If you were in Cebu for a 3 day weekend...

If you found yourself in Cebu for a 3 day weekend, where would you dive? Got a long weekend coming up in mid Sept. Thinking of flying out to Cebu. Originally I was just going to chill and maybe try to play some golf, but then I remembered there are some dive sites around Cebu... :11: Any dive sites worth an overnite trip (2 days of diving) from Cebu City/ Mactan? Bohol? Malapascua? I hear Moalboal isn't worth it...

pakman:

If you found yourself in Cebu for a 3 day weekend, where would you dive? Got a long weekend coming up in mid Sept. Thinking of flying out to Cebu. Originally I was just going to chill and maybe try to play some golf, but then I remembered there are some dive sites around Cebu... :11: Any dive sites worth an overnite trip (2 days of diving) from Cebu City/ Mactan? Bohol? Malapascua? I hear Moalboal isn't worth it...

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I would choose Malapascua over Mactan and Moalboal and its only 2.5 hours from Cebu City by car and another 30mins by boat from Maya. I was just there a week and a half ago and diving was spectacular. Havent been to Bohol, so cant say what diving is like. If you decide to go to Malapascua, I would suggest Thresher Shark Divers dive shop, http://www.malapascua-diving.com/index.html. I was very happy with their service.
Hope this helps.

subzero, thanks... from what I have read so far, I am leaning twds Malapascua... so did u see any thresher sharks?...

pakman:

subzero, thanks... from what I have read so far, I am leaning twds Malapascua... so did u see any thresher sharks?...

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Yes, I saw a Thresher shark on my first dive, but on the second dive, I wasnt so lucky.

...for a 3 day trip to Cebu. By public transport it will take you say 3 hours to get to Panagsama Beach / Moalboa and another 15 minutest to be bubbling. Whilst Panagsama's reef itself is not fantastic - the walls of Pescador Island are quite magnificent with very good viz. Only 20 minute boattrip from Panagsama; great diving. I liked Nelson's very much for diving; Eve's to stay. I would feel that travelling to Malapascua is too much hassle for what effectively will be 2 days flying (you will fly back, right?).

My few pennies - regards, Arie.

Arie,

Interesting. I'll have to read up on pescador island. Last I heard from friends who went to moalboal was that it was devastated by dynamite fishing but then I forget if they mentioned going out to pescador island. But in terms of travel, its roughly the same as Malapascua. plus I'd love to see a thresher shark...

2 day flying? I'm flying out from Hong Kong and the flight will take less time than the drive to Malapascua or Moalboal...

Mike

Ok so I'm not exactly the best reference. I've only dived Moalboal. I dived from Savedra dive shop and stay at the Cabana Beach Resort.

I got my Adv Dive at Savedra. The highlight was diving with the sharks swimming under me off the wall at Pescadore Island. Now the story is that this is also the place where dives with Whale Sharks are most common.

Regarding the fishing, well at Pescadore I got some great UW pics and there were lots of fish. You could do worse.

Hi Pakman -

When in dove Pescador Isl in summer 2003 it was one of the highlites of my divetrip to the Philies. Great viz, beautiful wall (which you can dive at several levels so no dive is the same - it is a deep wall, the whitetips at the time were at 48.7m (remember cause it has been logged in my stinger as "high score" for depth - not sure whether it is a good thing but...)). Agree that the reefs immediately in front of Moalboal are a bit rundown - too much traffic by boats I think (and a typhoon in the 1980s) do it no good.

Also dove Malapascua on that trip. We dove Monad Shoal (where the treshers are) on two early mornings, saw the treshers the first dive, not on the second. Guaranteed it is worth going there for the treshers only, agreed. Gato Isl is around there as well, equally good fun (and has some smallish white tips in various caves etc - must be bigger ones out there as well you'd think, the couple on pescador isl. wall definitely are).

I travelled to Moalboal and Malapascua both with CERES busses, I think. From Cebu to Moalboal was around three hours, think the bus to Maya (port to Malapascua) from Cebu took a bit longer, but not too much. So may be you are right that in travelling it does not make a big difference. Somehow, in my mind, it is just that Malapascua felt much more remote and far away from Cebu than Moalboal. Weird.

Anyway, if you meet the Danish guy at Malapascua's White Beach Bungalows, make sure you get invited to taste the curry has wife makes - fantastic food!

Happy travels, Arie.

Basically,

Get up to Malapascua, or

Get on a Super Cat or similar boat to;

Tagbilaran and dive the sites around Panglao,

or to Dumaguete and dive Apo Island.

If you go to Moalboal, there is a waterfall and lake nearby that is great fun.

Hire a ride there and hike a trail for a few minutes.

You get on a bamboo raft and pull it along a rope and go under the waterfall.

Moalboal beach area is mostly rock and there is a wall shortly after entering the water.

Moalboal is a community of resorts and you can walk around and see most of it.

There are some very good restaurants there.

I had a pleasant and memorable experience in Moalboal.