I accidentally found myself taking freediving intro classes last April 2021 in Panagsama, Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines. I got hooked. I've been going to this certain part of Cebu for about 5 years already. Besides the corals, fishes, sardines, and turtle, I keep coming back to this place because of the peace I found when I'm underwater.
So for my birthday celebration last month June 2021, I decided to have a long weekend birthday getaway. The only place to go was my happy place - Panagsama, Moalboal and the only person to bring with me was someone who also into freediving and that's none other than @ybanezkim26.
Pescador View is my go-to place when renting a room or bed in Moalboal. The place has a direct access to the beach. This time we opted for a bed space which only costs us around $6 a night; because all rooms got fully booked early on. We stayed in Moalboal for 5 days and 4 nights. On our 1st day, we opted testing the waters late in the afternoon only because we got to the place around noon. And we were welcomed with a lot of jellyfishes!
On the 2nd day, that's when we really explored the the underwater intimately with our fins and goggles. I'm so glad @ybanezkim26 came along. Its a golden rule not to dive alone. Freediving with him is so easy. I mean we got along right away. We figured some sign signals and take turns getting our underwater shots. Thanks to my brother and sister-in-law for letting me borrow their go pro hero.
The coral reef stretches far wide along Panagsama beach. Corals of blue and green and other colors were beautifully dancing as the current passes them by. Fishes would retreat in a fraction of second when our big scary faces would come close to them. Some turtles would let us swim next to them but with a hint of annoyance. The sardines would frantically flee from the very sight of us.
Being underwater was like being a part of this beautiful unknown world. That feeling of being just a dot in this vast universe. No pressure to be something big nor something more than you are. That feeling of freedom. Free from obligations, rules, regulation, social comformance, or expectations.
After which my manager treated me to a birthday breakfast at a French Cafe where we had a sumptuous meal and made friends with the owners of the cafe. (Thanks to my friendly straightforward personality 😂) We rested the whole afternoon. and headed out to Maayong hostel for our dinner date with some of Kim's other circle of friends... @glecerioberto included. 😂 We had a blast! The food was delicious. There was an acoustic band and a spot where guests could play beer pong. We then ended our night with a few more drinks at another resort called "Secret Paradise".
On our 3rd day we started our dive early morning but was a bit short. We were having a bit difficulty because the current was stronger compared the previous day. However, while we were swimming and Kim was taking some underwater videos, we saw a turtle got stuck in a rope. We watched for a few seconds to see if it could get out on its own but after about 30 seconds, I decided to dive for it and free the turtle from the tangled ropes.
On the 4th day, I got to meet @discoveringarni who was also staying in Moalboal through @ybanezkim26. And we had a wonderful time together just talking about random topics. If not for our scheduled drift dive that noon time, we would probably stay and have a whole day conversation.
Our drift dive route started from what we call Talisay Point up to the Sardines Area. We hired a freediver guide to take us because I haven't explored this side of the reef yet. Better be safe than sorry. We had to walk for about 15 minutes to reach the starting point. I ain't complaining because once we started our run, it was awesome.
Anticipating the swarm of jellyfishes, we fully covered our bodies so that it won't bother us swimming. The side of the corals here were much more alive and colorful. Many different fishes and seawater creatures are found here. More turtles were swimming on this part of Panagsama. So it was a totally different experience. Me and Kim explored the depths of this amazing coral reef. This time we were more relaxed freediving because it was our guide who took most of our underwater videos. Our drift dive took us about 2 hours worth of fun!
On our 5th and last day, just when we thought we wouldn't be freediving anymore, I convinced Kim that we explore the underwater Mermaid statue that morning together with the freediver guide and another friend of mine. Even though I know that our bodies might be tired already from our everyday swimming, we still grab the opportunity to explore the other side of this coral reef. And it was totally worth it! We started off from the Sardines area then straight to the Mermaid statue.
Swimming with the thousands of sardines was really something but they swim so fast so it was really hard trying to get many shots with them. Then we passed by a sunken boat, chased some turtles and admired the corals. Then we got to the mermaid statue which was probably about 7m in depth. We stayed there for some time and just had fun taking some shots. We had another 2 hours of fun freediving. And it was a total blast!
So now you know why Panagsama, Moalboal is my happy place. I bet once you get to visit the place you wouldn't stop coming back here over and over again. I had an amazing birthday weekend getaway! Great thanks to @ybanezkim26 for being my sidekick in this duo trip and for the amazing shots. Thats if for now! See you on our next freediving adventure soon or perhaps want to join us next time? Let us know!
Mermaid by day, Witch by night. Dive into Clara's world of bliss as she ventures out into the universe and travel to awesome destinations. Join her as she take on the road to self-discovery and limitless possibilities.
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