Diving in Pescador Island

Located in Municipality of Moalboal in the South of Cebu about 2 hours drive from Cebu City.  Pescador Island takes about 25 minutes by speedboat or by motorized banca from Panagsama beach where most dive operators and dive resorts are located.  The best time to go diving in Pescador Island is during early morning as during the afternoon the wind can be tricky and the sea can be very choppy.  The island is located in the open water and currents can be strong at times.

resident frogfish

I been to Pescador island about 5 times this year already and still counting.  Usually visibility is very good.  I usually go with Ocean Safari Divers, the dive masters there are fun to dive with and they are reasonably priced.  Pescador Island is one of my favorite dive sites in Philippines.  Although, traces of dead corals are obvious, it was when the El nino hit the Philippines about 20 years ago a lot of corals died but Pescador Island is still worth diving.  The island is a large pinnacle rising from the bottom of the sea.  There are no inhabitants on the island as it is not habitable due to the lack of fresh water.

weird looking nudibrach

Pescador island is famous for “Cathedral” its an open top fuel that bottoms out at 34 meters, the funnel is open also on its outer side at 15 meters.  Shafts of sunlight shine into the funnel around noon.  Pescador walls have very rich marine life.  I love the resident frogfishes that are usually in the same spot everytime I dive as if waiting for me there.  There is also the shoal of sardines, so thick that I’m always tempted to swim thru them.  If you get lucky, you may encounter green turtles, hammerheads, manta rays, grey reef sharks and even whale sharks.   Pescador island is a great dive site.  I would dive there everyday if it’s close to where I live.  

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Pizzeria Michelangelo, Banilad Cebu

Came here the first time with a friend looking for decent restaurant in the City.  This place came highly recommended by friends and relatives.  I've never heard of this place before and I don't even know how to get to the restaurant, however most recommendations had a promising note.  So, there you go, I went looking for it for a Sunday lunch.  The place was not that hard to find and it has its own parking area which is convenient.  A lot of places in the city doesn't really have a parking area, unless if you head to the malls there are plenty you don't have to drive around looking for a place you can leave your car.  Although I must say that the parking space is limited to a few cars, however one can always find a parking space within that strip.

restaurant interior

With the name, I didn't expect too much of the place, however it was exactly how a friend of mine describe the place it should be.  The ambiance is cool, clean, decent and so as the people hanging out there.  The wait staff were friendly, attentive and knows their menu.  We were also surprised that the food came very quick.  After dining in the city for a while now you can only wish that restaurants pay attention to the time they serve the food.

I love this!!!

The food was great and just the right size.  They said luck will not strike twice, so I visited this place again the second time with other friends however we went in for dinner instead of lunch.  The ambiance changed a bit, but it looks better during the evening than it was during day time.  The food was still great and so were the staff. I would highly recommend this place.

PIZZERIA MICHELANGELO

#1 Paseo Saturnino, Old Ma. Luisa Road, Banilad, Cebu City

Tel. No. 6332. 236 4297

Oh and I just found out that they have a branch at Mango Avenue, at Mango Square and another one in Mactan near Shangri'Las Mactan in Punta Engano.

Night Diving at Palm Beach, Marigondon

As a child, I remembered Marigondon as a weekend refuge from the city life for me and my big family. This is where we usually spend Saturdays, Sundays and all the public holidays specially when the tide is high. We all love the sea so much that we would stay in the water from the time we arrive til its time to go. I would get prune hands it would hurt all night but as a child, it never mattered then.

nudibranch - looking so fragile

However now that I'm crazy about scuba diving, this is how I spend most of my time in Marigondon lately. I didnt realized until now that it has a very vibrant marine life. No matter how many times I dove in this place, there is always something new to see or discover every time. Recently a friend of mine has been asking me to buddy with him for night diving almost every day. And like day time scuba diving there is always something new that we discover. Only that it is more interesting. Night diving is always a different experience, most creatures that you encounter during night time you may not see them during the day, ie. cuttlefish, brittle star, etc. But most of all, we usually feel more adrenalin as it can be a scary thing diving in darkness. I remember my first night diving experience, I almost peed in my wet suit when I was staring at the wall that feels like there is something that will appear ready to eat me alive anytime.

frogfish - so ugly looking yet so beautiful!!!

In one of our dives, we saw a white nudibranch with yellow highlights, which I havent seen before and a frogfish which I thought doesn't exist in this area but with a stroke of luck we saw it a couple of times now. I wish that the local government would protect this area from boat anchors and dynamite fishing, so we can all enjoy this gift of nature. God I love this place and night diving here makes it my top spot in Cebu and Mactan Island. This has become my favorite diving site in the area now, however you have to watch out for the tides, the current can be nasty when its going low. The best time is when the tide is going high or during high tide.

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