

Location : Sumisid Lodge, Panagsama Beach, Basdiot, Moalboal, Cebu
GPS waypoint: 9°57'00.6"N 123°21'56.8"E
Moalboal
Moalboal is a special place for many reasons. It's only 3 hours away from Cebu City, it's not as densely crowded as Boracay, fine white sand beach, abysmal depths to 300m, intense coral reef, tourist hub where it's easy to find resorts, restos and bars, and its signature feature - the sardine bowl.
Sardine Bowl
They swarm in the millions! The sardines were first seen in Pescador Island 8 years ago but since 3 years ago, chose Panagsama Beach as their new home. They are no more than 20 meters from the beach. It's not one massive bowl but several schools that break up and converge again. I've seen adult bowls, mid-sized bowls and even juvenile bowls. They all swim in a fluid school as though there is only one intelligence controlling where they go. It is fascinationg to swim through them and not see where you are going because they so dense it felt like being in a thick fog.
Sumisid Lodge
The good folks at Oasis Resort in Panglao (Bohol) liked the web campaign I did for them. Now in Moalboal with their sister company, Sumisid Lodge, they agreed to let me do exactly the same thing - sweet!
Sumisid Lodge is right smack on the beachfront where the sardine bowl is. Yes, no need to take a boat ride to the sardines - they are right in front. Unlike some resorts with no beach, Sumisid Lodge has fine white sand beach for sun bathing or beach bumming. It has a wide open resto facing the sea with beach tables within a terraced fence.
If I'm not diving or exploring the other establishments in Panagsama, I simply default to its open resto by the beach to do my online stuff. An office by the beach? I'm living it!
Night Life
With the expat community, vacationers and travellers, night life comes alive in Panagsama Beach. There is no problem with western type food, Italian or local cuisine. Bars are numerous with their regulars. 7 Sins Bar even accepts Bitcoin and has acoustic music Fridays. Beer in expensive bars can go as low as P45/Pilsen. Chic, Cafe Cebuana Moalboal, on stilts by the water, prices Pilsen at P50! Live band plays at One-Eyed Jack on weekends.
Walk on the Beach?
Unlike Boracay or Alona Beach, Panagsama's beach is separated by jetties along resort-property lines. Some resorts are built right up the water. Sunset walk on the beach? Not along Panagsama Beach. You might have better luck in Basdaku where some resorts do not create sand barriers, allowing the sand to shift naturally.
Peoplescape
AJ
Cebu yogini friend, AJ, frequents Moalboal. And as good fortune would have it, she was around. She joined me for breakfast and we just hung-out for most of the day...afternoon beer and evening wine. Mostly, we lingered at Sumisid Lodge's open resto facing the water. Time just stopped as we shared stories and insight.
Wei
Moalboal seems to be attracting the good peeps of Cebu. Wei, another yogini/freediver from Cebu has chosen to relocate here in pursuit of her bliss. She was my breakfast guest and together, we discussed looming possibilities for a collaborative work.
Ferd
Not wanting for my high school buddy, Ferd, to miss out on a good thing, I again invited me to join me as my guest in Sumisid Lodge. We had been snorkeling since high school. Moalboal's reef is as good as any of the best spots around. With Ferd, drift-snorkeling/freedive is fair game.
Robbie
Robbie is an idealist! As Peace Corps volunteer, she'd been doing the impossible - to put up a functional library for Moalboal without the cooperation of the local decision-makers. Often, changing people's minds is a lot more difficult than the actual construction work. Good luck Robbie, I feel your frustration but I also feel your unbridled enthusiasm.
Lodging
Having finished my 5 nights at Sumisid Lodge, I was on my own again to look for lodging - either a resort deal or find a cheap place. Luckily, Ferd was still around to split the cost 2-ways. Now that he's gone, I'm back to pounding the pavement again for sweet deals. Luckily, I found Rosita's Cottages.
At Rosita's Cottages, I had a small house to myself - kitchen, washroom, porch, a/c room, cable tv and wifi. Life was once again kind and generous. My cottage was a short 2-min walk to the beach where I could snorkel or do freedives. I was close to another cluster of restos and bar for a new scene. It felt like having a new life and starting all over again.
Ending Thoughts
Usually, I leave the place and head-out to another destination when I run out of lodging places to stay with. But Moalboal still works out. I still want to do a few things here - make a little cash for my travels and find a suitable land for Jeanne for that envisioned Dragonfly Yoga Shala. Crossing my fingers, I begin a new day.
--- Gigit (TheLoneRider)
YOGA by Gigit
|
Learn English
|
Travel like a Nomad
|
Donation Bank
Next Scuba Diving story:
Scuba Diving Tongo Point with SeaQuest Dive Center
(Jul 10, 2017) Tongo Point is one of the more popular dive spots in Moalboal. With depths going down 55m, we stayed at 18m traversing the wall for a 45min dive. With Rudy, a 20-year dive master veteran of Seaquest, he knew where to point us for interesting finds...more »»
How to get to Moalboal from Dumaguete:
How to get to Moalboal from Cebu City:
»» next Scuba Diving story:
Scuba Diving Tongo Point with SeaQuest Dive Center
»» back to Traveling
»» back to Homepage
ARCHIVE 2025:
JAN |
FEB
1970 |
1973 |
1975 |
1976 |
1979 |
1981 |
1996 |
2000 |
2001 |
2002 |
2003 |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
ALL BLOGS