, giving you that “gliding” feeling skilled divers are known for.
Finning Techniques – Move Smarter, Not Harder
Good finning means movement without effort. You’ll learn the flutter, modified flutter, frog, and helicopter kicks -each designed for different conditions and environments. Every kick starts from good trim and helps you move with precision, whether you're navigating tight spaces, turning in place, or staying perfectly still.
Blue Water Buoyancy – Hold Depth Without Reference
Ever found yourself drifting up or down with no line, reef, or bottom in sight? This part of the course focuses on maintaining depth in open water. You’ll learn how to use your breath and body awareness to stay level and steady (with a dive computer), even in the blue. It’s an essential skill for safety stops, drift dives, and deeper dives where visual references are limited.
EXCLUSIONS
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Food and drinks
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Accommodation (please visit our diving packages page for accommodation add-ons).
Price: ₱11,500
Buoyancy Specialty - Schedule:
Step 1: Theory & Forms (1 hour)
Start with a mix of e-learning and a short in-person class. You'll complete the necessary forms and cover key buoyancy theory—trim, weight distribution, breath control, and finning techniques. This session builds the knowledge you'll apply in the water.
Step 2: Confined Water Session (1-1.5 hours)
In a pool or shallow confined area (max depth ~5m), you’ll practice trim—first without fins, then with. You’ll then train in finning techniques: flutter, modified flutter, frog kick, and helicopter turn. The goal is to build control and comfort before open water.
*If you're already confident in your frog and helicopter kicks, we can start working on your back-kicking so you'll learn how to move backward.
Step 3: Open Water Dive 1 – Blue Water Control (~45 min / max depth ~18m)
This dive focuses on midwater skills. You'll perform controlled ascents and descents, maintain neutral buoyancy without visual references, and hold a steady safety stop. Ideal for learning how to manage depth with breath and posture alone.
Step 4: Open Water Dive 2 – Obstacle Course & Dive Planning (~45 min / max depth ~16m)
After a short pre-dive briefing and planning session, you'll complete a buoyancy challenge dive. Navigate an underwater obstacle course, hover, turn, and control your movement precisely, and lead a dive in perfect buoyancy right after.
Panglao Buoyancy Specialty - Who is it for:
This program is ideal for certified divers of all levels who want to dive with more control, efficiency, and ease. Whether you're newly certified and want to build confidence or are an experienced diver looking to refine your skills, our Buoyancy Specialty will make a noticeable difference in every dive you do.
This specialty course is compact and can be completed in just two half days. To make the experience smoother and more effective, we recommend reviewing the e-learning materials before the course begins. Buoyancy is a subtle and nuanced skill—taking time to absorb the theory in advance will help you get the most out of the in-water training and truly refine your control underwater. We urge you to enrol in our Buoyancy Clinic e-learning course for free now.
If you've ever felt like you're working too hard underwater, drifting off depth, or stirring up the bottom, this course is for you.