Sardine run, sea turtles and Alegria statues
Marine life close to shore, at a calm pace.
Millions of sardines live a few metres off Panagsama Beach, all year, and sea turtles feed on the reef just below. This is the Moalboal sardine run. In six days on the west coast of Cebu, you learn with a licensed local dive centre: a scuba course, an intro to freediving or a freediving certification. One day you visit the Five Guardians statues in Alegria. Beginners are welcome.
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Rocío does not host a group here at the moment. She knows the place and the local team, so she matches you with the right people, and you book and pay them directly.
With Ocean Match, from CHF 19, Rocío reads your answers herself and sends you your match or a personal plan. If you later join a trip that Rocío hosts, the fee comes off that price.
Real guests on past trips“Joining Ocean Calling Retreats was honestly one of the most special travel experiences I’ve had. It’s so much more than just a trip — it’s a beautiful mix of adventure, connection, and time to truly reset.”
“Oh my, if I could give 6 or 7 stars, I would. She is very lovely, very easy to talk to, and she listens to you.”
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Dates are on request. Tell Rocío the month you have in mind, and she checks it for you.
Flexible payment plan The non-refundable deposit secures your place. The balance is due 60 days before departure. Where possible, you can pay it in monthly instalments, with the last one paid by that date. Ask Rocío for a schedule.
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To book, message Rocío by email or WhatsApp. No payment here: she replies personally, confirms your place and sends the next steps.
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Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.
Why Easy? Marine life is close to shore and sessions are calm. Beginners welcome. You choose scuba, an intro to freediving or a freediving certification.
Gentle. The easiest we offer. Beginner-friendly, at your own pace. Good if you are nervous. No skills needed.
Easy. A beginner course or guided session in calm water, at your own pace. No experience needed.
Moderate. Open-ocean or deeper water with boat days. You should feel comfortable in the water and follow guidance.
Adventurous. Longer days, stronger conditions or more skills needed.
A first look at the rooms and the water in Moalboal.
Bamboo cabin interior with white curtains
Never guaranteed, never chased. Tap an animal to see how it lives, where it travels and a fun fact.
Moalboal sardinesSardinella spp.Seen in 1 country in the AtlasVaries by species
Green turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
Hawksbill turtleEretmochelys imbricataSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasCritically Endangered
Whitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeen in 18 countries in the AtlasVulnerable🟢 Harmless🟡 Calm, give space🟠 Defensive if pressured🔴 Potentially dangerous, respect
Sources: Moalboal Reef Species
Sources: NOAA Fisheries
Sources: NOAA Fisheries
All year.
A living cloud of sardines moves as one, a few metres from the beach. The shoal is there all year, but how many fish you see changes from day to day. Early morning is quieter in the water. It is wild and never guaranteed.
Sea turtles are seen often, even from the shore at Panagsama.
Five statues stand on the reef at Alegria, about 25 km from Moalboal.
A sandy slope with soft coral, then a hard-coral wall that drops away into the blue. Moalboal also has three marine sanctuaries: Tongo Point, Tuble and Talisay Wall.
Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Snorkelling, freediving and diving near turtles should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance. Months can vary from year to year.
Wildlife and weather by month. Nothing here is a promise.
| Feature | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sardine run | January: all year | February: all year | March: all year | April: all year | May: all year | June: all year | July: all year | August: all year | September: all year | October: all year | November: all year | December: all year |
| Weather | January: good weather window | February: good weather window | March: good weather window | April: good weather window | May: not in the best window | June: not in the best window | July: not in the best window | August: not in the best window | September: not in the best window | October: not in the best window | November: not in the best window | December: good weather window |
Dry days from December to April, and diving all year.
An honest look at food, noise, smells, heat and local customs, so you can decide calmly. If something matters to you, tell Rocío. She will check it for you.
EasyPossible with planningAsk Rocío
Panagsama has a good choice of vegetarian and vegan food, including plant-based versions of Filipino dishes like tofu sisig and eggplant adobo.
We could not confirm gluten free options in Moalboal. If you need to avoid gluten, tell Rocío early so she can check.
There are bars on the Panagsama strip, so some evenings are lively nearby. The sardine run has more tour boats than before; early morning has far fewer people in the water.
We did not find any documented haze or air pollution problem for Moalboal. Please ask Rocío if you are sensitive to boat engines or smoke.
From January to May, days reach about 30 to 32°C (86 to 90°F) with humidity around 80%. June to October is wetter, with typhoon risk.
