DIVING IN MOALBOAL
Moalboal, on the southwest coast of Cebu, is one of the easiest places in the Philippines to see something unforgettable underwater. Millions of sardines swirl just metres from the beach, turtles turn up on almost every dive, and coral walls drop into the deep blue of the Tañon Strait. Whether it’s your first breath underwater or your hundredth dive, Moalboal has a dive for you, and most of it is only minutes from shore.
Amigos Dive Center sits on Panagsama Beach, right in front of the action. Here’s what you need to know before you dive.
The Moalboal Sardine Run
The Sardine Run is the reason many divers come to Moalboal. A huge school of sardines lives along the reef off Panagsama Beach all year round, forming twisting clouds and bait balls that can block out the sun. Unlike the seasonal sardine runs elsewhere in the world, you can see this one almost every day.
The school sits in shallow water, so you can drift through it at a few metres and then drop beneath it to watch it from below. It’s on our house reef, a short swim from the shop, so it fits into any day: a morning shore dive, a training dive, or a sunset dive. Keep an eye on the blue: jacks, tuna and, on lucky days, thresher sharks come in to hunt.
Amigos Dive Center sits on Panagsama Beach, right in front of the action. Here’s what you need to know before you dive.
PESCADOR ISLAND
Pescador Island is a small rock about 4 km offshore and about 10 minutes from our beach by boat. It’s one of the best-known dive sites in the Visayas. Its walls are covered in soft corals, sea fans and sponges, and drop far beyond recreational depth.
On the west side, a large cavern known as the Cathedral opens in the wall, with light shining down through the top. Look for frogfish, nudibranchs and scorpionfish on the wall, and schools of fish and the occasional white-tip reef shark off it.
More dive sites around Moalboal
Most of the coastline is one long reef wall, which gives us a choice of sites to suit every level and every condition:
- Panagsama house reef: the Sardine Run, turtles, and an easy entry from the beach. Great for night dives.
- Talisay wall: sloping reef house to some of the biggest green turtles in Moalboal.
- Tongo Point and the peninsula walls: coral-covered walls with overhangs and swim-throughs, perfect for drift dives.
- White Beach: a gentle slope with turtles and colourful reef, good for newer divers.
- Sunken Island: a deep pinnacle for experienced divers, with bigger fish and stronger currents.
- Moai statue: a replica of the famous Easter Island giant monolithic statues sits in a crack at 30m deep.
what you'll see
- Green and hawksbill turtles on most dives
- The sardine school, with jacks, trevallies and other hunters
- Frogfish, nudibranchs, ghost pipefish and other macro life
- Occasional thresher sharks, white-tip reef sharks and whale sharks
- Occasional dolphins playfully swimming around the boat
- False killer whales or pilot whales passing by the Tañon strait
When to dive in Moalboal
You can dive Moalboal all year. Water stays warm, typically around 27–30°C, and sheltered sites mean there’s almost always somewhere to dive.
The calmest months are usually November to May, when it’s drier and visibility is at its best. From September to December there’s a higher chance of storms, which can change plans for a day or two. The sardines stay all year.
Getting to Moalboal
Fly into Mactan-Cebu International Airport. From there Moalboal is about 3 to 4 hours by car or taxi, depending on traffic, or longer by bus from Cebu City’s South Bus Terminal. Ask the driver for Moalboal.
We can help you arrange a transfer and suggest places to stay near the dive center. See our accommodation page.
Dive Moalboal with Amigos
Amigos Dive Center is a PADI 5 Star IDC center on Panagsama Beach, with the Sardine Run right on our house reef and Pescador Island a short boat ride away.
- Fun dives for certified divers, from ₱1,500 for a house reef dive and ₱1,700 for a boat dive, with full gear included
- Try Scuba for first-timers, no certification needed
- PADI courses from Open Water to Divemaster, with a maximum of 4 students per instructor
- Technical diving with TDI courses and guided deep dives
- Three dive boats, a training pool, an air-conditioned classroom and Nitrox
See the full price list.
Ready to dive?
Message us on WhatsApp and we’ll get you in the water.