The Waterfalls of Cebu Island

There used to be a time when I didn't bother with invitations from enthusiastic friends to go see the waterfalls out in the countryside areas.

I always thought that we had only one place with those cascading bodies of water - Kawasan falls, and that was hours away at that time, when the roads were yet to be built.

And I also thought that Cebu was an arid island.

Not anymore.

Thank you to the Cebu Provincial Information Office for these stunning images.

A month's time is not enough to explore all of these amazing places here that refresh the eyes and soothe the soul.

Entry level: Mactan Island

The most logical place to start.

Mactan International Airport. Courtesy of Cebu Provincial Information Office

After all, this is where you land before going to Cebu - unless you travel by sea.

Mactan International Airport. Courtesy of Cebu Provincial Information Office

Mactan Island is not the remote island that we used to know in the 1960's.  Back then, we had no bridge and we had to cross the channel by ferry to get to the beaches.  This was when you would see a fin surface from under the waters - and getting a stern admonition not to swim, or else!

Beach resort view. Courtesy of Cebu Provincial Information Office

Mactan Island has morphed into a resort island, with three industrial zones, an international airport and is dotted with over a dozen world class beach resorts - complete with scuba diving facilities and aqua sports leisure rentals.

Cebu Yacht Club. Courtesy of Cebu Provincial Information Office

Really, there's a lot that you can do on this island. Half of the foreign direct investments in Cebu were located here once upon a time and there's a golf course right on the Air Force base that's just beside the airport.

You could fly in and fly out of Cebu without having to step on Cebu soil, but then, you'd be missing out on more by doing so.

Diving off the shores of Mactan island is vastly different from what it used to be around thirty years ago. Much has transpired and the marine life is sparse in comparison to the rich marine life that you'd see elsewhere on Cebu island destinations. Nonetheless, it's the best place to start when learning how to go scuba diving and getting your feet wet in these parts - along with the rest of your body.

Photo courtesy of Rudy Balbuena

Veteran dive instructors and old timers that know the island would know where to go for more scenic underwater tours.  But then again, there's the rest of Cebu island to explore - so just get the hang of it and go.

Photo courtesy of Rudy Balbuena

The good thing about Mactan island diving or snorkeling, is that you're just a ride away from great restaurants and bars from your resort and you're also at least thirty minutes away from the airport - just in case you need to fly out right away.

Photo courtesy of Rudy Balbuena

Mactan is still loads of fun. Two nights there is great. But you have to explore the rest of the island of Cebu for a really spectacular time.

A feast at Radisson Blu's Feria

Let me begin by saying that, as a rule, I don't really enjoy hotel food.

There are, however, a few exceptions.

And this is one of the rare few that my family and I enjoy when we are given the chance.

One of the newest hotels in Cebu is the Radisson Blu. I've worked here for several events as well as visited quite a few guests that came to visit us here in Cebu City and we've always enjoyed coming to this restaurant.

Feria offers an amazing spread of food in a buffet package, and surprisingly, it's good enough to make you want to come back - instead of just tolerate the offerings simply because the people paid a whopping sum to feed you at their hotel and you just have to be polite.

Each time we came back with a different set of friends, we were treated to a new set of offerings that made us look forward to another invitation that we'd be very prudent to undertake on our own, knowing fully well that one meal there would be the equivalent of two to three elsewhere.

But Feria just doesn't disappoint. Well, to be true - there are some items that could be better, but they're not a specialty restaurant. They're an in house hotel outlet, and they just happen to do their jobs better than most.

Their staff is attentive, very helpful and not overly solicitious, and that's not par for this course in most hotels. Radisson either trains them well or pirates them for a hefty sum. They know what service is all about.

I enjoy the food at a few more hotels - which never used to be the case, as I usually prefer to eat elsewhere before having to either work in the hotel or meet someone there for a late lunch (they eat, I have coffee and a bit of a sweet) or dinner.

Feria has done well enough to change my opinion about hotel food. That is, in a few places around this town, which just happen to be delightful to write about.

Waves: a film shot and produced in Cebu. And the beach shots are great.

I'd like to think that this post isn't too far a jump from where we were going, but the scenes are astounding.

This is what you see along the beaches in Cebu province.

And yes, those are the Butandings doing a cameo appearance in this film, by Don Gerard Frasco.

You can get more about the film here: Waverly Pictures

Enjoy the trailer. If you're in Cebu, the film has been released two days ago.

The West of Cebu

This is completely different from most of my previous posts. But a viable alternative for divers coming from Moalboal and who can't go up through the Trans Central Highway back to Cebu city just yet - due to incomplete decompression time.

Just a few hours away from Moalboal is Balamban - home to the largest shipbuilding yard in the Philippines, where Tsuneishi Heavy Industries puts out these large ships once every twenty three days.

Courtesy of Col.Clarence Martinez

And just a few minutes away is a well put "dude ranch" for cowboy wanna be's wanting to ride them thar trails.

Photo courtesy of Col. Clarence Martinez

Cavalier 83 Horse Ranch is a rest house, a quaint ranch and home to five quarter horses and a young foal, where visiting riders and wanna be riders can come to for a weekend of "horsing around".

The first day is devoted to learning about horses, how to treat them properly and how to mount, dismount and ride them within a contained space.

The next day is a full day on horseback, riding the trails around the undeveloped side of Balamban, where roads are not paved, the trails are not clear and the air is fresh and sweet.