Moalboal is a course place: Rocío matches you with a scuba course, and the school sets the timetable. Ask Rocío how the days are planned and where you can rest.
The drive from Cebu airport takes about 2.5 to 3.5 hours by van or bus and tricycle. You can walk into the water from Panagsama Beach and swim about 20 metres out to the sardines, so no boat is needed for that.
It is hot and humid, and dengue is present, so use mosquito protection. Cebu is not listed as a malaria area. Rocío’s notes list a decompression chamber in Mandaue City, several hours away by road, but the national dive directory we checked does not show it as working, so Rocío will confirm. Divers with asthma need a dive medical check first.
Yes. Pescador Island is a marine park and fish sanctuary.
Declared by the municipality of Moalboal in 1990. Entrance fees are managed by the municipality and the Moalboal Dive Center Association.
Pescador’s reputation was built one dive at a time: a soft-coral slope that drops into a hard-coral wall, and a sardine shoal that moves like a single silver animal just offshore, present all year and always wild.
A protected area still has rules. Your guide explains them before every session.
Solid circles are part of the trip. Dashed circles are ideas for your free time.
Chosen at booking.
A wild event, never guaranteed.
60 minutes.
Three-layered falls in Badian.
1,013 m, the highest point in Cebu. A 15 to 20 minute uphill walk to the views.
A beach of about 2 km in Saavedra.
About 3 km offshore. A marine park and fish sanctuary since 1990.
Turtles are easy to spot from shore. High tide is best for marine life viewing.
Opening hours and fees can change. Rocío will help you plan your free time.
Preparation guide. We send you a full guide, gear, fitness, transfers and ocean conditions, once you book. Meanwhile, see Ro’s packing picks ↗.
You fly into Cebu (CEB). Routes and prices change often, so this opens a live search instead of a guess.
Type in any language: Geneva, Genève, Ginebra or Genf all work. Not on the list? Just type your city and press a button.
Entry rules depend on your passport, your itinerary and current regulations, so please always check for yourself rather than relying on this page. IATA Travel Centre ↗ is a free tool used by airlines worldwide to check passport, visa and health requirements for any nationality and destination. CIBT Visas ↗ is another good place to check. And it is always worth a quick check with your own embassy or consulate too, just in case.
Speed is one of the simplest things a boat captain controls, and it matters a lot to the animals we visit. Research from many oceans shows the same pattern: a slower boat is less likely to hit a whale, turtle or manatee, gives animals time to move away, and makes less noise under the water.
A study of 47 recorded ship strikes on large whales found the chance of a deadly injury was 21 per cent at 8.6 knots but 79 per cent at 15 knots. Below 11.8 knots, a strike is more likely to be survived than not.
Since 2008, the United States has required vessels 65 feet (about 20 metres) or longer to travel at 10 knots or less in set areas and seasons along the East Coast, to protect North Atlantic right whales. A later study estimated these limits cut the risk of deadly ship strikes by 80 to 90 per cent.
In Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia, researchers watched 1,890 green turtle encounters. 60 per cent of turtles moved away from a boat going 4 km/h, but only 22 per cent at 11 km/h and 4 per cent at 19 km/h.
In Sykes Creek and the Barge Canal on Merritt Island, Florida, eight manatees were killed by boats in the 42 months before year-round slow speed was enforced. In the 42 months after, only one was killed.
Recordings of 1,582 ships in Haro Strait, between Washington State and British Columbia, showed that most ships get about 1 decibel louder for every extra knot of speed. This noise reaches the high sounds that killer whales use to find food.
When ships in Haro Strait were asked to slow to 11 knots, underwater noise fell by 2.5 decibels, about 44 per cent less sound energy. Scientists estimated this cut the feeding time killer whales lose to noise by 22 per cent.
Check Rocío’s recommendations: reef-safe sunscreen, recycled swimwear, comfortable hair accessories for the mask, and the camera she actually dives with.
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6 days / 5 nights, dates on request
Why Easy: Marine life is close to shore and sessions are calm. Beginners welcome. You choose scuba, an intro to freediving or a freediving certification.
To book, message Rocío by email or WhatsApp. She replies personally with prices and next steps.
More answers in Planning & FAQ · About Rocío · Protected waters we visit · Ethical ocean travel journal
You float still, and the sardines decide how close they come. Some mornings they are a silver wall, some mornings only a few fish pass. If you are ready to slow down and let the ocean do the talking, message Rocío about Moalboal.
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