Moalboal

I had been recommended to go to Moalboal by several people including my diving buddy James, because of the great diving and laid back attitude of the place. The place I was going to was actually not the small city of Moalboal but the piece of coastline called Panagsama Beach nearby. There is hardly a beach thou, but instead a reef runs close to the shoreline. I was kinda expecting a touristi place with lots of big fancy resorts and so on but was happily surprised when my motorbike ride dropped me off on a dirt road surrounded by palmtrees and makeshift huts and buildings. This place was very laid back and the Blue Abyss "resort" I lived in only had 5 rooms! But they were nice rooms, staff were greeting me by first name when I arrived so I felt much at home. I dropped off my pack and took a stroll down the dirt road to see what kind of place I had landed in. Going along the road you almost had to go through peoples houses and at one point it turns into what could have been a a street in Mos Eisley, Tattoine. 

 

I ended up at the Cebu Dive Center, as recommended by Simon and I was not disappointed. You walk through an entrance of dive equipment and come out on the other side with a view to the ocean and a little bar to your left. Here you were greeted by multiple very nice staff members, immediately seated at the bar where the manager Cameron requested my name and proceded to tell

me about nordic mythology and how awesome he found my name and this was even before I told him my last name... 

I was introduced to the diving instructor Michael, a middleaged, smoking, drinking, curly haired and cursing bavarian from Munich. I felt right at home! Here people were hanging out after thier afternoon dives and I quickly found myself in company with the people I would be diving with the next day, a canadian couple Jade and Frederic. So I spent most of my evening here slinging back San Miguel, Cerveza Negros and watching the sun go down in the ocean. 

Next morning it was up early ready for diving at Pescador island. At the dive center I met my dive master for the day, Bibi, a very experienced and humble dive master. We made 2 dives at Pescador island, flowing with the strong current along the wall of the reef surrounding the tiny island, making it down to 25 meters to have a peek into a cave there. 

From upper left Rene, Bibi, Patrick, Frederick and Jade

Coming back it was time to take some fuel in and ordering from the next door restaurant Hannahs Place and having it served in the bar was too much of a temptation

Then after a couple of hours chilling and surfing the free wi fi it was time for my 3rd dive of the day, along the house reef again with Bibi as my dive master. 

The special thing about the reef along the coast is that it houses millions of sardines that are swirling around as a single entitity. When the sun hits them through the water the effect is spectacular! As you glide through the water and into the swirling sardines they simply open up on each side of you, putting you between walls of fish. 

 

In the evening me, Jade and Frederic went out for dinner at Chili Bar, that served some rather excellent pizzas on baskets covered with palm leaves

After that I was off to an early bed to be ready for my next two dives the next morning. 

This morning our boat headed for white beach, which is an actual beach and more quiet than Panagsama. Here was a diving spot called Dolphin House, quite close to shore and with beautifull corals and colourfull fish. In between dives we had a chance to chill on the beach and while everyone else tumbled over in the sand I went and played some beachvolley with the locals, quite tough in a wetsuit I found out! 

Then it was another dive before returning to Cebu Dive center. On all these dives I was accompanied by my divemaster Bibi and he was incredible at pointing out tiny like sea slugs, shrimps and camouflaged lion fish among the corals. You could truly feel his passion for his work and making sure we a got the best experience possible! I finished off with a snorkeling session at the house reef again after finishing a delicious fish plate again from Hannahs Place

Bibi the Dive Master

  

Snorkeling turned out to be even better as you could get very close to the sardines, when you don't exhale any bubbles!

Finished the day saying goodbye to the Cebu Dive Center crew by downing a few beers and listening to old diving stories from Michael. I will miss this place and the people that worked there and I promised myself that this would not be my last visit to Moalboal...

Tomorrow I'm off to a tiny little island called Apo, where the diving is supposed to be even better and with lots of turtles!