Snorkel and scuba dive off this tiny island for underwater encounters with sharks, sardines, octopuses and many other types of fascinating sea creatures.
Swim past a swirling vortex of sardines, explore an underwater cave and see a rich variety of marine life when you go diving at Pescador Island, one of the most popular scuba destinations in Moalboal. It is located a few miles off the western coast of Cebu.
The island is a small rocky outcrop with a diameter of about 160 feet (50 meters), surrounded by a shallow reef that varies in depth. It takes its name from the many fishermen who fish in the warm waters, as pescador means fisherman in Spanish.
Organize your trip from dive operators at Moalboal's Panagsama Beach. Many cater for all experience levels, including novices. The boat journey to dive sites takes between 10 and 25 minutes. If underwater diving doesn’t interest you, snorkel off Pescador Island or relax listening to the sounds of waves hitting the rocks.
Many dives start at the southern end of the island. Study the sponges, sea fans and brightly colored fish in the shallower parts of the reef. Then dive the rocky wall that plunges to a depth of more than 130 feet (40 meters) and is covered with hard corals.
Go to the west side of the island and enter the huge open-top underwater cavern called the Cathedral. Encounter such marine life as octopuses, moray eels, frogfish, lionfish, barracuda and snappers. Look up for a magnificent view of the surface as sunlight penetrates the water.
One of the major highlights of a dive at Pescador Island is the sardine run. Watch as schools of hundreds of thousands of sardines move through the water en masse. During your dive you may also see turtles, thresher sharks and whale sharks.
After your undersea adventure, consider diving at other sites that are close to Pescador Island. These include Tuble Reef, Talisay Wall, the small caves of Tongo Point and shore diving off Panagsama Beach.
