“The worlds finest wilderness, lies beneath the waves.” -Robert Wyland
Ready to give your eyes a treat and spend more time underwater than above? Welcome to Moalboal in the beautiful island of Cebu, Philippines!
How to get here:
3 hour bus ride from Cebu City. From the South bus terminal you can take the Ceres yellow bus to Moalboal via Barili. There are two options the A/C or non A/C bus. Supposedly the non A/C stops more frequently so it may take longer than 3 hours. We went with the A/C bus for 140PHP and they showed two movies in English on the way down which was a plus!
We were dropped off in the middle of town in front the Moalboal fruit market so we couldn’t help but grab a few mangoes. We took a tricycle to Pagasma beach for about 80PHP (10 minute drive).
While there are tons of dive resorts to stay at along the beach we decided to stay inland more and opted to rent an apartment since we were staying for a week. We stayed at Mangoes place which is 10 minutes walking from the beach equipped with a front porch to lounge, outdoor kitchen, fridge, A/C, spacious room and even a hot shower which was pleasantly surprising.
Moalboal is known for its diving. It has one of the richest biodiversity of fish in the world. While we are not certified divers we’ve only dived once in the past in Fiji. We were excited to try diving once again here in Moalboal. We sought out Quo Vadis Dive Resort to speak with about setting up a dive. We found them to be reputable but then again there are so many dive shops in Moalboal I imagine as long as they are PADI certified then you are in safe hands!
For Sea Discovery diving (the option for first time divers) it was 60USD and to continue with the Open Water certification it is 300USD.
Apart from being the diving epicenter of Cebu, the most popular attraction in Moalboal is the Sardine run. Just a few meters from the shore you have MILLIONS of sardines running around constantly underwater. There are only two places in the world you can see the sardine run but in Moalboal it is year round as opposed to the other which is seasonal. It’s so close to shore that you can hire a snorkel and mask for 100PHP from anywhere around town and swim out on your own time. We found that the best time to go is in the morning before 10am (before the boat tours unload their lot of tourists).
We started out by public beach access next to the gazebo of the Cabana Beach Club resort and within minutes of swimming out we were completely submerged with the sardines. They stay pretty close to the surface so snorkeling is a great option for the sardine run. Also I would advise to go in the morning when the sun is hitting the water because the sardines are reflective so it’s even more beautiful to see them shining.
Hands down swimming in a sardine run is the coolest underwater experience I’ve had to date! Being surrounded by millions of sardines with their silvery scales glistening from the sunshine hitting the water was such an incredible feeling. When I would stay still they would swim all around me and when I would move they would scurry away all together making designs in the water. What a spectacle!
While I was snorkeling one morning, I encountered a sea turtle. I was excited as usual to see a sea turtle but this one had a certain determination in his eyes. He was scouting out breakfast and before I knew it I was front row to him devouring a jellyfish right before my eyes. Probably the most savage turtle encounter I’ve had watching him tear up that jelly but so enlightening to observe and understand more about the natural cycle of underwater life.
This experience was such an eye opener as well. I’ve always known plastic bags pose a large threat to sea turtles because of their confusion thinking it’s food and seeing this made me realize, of course a sea turtle would assume a floating plastic bag is a jellyfish and eat it and be harmed! For turtles plastic pollution is deadly. This mistake causes blockages within their digestive system and eventual death killing thousands of marine turtles each year.
Remember: you see the difference, a turtle does not. I encourage you to reconsider single use plastic and pursue biodegradable alternatives instead. For the sake of saving the sea turtles and all other wildlife being affected, and the ecosystem as a whole. It’s 2018, it’s simple and past time to break free from plastic!
We also set out for a solid beach day and rented a motorbike (300PHP for the day or 400PHP for 24hours) to the neighboring White Beach, only 15 minutes away via moto. It’s more of a local vibe but the beach is long and wide with crystal clear water. It actually isn’t known for its white sand, despite its name!
Other activities offered from Moalboal see the option to go canyonneering and visit Kawasan falls as well as visiting Oslob to snorkel with the whale sharks.
While we had complete intentions to visit the whale sharks in Oslob, after further research we decided to not take part. To each their own, but we found it to be unnatural for the whale sharks and didn’t want to further enable their lifestyle down in Oslob. The dilemma with this is that the whale sharks are being hand fed daily to ensure their reoccurrence for tourism. The whale sharks are a highly mobile, migratory species, but in this case they have been seen sticking around all year round completely dependent on humans therefore loosing their ability to survive in the wild. This isn’t the natural cycle a whale shark should be living. Remember, responsible tourism starts with you. Even though attractions are popular it’s important to understand what’s fully going on – with consideration for the animals and environment. Animals shouldn’t suffer for your wildlife experience. I’ll leave it at that.
For more information click here for a recent article on the matter.
Moalboal is a very small beach town bustling with life underwater and above. I loved the simplicity and overall vibe. While you could hit all the attractions in a couple days, it’s definitely a town you find yourself lingering in and adapting to the simple beach life.
Recommendations
Accommodation
- Mangoes Place. Apartment style – 30USD per night.
- JJs Place. Backpackers hostel. 12USD per night.
Diving
- Quo Vadis diving centre.
- Sea Discovery PADI:60USD.
- Open water certification: 300USD.
Food
- Taco Spot. Super cheap, quality tacos.
- Bon App Bistro. Reasonably priced healthy, vegetarian options.
- Last filling station. Reasonably priced local and vegetarian options.
- Little Corner. Cheap local restaurant.
- Moalboal Fruit Market. (In the town) Cheap fruits, fresh baked breads, eggs etc.
