As a recommendation from our friends from Slow Spirit, Greg and Rafa, we decided to go to Moalboal, Philippines, to relax. As we made our way on the bumpy roads of the small town with our friendly driver and his rusty tricycle, we arrived at the bamboo cottages where we planned to stay for a couple of nights.
With very poor internet connection but a peaceful and quiet setting it was exactly what we were expecting of the Philippines. We decided, as usual, to go explore and find what made this city our friends’s favourite.
After wandering through the alleys and unsealed roads with no money and on the lookout for an ATM, we bumped into a divemaster who had been diving around the island for a while and offered us some tips on where to get money out and on places where we could get our wetsuits on! Now with some cash back in our pockets we settled on the fact that we had to find a place to get some dives done. After diving in Vanuatu over a year earlier, we both were a bit out of touch and wanted to find a reliable dive centre to do so.
Diving with Savedra Dive Center
It wasn’t after long that we found Savedra Dive Centre. A well stablished (and always busy) dive center which we figured, according to some locals and foreigners alike, to be the best place to get our diving spirit back on track.
Lee, the owner was easy and open to a chat and introduced us to Abeth who would give us a tour on the centre and show us the best spots to explore the big blue. She and all the divemasters and instructors were quick to welcome us and the staff seemed always keen while running the business around in paradise.
Divers and our new friend, Abeth ready to get in…
We were really excited to get to see the ‘sardines run’ which makes Moalboal so famous. But to our surprise, it was just one of the beautiful marine life we got to witness. Wanna see what we are talking about? Check out this video then:
Bursting Marine Life
Turtles, which are plentiful in species but unfortunately not in number, were easy to spot in Moalboal. We also got lucky spotting a few Frog fish, Trumpet fish, colourful jellyfish and sea slugs which are all part of the daily exhibit around the island. Even the eventual Thresher sharks comes every now and then to feast on some sardines, no luck this time though…
Hello there!
In 3 days, we explored the House Reef (just off the shore of Panagsama beach), Ronda Marine Park (more turtles there!) and finally Pescador Island. With more than 15 diving spots around Moalboal, Pescador Island was our definite highlight. Bursting marine life and colourful reef with great visibility make this tiny island a preferred spot for divers on all levels. If you have your Advanced certification you can even check out the Cathedral cave on the west side of the island. Plus, airplane wrecks and plenty of reef to explore too!
Did you know that the Philippines is the epicentre of marine biodiversity, with the richest concentration of marine life on the entire planet?!
Arriving in Pescador Island
For those who are not yet on the diving level, sardines and turtles are also within walking (or swimming) distance from the shore and visible even with a snorkel! With all the beautiful underwater scenery we had to remind ourselves to breathe every now and then.
Also, Open Water and Discover Dives are available at Savedra Dive Center with great deals for those interested in improving their diving skills. Imagine what you could see if you could dive 4o metres down there, right?
Right where the turtles come around to eat. Amazing, right?
In between dives and friendly chats with some awesome divemasters in the center, we ended up staying 10 days in Moalboal than previously planned.
The amazing vibe this little coastal town offers coupled with the fact that we found a reliable and professional dive center was the reason why we took some extra time to explore the Tañon Strait. Making the move to leave Moalboal was tough, but we had to do it.
Caution! Divers crossing
With so much to see underwater, we think we might just come back here soon to explore a tad bit more of the amazing coral reefs and marine life around the area…
If you ever come to Moalboal, we can certainly recommend Savedra Dive Center to enjoy the beauty and diversity of the Philippines!
If we told you that this whole thing happened by accident, would you believe us? Running out of money in a small town is not always a bad thing after all…
Larissa & Jean
Nomaddictives
With thanks to Savedra Dive Center Moalboal. All opinions are our own.
