StirlingDiver
July 21st, 2010, 11:02 AM
Just got back from 3 weeks diving - one week in Moalboal, one in Camiguin and back to Moalboal for the final week.
The first and last weeks in Moalboal were some of the best diving I've ever done with thresher sharks coming in very close to Pescadore Island to feed on the sardines. These are pretty spectacular in themselves, but to see the threshers was a rare treat. There were occasional sightings of threshers over the last year or so, but recently, they've been around almost every day. Visibility was usually pretty good and the sharks were pretty reliable, appearing on about 70% of the dives from depths of 30ms right up to 10ms and sometimes shallower. Most of the time, we would see only one shark at a time and occasionally there would be two together, but they would be around for most of the dive. The most I heard of being seen simultaneously was 4.
The week in Camiguin was a bit more low key. The diving here is consistently very pleasant. I enjoy it as much for the beautiful scenery and friendly people as for the diving. Most days, I was the only diver and could pick where I wanted to dive. For me, the best diving is usually at White Island, but I also enjoy Old Volcano and the other sites nearby. If you have dived the most popular places in the Philippines, but have not yet tried Camiguin, I highly recommend it. If you take the weekly ferry from Cebu, it's easy to get there. The daily ferry to Cagayan de Oro is a little more complicated, but still not difficult. Once there, everybody seems very easy going, the food is good and the beach is pretty much yours.
Having said this, after a few days, I was gagging to get back to Moalboal for the threshers. My last few dives were as exciting as the first. How long the threshers will be around is anybody's guess. They'll probably disappear one day, but while they're around they are definitely worth the trip to Moalboal.
The first and last weeks in Moalboal were some of the best diving I've ever done with thresher sharks coming in very close to Pescadore Island to feed on the sardines. These are pretty spectacular in themselves, but to see the threshers was a rare treat. There were occasional sightings of threshers over the last year or so, but recently, they've been around almost every day. Visibility was usually pretty good and the sharks were pretty reliable, appearing on about 70% of the dives from depths of 30ms right up to 10ms and sometimes shallower. Most of the time, we would see only one shark at a time and occasionally there would be two together, but they would be around for most of the dive. The most I heard of being seen simultaneously was 4.
The week in Camiguin was a bit more low key. The diving here is consistently very pleasant. I enjoy it as much for the beautiful scenery and friendly people as for the diving. Most days, I was the only diver and could pick where I wanted to dive. For me, the best diving is usually at White Island, but I also enjoy Old Volcano and the other sites nearby. If you have dived the most popular places in the Philippines, but have not yet tried Camiguin, I highly recommend it. If you take the weekly ferry from Cebu, it's easy to get there. The daily ferry to Cagayan de Oro is a little more complicated, but still not difficult. Once there, everybody seems very easy going, the food is good and the beach is pretty much yours.
Having said this, after a few days, I was gagging to get back to Moalboal for the threshers. My last few dives were as exciting as the first. How long the threshers will be around is anybody's guess. They'll probably disappear one day, but while they're around they are definitely worth the trip to Moalboal.