Neptune Diving Resort Moalboal — Hotel in Cebu

Neptune Diving Resort Moalboal is an incredible place to get my PADI Open Water Diver certification. Apart from very comfortable and clean accommodations, the instructors and staff are amazing! Friendly, helpful, service-oriented and always smiling, they were truly professional and great to talk to.

My instructor Gerald (aka Gong) is really patient and reassuring - he was always calm and never pushed me past my comfort zone when I panicked underwater, and he took the time to help me get comfortable breathing underwater through my regulator (since I’m a swimmer and used to gulping fresh air at the surface of the water). He did the lessons and skills drills at my pace but was still firm that I had to complete all the skills that I was panicky about (full mask flooding and mask removal underwater) and was always by my side to make sure I felt safe and ready to complete my drills. When I was about to give up, he and the other instructors gave me the confidence to continue and give it another go before I called off my certification (lucky I didn’t!), and I managed to earn my certification and enjoy the open water dives we went on during the course of my lessons. Gerald also made sure I was always looked after by him and even enlisted the help of another instructor to give me 1:1 attention since they knew I was prone to panicking underwater on the open water dives. Martin took me out on my final open water dive separately from the group as he observed my air consumption was lower than the rest, so he suggested we go separately so that I could maximise my time underwater, and I was super lucky to be able to take a fantastic shot with a turtle with the boyfriend (certified PADI Advanced Open Water Diver) who they allowed to tag along on my open water dive 4. Both Gerald and Martin were funny yet relaxed, and the camaraderie among the instructors at Neptune Moalboal was apparent both under and above water. I had a truly wonderful experience completing my Open Water certification with Neptune Diving Resort Moalboal - I believe I couldn’t have had a better experience elsewhere - and I will certainly be returning to do my PADI Advanced Open Water Diver certification with them when I can!

Great job Gerald! I’m an impressed student (and I’m usually very difficult to impress) and very satisfied customer of Neptune Diving Resort...

We stayed for one night at Neptune for convenience as we had dives booked with them. We had originally booked at a much cheaper accommodation nearby that offered similar facilities but moved our accommodation here as they told us that it would secure our dives with them.||||Unfortunately, the stay itself wasn't so great - check-in wasn't the most convenient as the ladies on the front desk seemed more interested in chatting to each other than helping guests to check in. They had no record of our night dive we had pre-booked and told us to check back in a couple of hours. They couldn't answer any of the basic questions about the dives (like which dive sites) and didn't seem very well informed.||||Our toilet was blocked for our entire stay, and even when highlighted to staff, and the toilet was 'fixed' then it still didn't flush properly so we had to use the outside toilet at the dive school for the duration. ||||It was also incredibly noisy from the street, with really loud music blaring late at night from nearby bars when we were trying to sleep. On the flipside, there were good places to eat and drink very close by.||||Luckily, we were only there one night, and with that considered, the convenience and great diving still made it worthwhile. ||||The divemasters at Neptune are among the best that I have dived with. Johnny took us on 3 dives - 2 boat dives and the sardine run. He has possibly the keenest eye of any divemaster I have ever been with, able to spot pygmy seahorses and other tiny creatures that we would have otherwise missed. He brought along a whiteboard and named the interesting sea life we came across. Nathan took us on our first night-dive and was a fantastic and attentive guide/instructor, and was very patient and reassuring when I had a buoyancy problem. Both did briefings before the dives, and made sure our equipment was set up, & put us into buddy pairs. We were expected to do our own buddy checks, which is standard procedure.||||The only downside of diving with Neptune is that some of the equipment was quite old - our masks were scratched to the point that they weren't so clear, and the reef boots I was provided had holes and tears in them. I would recommend bringing your own mask and boots if you have them even if it is just for a...

[Open water diving course review] Did not stay at the resort but came here for the open water course.

For someone who has thalassophobia, and freezes 100% with the sight of deep sea when I arrive, I came to Neptune Dive with no confidence of getting my open water cert and ready to give up in the first 10 minutes in the water.

On my first nervous day, I met up with instructor Martin, who is super friendly, calm, and welcoming to me when we first met. Immediately, I know I am in good hands. -- He then explains all the skills and concerns very clearly, well-paced, and very patient with all the questions and nervous comments I have, constantly reassuring me with knowledge and letting me know he will take extra care to help throughout the course.

Of course, to overcome my phobia still has to me on my own effort. My first confined dive was still terrifying! That said, I would have stopped at the 10 minutes mark, not for instructor Martin's patience and clear instructions in the water, which made me calm down and learn to build up my skills. And I slowly got better as I progressed through the course. Never ever felt pressured, judged, and constantly encouraged by Martin.

By the time I know it, I am on my way to my open dives. Which my real fear kicks in. Luckily, Martin's calmness, free pressure, and clear instruction help me to experience my first open water dive with no hiccups.

We are also accompanied by Intructor Alex's on our 2nd Open water dive and the dive center's new instructor. Alexis, even though being new, he is passionate, understanding and also provides good instructions. Even helped me to overcome my fear to remove my mask in the open water, and taught me how to improve my neutral buoyancy.

Not forgetting able to learn all these skill while amidst of all the spectacular sardine run! Super mesmerised by the gigantic school of sardines. 2 in 1!

By the end of the course, I not only overcome my Thalassophobia, I found myself confident in the water and even starting to love diving! This is a super big achievement for me and I must say won't be possible without the 2 outstanding instructors Martin and Alexis. Neptune dive is the best dive center I have hoped to get my Open water certificate! Will be...