SUSTAINABLE SCUBA DIVING SKILLS / 1 day field course
Advanced Buoyancy Training
Learn to dive being mindful of your impact
As environmentalists spending a lot of time underwater, we know that buoyancy control is one of the most important skills scuba divers should master. For both, divers safety, but as well the reef. Unfortunately, due to commercial pressures, scuba training is often packed and lacking the time to properly assimilate & practice. Buoyancy often ends up a skill that is talked about but not practiced underwater as much as it should. This lead to many accidents and damages on precious fragile coral reefs. Did you know, majority of scuba divers make harmful contact with the reef every 4 minutes while diving despite rating their skills “above average”. This shows a severe lack of self awareness in the diving industry. And unfortunately, the reef pays the price. This is why at CRCP, we value coaching divers about buoyancy control, and we take it seriously, so that the time is fun, well spent, and adapted to your specific level.
This buoyancy workshop is a coaching session with a Conservation professional Dive Instructor from our team that will adapt to your level, your strengths and your weaknesses, and teach you to grow your dive skills, focused on trim, finning and buoyancy, so that you develop like a pro underwater. It is usually a really fun course, challenging and amusing and is perfect for both beginners as well as more advanced scuba divers that would like to challenge themselves & improve their control and comfort underwater.
1 day · Briefing + underwater training · Scuba · Individual or Small groups (ratio: max 3 students per instructor underwater)
What you’ll learn
By the end of the day, you’ll have a better understanding of:
- Neutral buoyancy — learn what is neutral buoyancy, what factors impact it, what is your body’s natural buoyancy and how to achieve NB all along your dive.
- Equipment preparation & being streamlined — learn to how to suitably arrange your dive gear in order to be the most streamline underwater and why it matters.
- Trim — discover the proper positioning underwater and practice it under various scenario.
- Fin kicks — Learn different styles of fin kicks to support your control and mitigate your impact underwater: Frog kick, helicopter turn, back-finning, etc.
- Proper weighting — Many divers are overweighted which impacts their buoyancy underwater. Learn what is the correct weight for you and how to assess it.
- Breathing underwater — breathing is the most important skill when it comes to buoyancy control. Let’s practice together how to breathe underwater.
- Adjusting your buoyancy with depth — Depth and pressure has a great impact on your buoyancy and requires close monitoring and adjustment.
- Adjusting your buoyancy following reef contour & environmental conditions — Learn how environmental conditions can impact your buoyancy and how to adjust it.
- Adjusting your buoyancy with air loss — Learn how to compensate for air loss during the dive to avoid being buoyant.
- Games and scenario practice — Practice your skills – adapted to YOUR level with fun games and scenario underwater.
The emphasis is on skills development catered to your individual level to build up your control underwater.
Your day with CRCP
This field course is a 1 day session from 8am to 3.30pm with briefing session in the morning followed by in water session to complement the theory. Find below the approximate schedule:
- 08:00 — Classroom session
- Begin with an introduction of CRCP as an organization, the environmental work that we conduct & team on the field.
- Continue with a discussion on your experience, goals and what brought you here.
- Follow with a practical review on the theory behind achieving perfect buoyancy and control underwater.
- Finally, discuss today’s plan and games, what skills will you practice underwater and how.
- 09:00 — Gear fitting
- Before heading into the water, let’s fit the gear & make sure everyone is ready and comfortable.
- 10:00 — Briefing on the site & first dive
- Before heading into the water, let’s review the plan, then let’s go in.
- Specific plan will be adapted based on the skills that needs the most practice (depending on your level) and would have been discussed before hand.
- 11:30 — Break and debriefing
- Warm up, drink some water, refuel with with fresh fruits / snacks while debriefing with your instructor your experience underwater and what to expect next.
- 12:00 — Briefing & Second dive
- After a briefing to review the dive plan, let’s go for the second dive, practice more advanced skills and put to test all the skills you learned today through fun games and scenario to test your control.
- 13:15 — Heading back to base + washing up
- Let us drive back to base, drop and rinse our gear
- 13:45 — Lunch
- Enjoy warming up with a plant-based lunch and snacks back at base made by our chef.
- 15:00 — Debrief & Closing Remarks
- Debrief with your instructor about what you have learned during the day between theory to underwater sessions, how confident you are with your skills and what are the next steps to keep building on this. Discuss what are the key takeaways from today and how to use them back home to support your own diving & conservation journey.
- 15:30 — Course end
- The exact schedule and time may vary depending on the course date and field conditions. We will confirm the final schedule when you book.
Format & requirements
The course is for certified scuba divers and includes briefing + two dives to practice skills with an instructor.
Requirements
- Valid Open Water certification or equivalent qualification (PADI, SSI, RAID, CMAS or equivalent).
