Moalboal is a former sleepy fishing village on the Southeastern part of Cebu Island in the Phillipines. It’s now a very active diving and snorkeling center. There are some nice reefs and walls here, but the main reason people come to Moalboal is because of the tens of thousands of sardines that swim just off its shores each day. Because they are always moving in big ever changing groups it’s called a Sardine Run.
As you can see from these videos, it’s a fantastic experience swimming into the middle of these large masses of fish as they spontaneously move into different shapes around you. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced underwater.
A much smaller school of fusilier fish wanted to join the action as well.
There was other life to see at Moalboal including a shy octopus, a languid sea turtle, a crazy string of jellyfish, a distinct moray eel, a small lionfish, one of the largest triggerfish I’ve seen, and a cute, bright blue pufferfish.
I saw two different types of pipefish. One looked like a stretched out seahorse and the other was the more traditional shaped creature that resembled a piece of coral.
Two tiny shrimp embedded into some soft coral.
I have no idea what this was – I forgot to ask our guide about it after the dive – but it looked like some type of soft coral that was sucking out nutrients from the surrounding water.
There was some really nice coral along the walls just off the shore, or around the edges of the nearby Pescador Island.
Looking out from one of the main walkways of Moalboal.
One of the oceanfront restaurants.
Looking out at Pescador Island.
The really well run dive center I used.
I stayed in a small, basic Greek themed hotel close to my dive shop.
