Moalboal

Moalboal is one of those place that happen to come out of nowhere. It is a small town on the west coast of Cebu Island. It is about 2 - 3 hours drive from Cebu City. There are buses available every hour too, you can choose from aircondition bus or just an open air bus. The aircondition is more than the open air bus, however it is still the cheapest way to go if you dont have your own car. And you will never be lost, the bus conductor will tell you when you reach Moalboal and some will eventell you where to go or even put you to a tricycle to get to where you will be going after getting off the bus.

Twenty years ago, Moalboal was a "back-pack" resting place, a small fishermen community along Tanon Strait. A foreigner from the Netherland "BJ" Schaap realized the potential of the place. There were beautiful reefs in the area and there were no facilities back then, snorkeling was the only thing they could do.  Schaap built his Sea Quest Scuba Diving Center there and soon others followed. Gradually the place developed and today there are about 500 beds available, ranging from Php 300 for a simple nipa hut to Php 3,000 for an air-con room with balcony and sunset view of Tanon Strait.

Today, Moalboal is a major dive destination in the Philippines. It caters mainly, but not exclusively to European divers - they catered to me!!!! hahahaha.  My favorite dive operator is Ocean Safari, they were recommended by a friend and she was right about them, they are fun to dive with and the cheapest in the area.  So, I usually dive with them when I'm there.

There are a few restaurants offering European cuisine and a few simple bars for the after dive activities. Moalboal is a cozy affair, its main street can hardly handle a car, but in fact that is not necessary because distances are so short that you can just walk.  Unless if you want to go to the town center, then it is a very far walk, however habal-habal (motorcycle that takes up 4-5 passengers) - im not kidding on this! Its not the safest but it is the fastest way to go and they are available everywhere. You can also opt to go via a tricycle, this is safe however, you need to bargain for the fare, specially if you are a foreigner, the drivers can be adamant with their over priced rate. So, bargain well!