Sierra Madre Divers Dive Center

Set right on the waterfront at Alona Beach on Panglao Island in Bohol, Philippines, Sierra Madre Divers is a PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Center, TecRec Center and Mermaid Center. Its international team of seven PADI instructors shares a genuine passion for diving, the ocean and marine life, with a focus on safety and high-quality instruction.

Courses and diving

The centre runs a full range of PADI courses, from a 3-hour Discover Scuba Diving morning session (from USD 68) right through to the 28-day PADI Divemaster (from USD 1015). In between you'll find Advanced Open Water, Deep Diver, Search and Recovery, Peak Performance Buoyancy, Sidemount and Emergency First Response, with 24 courses and activities in all. Enriched air (Nitrox) is available.

Daily fun dives led by friendly local divemasters reach Bohol's top sites, including Balicasag Island, Pamilacan Island, Napaling, Danao Wall and the Alona Beach house reef. With an onsite training pool, classroom, retail shop, dive boat, accommodation and nine languages spoken, it suits everyone from first-timers to aspiring pros.