Scuba Diving and Free Diving for less 2000 Pesos Budget at Summer Cruise Batangas

Last March, my husband and I finally went to Summer Cruise and Diving Resort. Summer Cruise offers budget friendly scuba diving and free diving services, as well as a family friendly relaxing place to stay. It is located in San Luis, Batangas- quite near at just around 3 hours of commute with traffic from Las Pinas.

You can check out more about our Resort Experience here.

Introduction to Scuba diving by Summer Cruise: A First Timer's POV

Now, I don't swim. I sink, or I try to float but fail. And yes, I have a lot of fears but since i have a husband who is such a daredevil, I really want to live life with him and try out new things- even if it scares me A LOT.

One such thing: Scuba Diving.

Summer Cruise Resort's scuba diving lessons range from an introduction to diving, up to the PADI courses where you can get a certification. Our activity is just the introduction to diving (boat ride), but for a first timer who does not know how to swim, I really want to do this again! Above is a video of our Summer Cruise Scuba Diving Experience.

Briefing and Gears for Scuba

When we got there, we watched a video made from PADI or Professional Association of Diving Instructors that explains the basics of breathing underwater, what to expect and hand signals used when you are diving.




After our lunch, we rested for a bit and then got our suits ready. While our kids were with us, it was only Jobert and I who geared up. I was told though that kids 10 years old above can already take the introduction course if they wanted.

The scuba instructors handed us our masks, oxygen tanks and fins after we suited up. We tried out what we learned from the video in the pool of the resort which is reassuring for first timers like myself.

What we learned: 

They instructed us on how to breathe and what to do in case of certain events like always removing the pressure in our ears by pressing our nose and blowing hard to pump out our ears. Just like if the pressure changes while in an airplane going up.



Now, if your breathing apparatus gets water inside, there's a button on the front that you can push to let water out. You shouldn't push too long though cause that will be a bit more disastrous and it might break the device. Also, the BCD or buoyancy control device is attached to us so we can easily control if we have to go up or down.

But for the intro course, our instructor is the one who controls it. Feels like being a passenger in a car, I guess.

The most important part is to never hold your breath and try to breath normally through the mouth.

The Trip to Binukbok 

The boat trip took 10 minutes on boat. While on the boat though, I was a bit hesitant already. I always feel this way whenever I am trying something that is new and out of my comfort zone, and the only thing that is keeping me on the boat is my husband. 

The fear was nothing compared to what I saw underwater though. And while I had some initial problems with my mask, our instructors had a whole set of equipment ready on the go for such cases. Unfortunately, it meant that my husband and I got separated a bit and since he's the one holding the go pro, he got better shots than me LOL

Here are some sneak peeks of what we saw under the ocean:








The corals and fishes in this part of Batangas is really colorful. It was such a delight for my eyes. Even if I had a freaking regulator on, I cannot hold myself so I was doing muffled "ooohing" and "ahhhing" sounds involuntarily while underwater.




It was also nice that I didn't have to worry so much about the depth and regulate my stuff because the instructor is the one doing it for me. So I can focus better on the sights and adjusting my ear's pressure from time to time.

I did mention earlier that my husband and I got separated during the dive, and since you use hand signals to communicate with the instructor you are with... I kept pointing to my wedding ring as a way of asking "Asan na asawa ko?!" and it worked! hahaha

Later on, I learned that Binukbok is a popular spot because of the schools of fish that roam the area, the giant clams and sea turtles that are also there.

All in all, my first scuba diving experience with Summer Cruise gave us is a wonderful, surreal one. Bucketlist: Scuba Diving, A-CHECK!

Summer Cruise Diving Rates

Here are the different types of Diving courses that Summer Cruise has, including their rates and promos. Personally, I have asked around in Bauan and in Boracay what are the usual rates for an intro class, and I find that Summer Cruise has the most affordable one at below 3000 pesos. Check it out here:

Introduction to Scuba Diving

Beach Front : 1800 php

Inclusions: 

• Entrance Fee
• gear
• scuba equipment
• dive guide
• wetsuit
• 25 minutes dive time

Boat Dive (to Binukbok or other areas) : 2800 Php

Inclusions:

• Entrance fee
• Boat rental
• gear
• scuba equipment
• dive guide
• wetsuit
• 25 minutes dive time
• Gear

Free Diving: 1300 php

Plus they have a promo for the Intro Dive!



Snorkeling Gears are also available here, if you can't do the dive yet. A set rental costs for 150 Php.

Overall

All in all, the Summer Cruise Diving adventure is a must try experience. They make diving easy and you can really appreciate the underwater life with their intro class! It was really fun, and even if I don't know how to swim I am already planning when we will dive again. I really enjoyed myself with seeing the colorful corals, all the schools of fishes and the best part is that they are the most affordable scuba diving experience that I have encountered.

I was supposed to dive in Boracay but my funds were cut short, as the starting price is at 3500. Compared to the nearby diving resorts in San Luis, with intro diving lessons starting at 3000 Php. That is such a huge price difference for the same amount of fun!

Check them out here:

Facebook: Summer Cruise
Instagram: @summercruiseph
Mobile (globe): +63 916 666 3772
Mobile (smart): +63 947 812 7671

PS: Thank you so much to Summer Cruise for the accommodating stay and diving activity! While I was invited to stay, as usual, all thoughts and opinions are 100% true to my experience and are all my own.

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