Ocean Passion

Located on the island of Malapascua in the Philippines, Ocean Passion is a PADI 5 Star Instructor Development Dive Resort. The centre is built around a commitment to professional training and responsible tourism through the Dive4Help project.

For those looking to combine their diving with a stay, the centre is integrated with Slam's Garden Dive Resort. This setup allows you to move easily between your accommodation and the dive facilities, which include a spacious equipment room and a dedicated classroom.

The team is led by highly experienced professionals, including a PADI Course Director with nearly three decades of experience. This level of expertise makes the centre a primary destination for those pursuing professional dive careers.

The staff is multilingual, providing instruction and guidance in English, French, Spanish, and Filipino. This ensures clear communication for international divers, whether you are completing your first Open Water course or training for an instructor rating.

Beyond recreational diving, the centre is deeply involved in sustainable tourism. Their work with the Dive4Help project emphasises responsible diving practices and environmental stewardship within the local marine ecosystem.

Ocean Passion offers the full spectrum of PADI training. You can begin with the Open Water Diver and Advanced Open Water Diver courses, or progress through Rescue Diver and Divemaster levels.

The centre is a specialist hub for technical diving, offering PADI Tec courses including Tec 40, Tec 45, Tec 50, and Trimix training. They also provide specialised instruction in Sidemount, Wreck diving, and Gas Blending.

For those looking to enter the professional ranks, the centre provides the full Instructor Development Course (IDC) and Specialty Instructor training. This includes paths for becoming an Open Water Scuba Instructor (OWSI), an Emergency First Response Instructor, and a Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT).

The centre operates two Banca Style boats, including a newer vessel launched in late 2019. These boats are designed to accommodate up to 22 divers per trip.

For the famous early morning trips to Monad Shoal to see thresher sharks, the boats depart as early as 5 AM. Nitrox is available for use during these excursions.

The shore-based facilities are designed for serious divers, featuring a large equipment room and a dedicated compressor room. The site includes a Nitrox filling station to support extended bottom times.

Full rental kit is available for those not travelling with their own equipment. This includes regulators, BCDs, wetsuits, fins, and masks. For night dives, torches are also provided.

The local waters are famous for pelagic encounters, particularly the pelagic thresher shark. You can also find whitetip reef sharks (Triaenodon obesus), bamboo sharks, and catsharks patrolling the reefs and caves.

During the months of January to April, hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) can be spotted in the area. The reefs are also home to various other sharks, including grey reef sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) and whitetip sharks.

For those interested in macro life, the area is a haven for biodiversity. You will find numerous species of nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses (Hippocampus bargibanti), and ghost pipefish. Look closely for porcelain crabs, mantis shrimp, and various species of octopus and cuttlefish.

The reef itself is a vibrant landscape of hard coral (Scleractinia), soft coral, gorgonian sea fans, and giant sponges. Schools of tropical fish, including triggerfish (Balistidae), sweetlips (Plectorhinchus), and various wrasse (Labridae), move through the coral gardens.

Diving in Malapascua involves navigating various marine environments, from shallow reef flats to deep walls and cave systems. The timing of your dives is often dictated by the movement of pelagic species, especially for morning trips to Monad Shoal.

Access to the island can be affected by the tides; during low tide, a small paddle boat (tunda) may be required to reach the shore from the main boats.