Many new divers are drawn to scuba diving by the appeal of going deep, be it curiosity of what they might find there, the challenge of overcoming fears or the tranquility one can experience at depth.
For recreational scuba divers deep is defined as any dive in excess of 18 meters. For those with advanced training they might consider anything between 30 and 40 meters as a deep dive, 40 meters is the limit of recreational, no decompression diving.
For those with the appropriate training and experience levels deep diving has a lot to offer. You will often be below the crowds, you will see marine life inaccessible to beginner divers, water movement is often calmer down there and can preserve points of interest such as ship wrecks. In Pescador island one of the highlights is the cathedral cave, technically more of a swim through, it allows divers to ascend from depth into shallower waters through a large chimney style exit, the ambience is wonderful.
Divers In Moalboal have a lot of opportunities to explore deeper sites, the majority of our coastal dive sites here is over near vertical walls which drop off to 60-70 meters, each dive site can accommodate entry level through to advanced and technical divers.
Do not let the easy access lull you into a false sense of security, without proper training deep diving can be dangerous. Before venturing down there you should spend some time with an instructor understanding your abilities. With Narcosis and increased gas consumption increasing with depth you need to be sure of your ability to react appropriately if something unexpected occurs.
If you feel the deep water calling to you consider the training on offer, the Advanced diver program will open the doors to 30 meter dives, the Deep Diver Specialty builds on this and takes you to 40 Meters. For those wishing to stay there a bit longer the PADI Tec Rec program is for you, introducing decompression diving up to and including 50 Meters. When planned and executed properly by well trained divers, deep dives are some of the most rewarding experiences you can have underwater.