- You must be healthy and fit for shore diving.
- Good comfort in the water are essential.
What is included?
Your course fee includes:
- Theory & Briefings – One theory session covering the fundamentals of buoyancy control and developing on practical steps to master it and adapting to your level.
- Skills practice dives – Two dives to practice skills with a CRCP instructor.
- Equipment – Scuba or snorkeling equipment and applicable marine fees.
- Lunch & snacks – Plant-based lunch and snacks are included. Vegetarian and vegan options are available.
Course fee
| Format | Fee |
|---|---|
| Scuba diving | PHP 4,500 |
| Online – Theory only | PHP 1,500 |
A 20% deposit is required at the time of booking to secure your spot.
Filipino participants
Filipino participants receive an automatic 20% discount as a way to promote local participation. Simply let us know when you enquire so we can apply the discount.
CALENDAR /
Upcoming dates
We run this course in small groups to allow participants to receive close guidance from our instructors.
In 2026
- On request (usually on Mondays)
In 2027
- On request (usually on Mondays)
Additional dates may occasionally be available, particularly for online participants. Contact us if you have a preferred date or need another option.
Small groups · Advance booking recommended
Places are limited and courses can fill quickly. Bookings close one month before each scheduled course date.
Learn from conservation practitioners
This course is delivered by our environmental NGO Coral Reef & Rainforest Conservation Project (CRCP), as a mean to promote environmental literacy and uplift the community of marine lovers in the Philippines with environmental skills and good practices.
Our training programs connect education with real conservation work. Rather than learning about coral reefs only from a textbook, participants are introduced to the ecological concepts, observation skills and conservation approaches used in the field.
You learn in the environment we are working to protect.
Your training support our conservation efforts
For CRCP, education is a critical part of our conservation work.
Through our learnwithCRCP programs, we share knowledge, develop practical conservation skills and encourage individuals to become more active stewards of the natural environment. Through this, we share our passion. Participation in our training programs also helps support and fund CRCP’s wider research, monitoring and conservation activities. It as well as a source of funding for our research & conservation efforts. By joining a CRCP course, you are not only investing in your own knowledge, you are helping us continue our work to better understand and protect our local ecosystems.
Learn. Explore. Understand. Protect.
FAQ
Is this course suitable for beginners?
Yes. As long as you are certified, this course is designed to adapt to your specific level and challenges no matter if you have 5 or 300 dives.
Is this course suitable for advanced or even professional divers with many dives?
Yes. This course is designed to adapt to your specific level and challenges no matter if you have 5 or 300 dives. Buoyancy is a skills that requires practice for all your dive life.
Do I need to be a certified scuba diver?
Yes. You need to be a certified scuba diver to participate.
What happens if I don’t meet the scuba requirements?
Contact us before booking. Depending on your experience, we may be able to organize a course before the course.
Can i come alone or is this for groups only?
You can come alone absolutely, most of our participants do. But if you prefer joining with your friend or partner, that works too. Our sessions are organized in small groups only so that everyone meet and quickly feels comfortable.
What should I bring?
For field sessions, bring your swimwear, towel, reef-safe personal sun protection, drinking water and anything else you normally require for a day outdoors.
We will provide the diving equipment included in the course. If you already have a mask, snorkel and personal fins, bring them in for extra comfort (it’s always nicer in your own).
Can I combine this course with other CRCP training?
Yes. If you are interested in combining this field course with ecology or practical conservation training, contact us and tell us about your goals.
We can discuss how different courses could be combined into a broader learning experience.
Can the course be arranged on a different date?
Yes. Classes are available on request, subject to instructor and field availability. We recommend contacting us several weeks in advance.
Where is the course conducted ?
We host this field course in our base in Siquijor Island. Regarding, the dive / snorkeling site, we pick the site depending on season and weather for the most favorable conditions.
Ready?
Schedule your training with us
Our other conservation training programs
1 DAY CLASS:
MARINE OR TERRESTRIAL
Would you like to learn about marine or terrestrial ecosystems but you only have 1 day to spare ? This is for you. Pick and choose your preferred topic and come for an adventure. Each class is composed of 1 ecology and conservation lecture followed by field activity guided by one of our local expert. All levels welcomed!
1 WEEK PROGRAMS
Come immerse in environmental conservation for a 5 days / 6 nights with a team of experts on the field. Take a break from daily life, reconnect with nature, immerse in forests and pristine coral reefs and learn about how to protect them. We offer various types of 1 week programs, from broad to specialized.
LONGTERM & PROFESSIONAL COURSES (4wks min)
Are you interested in growing skills to take a bigger step from your daily life and actually help local scientific research and conservation work? Field work require skills but everything can be learned with time and efforts. If this is you, we offer long term development and mentorship programs.