I checked-in for three nights at Nirvana Bamboo Houses & Dive Resort in Moalboal. My accommodation was in a bamboo bungalow, which I loved! The place has a bit of a hostel-vibe with a communal area, hammocks, pool, tables tennis, board games, and even a mini putt-putt course! There was however a German couple having very loud sex in the bungalow next door on my first night.
The weather turned a bit typhoony on the day I had planned to scuba dive, so I instead rented a scooter and took a long ride towards Cancalanog Falls. There were some police roadblocks, but I got a good tip from the owner of the dive lodge. Basically, if you see a bunch of helmetless riders waiting in an area, then the police are not more than 50 meters away, but they won’t walk that short distance to check for licenses! Once the police leave, then road life continues.
Algeria is an African country that is also a small province in Cebu where the main attraction are three protected UNESCO heritage sites which are waterfalls. Swimming was permitted at the one I visited and I was the only person there at the time, so I took a skinny-dip in the clear and cool waters.
What really appealed to me a lot about Moalboal (and especially my accommodation), was that there were a lot of fellow solo travelers. I was making friends! These included a young German guy and an Argentinian man (who I met on separate occasions) who have each been solo trekking for almost a full year, and my new German friend Alina who is travelling with her six-year-old boy. The latter two and I plan to meet up again on another island.
The absolute highlights were three scuba dives which included a night dive! Just two of us went rather deep and saw many amazing things. There’s a type of crab that I have never encountered before. They are huge and decide what kind of hat to wear. One had attached a sea-sponge to its head, while another had sea anemones living on its rocky back! But the REAL special sighting during a daytime dive, was a Thresher Shark, which was not shy and swam very close to us! SO magical.
Whale Shark Watching in Oslob
Until my next island hop, I took a bus to spend three nights in Oslob, where the major attraction is to swim with Whales Sharks. Sadly, this is not an ethical or sustainable practice. Proper research has been conducted around this over the years.
The bottom-line is that interaction with ANY wild animal can have detrimental effects. In this case, the Whale Sharks are baited and getting touched and injured by both tourists and the boats. Bacteria from human skin is also a huge concern. Their natural migration patterns are changing, which can affect breeding. These Whale Sharks are now also associating people and boats with food, which could lead to easy poaching. What they are fed with is also not nearly as nutritional as their natural diet.
I sat watching this for a full hour. People begin queuing as early as 3am, with a 3-4 hour wait before their numbers are called. A major issue is the shear volume of people and boats that head just a short distance from shore to have their 30-minutes in the water. One can legitimately call this a tourist trap. Vendors are also selling Go-Pros, waterproof bags and cellphone covers so that you can get your Instagram selfie. It’s a massive cash-flow, but is not in aid of conservation.
So, I would be giving that a skip and have rather signed up for a scuba dive that takes place in their more natural chill-out zone. I am yet to form an opinion of that until it’s done, but I’m glad that I won’t be a part of the roughly 1,000 tourists that swim with them in demarcated waters just a few meters deep every day… I do feel like I should not miss this opportunity to see them in any way, which is a bucket-list item for me. More to follow soon.
Next: Philippines #4: Bohol & Bum Gun Showers
Previously: Philippines #2: A Cabin in the Woods in Barili
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