Aqua Ventura Diving Reviews 6

I have made a lot of dives with Aqua Ventura.
Because I like underwater photography I don't like to dive in a group, when you see someting interesting that needs time you don't want o follow the others but stay where you are. That is the reason that I always dive with a private guide and with Aqua Ventura everything is possible, now I can stay as long as I want on one spot just to make that picture I want. The support is outstanding, they set up my gear and bring it already in the water, after the dive they also bring my equipment back so no need to carry these heavy stuff to the shore. I can decide by myself when I want to start, 9pm, 10pm, it does'n matter the equipment is already in the car.
I have been in many places in the Philippines but this is my favorite diveshop. The support they give you belongs to the very best and at a very fair price.
I have not done any courses because I'm PADI MSDT already but I think they also must be very good with a lot of atttention for the students.
Many thanks to Gary and his team!!!

dove many times with Aqua Ventura Divers, in my opinion they are the best, Gary Finney makes sure everything is set up for your trips to APO or just diving off shore, Gary has very experienced guides and DM and they have sharp eyes to spot critters for those taking phots. Those that are planning to come to the Philippines, just let Gary know what you want and he will take care of everything else. At present the diving is great.

Gary provides “a cut above” service. He responds quickly, will arrange accommodation at your choice of budget level, great diving & other activities as well. Our Apo Island trip was awesome. Beautiful healthy corals, many sea turtles, sea krate, electric clam, lots of fish, warm clear water & flat sea. Our guide was attentive, briefed each dive so we knew what to expect & brought us back safely to our boat. Boat crew was great, very helpful carrying & setting up our gear. We felt very pampered. If you are coming to Dauin area, highly recommend letting Gary make arrangements for you! 🥰

Aqua Ventura gave our group such a smooth and unforgettable day tour from Dumaguete. We had to wake up earlier to make the most of our scheds. Clean and spacious van transport, we went swimming with the whale sharks in Oslob, and the sardines run in Moalboal felt like something out of a documentary. Included lunch in Moalboal was awesome, Al our tourguide was fun and made us feel safe the entire time and took great photos too! Highly recommended for anyone wanting a all-in adventure with friends from Dumaguete.

Don’t dive with this Center for your own safety!
I did the APO island trip with them and had a horrible experience.
Our guide Lewis didn’t cared/ looked at us at all, kept swimming away and made us go up and down way to fast.
During the second dive I felt that I am getting a headache. I tried to tell Lewis that but he constantly swam away and didn’t looked or cared about us. Also he knew that could happen cause I already had a little headache after the first dive.
So when he finally turned around I gave him the sign that I feel bad and pointed on my head, which he ignored and continued to swam away. 10 or 15min later when he finally turned again I gave him the signs( more than once) that I can’t go on and I need to go up immediately, which he ignored again. Than continued to swim away. I felt worse and worse, could barely breath and got dizzy as well. I still had no choice than try to follow him because I knew I can not just surface without knowing my detox time. Even at this time he didn’t even looked at us and just swam away. Another 10 minutes later he turned again I told him I’m done I need to go up now. He ignored it again and swam away. At this point I had no choice than surface on my own because I felt like I will loose consciousness. So I did. I came up, could barely breath, had a huge pain in my head and felt dizzy.
Still the only thing he did, when he finally came up, was shouting here and there if I am fine, which I was obviously not. After some minutes he finally decided to help me to get on the boat. Luckily the other dive centers who were on the same boat had oxygen which I had to inhale for 20min.
I still felt bad the whole day.

We booked the RAID Try Dive at Apo Island as a group of friends, and it turned out to be one of the best experiences of our trip. None of us had dived before, so we were both excited and a little nervous, but the team at Aqua Ventura Diving made everything smooth from the start. They include free transport from our hotel in Dumaguete to their shop in Dauin.

Our instructor/guide was patient, clear, and super reassuring. He explained everything step by step, so even the most hesitant among us felt comfortable. Once we got into the water, it was a completely new world—vibrant corals, colorful fish, and that magical feeling of breathing underwater for the first time. It was surreal sharing that moment together as friends.

We honestly couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to diving.If you’re curious about diving but not ready to commit to a full course, this is absolutely the way to go.