Moalboal, Cebu
Moalboal and Panagsama Beach
Moalboal is laid back little town in Cebu. At Panagsama Beach, located on an peninsula near Moalboal town, the mixture of expatriates and visiting divers from all over the world are living together with the friendly Filipino residents of Moalboal creating a quite a unique community.
Moalboal is foremost known as a place of great diving. The sleepy town lies on the west coast of Cebu, about 92 km south of Cebu City. You can cover the distance in about 2 1/2 hours by car or bus. Panagsama Beach is the place you want to go, and it’s about 4 km from the town center.
Accommodation, Restaurants & Bars
Plenty of resorts, guesthouses and bungalows, native and modern, offer you a wide array of possible accommodation in Moalboal. Just to name a few: The Savedra Beach Resort, overlooking the sea, Pacita’s with its lovely native nippa huts, Hannah’s Place and Restaurant with good seafood and nice accommodation, Cabana Beach Club Resort with first class accommodation and good food. For eating the Last Filling Station is the choice of many divers.
Several nightspots, like Chili Bar, Beach Bar or Roxy, offer pool billiard and darts, sometimes also live music. Chief Maui and Lloyds offer additional dance floors for hot disco nights.
Cebu Highlights
Cebu beaches
Cebu is home to some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, with crystal clear waters, white sandy shores, and stunning sunsets. Popular beach destinations include Mactan Island, Bantayan Island, and Malapascua Island.
Historical sites
Cebu is rich in history and culture, with many sites that showcase the region’s colonial past. The Magellan’s Cross, Fort San Pedro, and the Basilica del Santo Niño are popular historical landmarks.
Delicious food
Cebu is known for its delicious and unique cuisine, which includes dishes such as lechon (roast pig), kinilaw (raw fish salad), and puso (rice cooked in woven coconut leaves).
Festivals
Cebu is famous for its vibrant and colorful festivals, including the Sinulog Festival, which is one of the largest and most popular festivals in the Philippines. Other festivals include the Kadaugan sa Mactan, the Cebu City Charter Day, and the Pasko sa Sugbo.
Adventure activities
In Cebu you can choose a variety of adventure activities, including canyoneering, kayaking, trekking, and zip-lining.
Friendly people
Filipinos are known for their friendly and welcoming nature, and Cebuanos are no exception. Visitors can expect to be greeted with warmth and hospitality wherever they go in Cebu.
Moalboal IDC
PADI Instructor course on Moalboal
IDC Prices
All IDC course Prices
IDC Schedules
All IDC schedules
Diving in Moalboal
The diving in Moalboal, Philippines is considered to be excellent, with a diverse range of dive sites and abundant marine life. Moalboal is located on the western coast of the island of Cebu and is known for its stunning coral reefs, steep drop-offs, and underwater walls. The area is also known for its sardine run, where millions of sardines school in large numbers, creating a stunning spectacle for divers.
Our house reef is just about 10m from the dive shop. A giant school of sardines, accompanied by jacks, mackerels and even thresher sharks, have made our house reef their home.
Other popular dive sites in Moalboal include Pescador Island, where divers can encounter a variety of marine life, including sea turtles, reef sharks, and colorful nudibranchs. The area also offers opportunities for macro diving, with a variety of critters such as seahorses, frogfish, and pipefish.
The dive conditions in Moalboal are generally good, with warm waters and good visibility throughout the year. However, it is important to note that weather conditions and visibility can vary depending on the season.
Overall, Moalboal is a fantastic destination for diving enthusiasts, whether you are a beginner or an experienced diver, and offers a unique underwater experience that should not be missed.
Moalboal dive sites
Diving with the Sardines in Moalboal
No matter how many times you dive with the sardine ball, you will always awed by the sheer number of fish, the constantly moving shapes of the individual sardine ball and the sudden, but simultaneous, change of directions of thousands and thousands individual fishes seemingly by one command. Meanwhile the sardines have moved from Pescador Island to the coast. They can be found now just in front of our dive center, at our house reef.
Diving with the sardines is a breathtaking experience and accessible to everybody who can dive. The sardines stay just in front of our dive center and can be observed on nearly every shore dive.
Pescador Island
Pescador Island is just a 15 min boat ride from our dive shop. Between Cebu’s coastline and Pescador Island, the sea floor drops down to over 300m deep. Out of this depth the island rises like a pinnacle.
Pescador Island is famous for its beautiful, largely untouched marine life. The small island with rocky cliffs is fringed by a shallow reef 3-10m wide, then spectacular drop-offs plunge away to depths of 55m plus.
The main point of interest for many is cathedral cave, a spectacular swim through starting around 30 meters deep, with several exits at 18 meters, stunning!
Tuble, Tongo Point, White Beach, Ronda Bay Marine Park and others
Moalboal dive spots along the coastline of the peninsula. These impressive dive sites are home to an extraordinary array of coral, ferns, anemones, sponges and a swarming host of brightly colored fish. Groupers, turtles and sea snakes are among the common encountered residents. All dives are superb wall dives, with some small caverns and swim throughs, an interesting underwater topography as well as the most colorful reef creatures imaginable. And all dive spots can be reached with a short banca-ride of only 10-20 minutes.