Photo courtesy of Col. Clarence Martinez

The ranch owner made it so that during the trail rides, the barbecue lunch is prepared while the riders are moving in that direction, stopping for a quick lunch break and going back to the trails for the remainder of the day, before going back to unwind before leaving Balamban for the city and taking a great memory of horseback riding along.

Photo courtesy of Col. Clarence Martinez

The weekend visits are privately arranged and visitors should not expect more than airconditioned rooms, a campsite for large groups, rustic outdoor cooking - but with freshly picked vegetables grown organically on the premises - and lots of fresh air, less tech and more talk and great memories.

Courtesy of Col. Clarence Martinez

The Gentle "Butandings" of Oslob

We come to a place where there's an ongoing debate regarding the gentle giants of the waters in southern Cebu - the Whale Sharks or "butandings" of Oslob.

Courtesy of Rudy Balbuena

 

Oslob is located 117 kilometers southeast of Cebu City.

Courtesy of Rudy Balbuena

It is now known as the place where people come to swim with and take selfies with the whale sharks that prowl around the waters.

A debate among the "environmentalists" and the locals rages, surrounding the matter of continuing this beneficial relationship between the community of Oslob and these large sea creatures, as it is being alleged that maintaining this symbiotic relationship of "feeding" these animals creates an unnatural and "unhealthy" dependency on humans for their food.

What most of the people from out of town don't know is that it's been going on for over thirty years already.

The practice began when fishermen began dropping "uyap" or krill into the waters to attract fishes to catch, sometime in the late 70's.  To the fishermen's surprise, the large fishes began to appear, and regularly - to wait for the fishermen to come and drop their bait into the water.

In recent years, the municipality of Oslob took a proactive role to protect the marine life in the area and declared it a marine sanctuary - and educated the fisherfolk in the area about the benefits of protecting the marine life in the area instead of recklessly pillaging their aquatic resources.

It worked.

To boatmen who ferry scuba divers to the area (paying a fee of 600 pesos per diver) and snorkelers(400 pesos per), they earn more by taking them out on their outrigger boats than if they would had they remained marginalized fishermen, resorting to dynamite or cyanide fishing in extreme cases just to gather enough to sell in the market at less than viable prices.

 

Courtesy of Rudy Balbuena

The villagers have realized this already. The boatmen begin their services early in the morning, and limit the whale shark visits to sometime around noon, to allow the fish to revert back to the natural habitat and do what they normally do.  Villagers nearby offer a place to eat, and sell token souvenirs to visiting tourists who have come to visit the playful sea creatures.

The disturbing point in all this, is that the ones who do not live in Oslob want this practice stopped - not realizing that they will disrupt a viable livelihood in this community that really does not harm the whale sharks.  Other places have positioned themselves as places where whale sharks traverse their waters - not saying that it sometimes takes three hours on a boat ride and they don't get to sight even one shark.

In Oslob, all you need to do is ask a boatman and he'll take you right to the spot and you will see two or three, guaranteed. Somewhere farther out, and you get to see the larger ones underwater.

Courtesy of Rudy Balbuena

Back in the 1980's, I used to live a double life as a college student and a dive guide to earn my leisure money while enjoying the sights underwater.  I was part of a group of divers and instructors at that time that explored the southern Central Visayas divesites to show visiting diving groups the places where the rich marine life was abundant.  One of them - a very good friend and one of the three celebrated dive instructors at that time - gave me these captivating photos.
 

I am grateful to my good friend and dive mentor, Rudy Balbuena, Dive Instructor and aquatic resources protection advocate, who continues diving up to today -  for providing these photos of the gentle "butandings" that are the main reason why tourists come to Oslob.  In a later post, I intend to narrate the story of these divers and what we referred to as the "Bahamas" life, in between dives at the places where we all worked and played as dive guides.

Moalboal - the dive destination of Cebu.

Moalboal.

This place has become synonymous with diving, as far as Cebu is concerned.

Why shouldn't it be?

With a drop off not too far from the shoreline, it's a haven for anyone with scuba gear, a tank full of compressed air and a willingness to explore what's available.  Years ago, it wasn't surprising for locals to see a fishing boat trawling within a few yards of them near the shore.

It's that close.

Some 90 kilometers down south of Cebu City, Moalboal is a two hour and fifteen minute ride via the national highway and down the Santander-Barili-Toledo road.

Buses leave from the South bus terminal every hour going to Moalboal. Once you get there, take a tricycle to your chosen hotel or resort. Be specific. Enterprising tricycle drivers deliberately drop you off at resorts that give commissions to prospective guests brought by these tricycle drivers, so be aware of where you’re being taken.

Otherwise, if you're with a group - renting a car from one of the establishments in Cebu city will get you there in less time and you can arrange for a confirmed pick up. Tip well. Your driver will definitely be back.

There are several places to stay in Moalboal - most of them located on Panagsama beach. White Beach is more tranquil and scenic. But the night life at Panagsama is enjoyable.

Prices range from less than a thousand pesos per room night to a little over 3,000 pesos per room night at Turtle Bay Dive Resort - a resort put up by divers. To get a better idea, visit their blog here.

Courtesy of Turtle Bay Dive Resort

There are several diveshops along the shore, where you can rent well maintained equipment easily.  You can also arrange for boat diving off Pescadores island - a serene islet that's been declared a marine sanctuary. There's a lighthouse on the island and underwater scenery include swarms of sardines and sea turtles as underwater photography subjects.

Courtesy of Turtle Bay Dive Resort

The serious diver has to go to Moalboal at least once. The beach cannot compare to the white sand beaches of Mactan, Malapascua, San Remigio, Bantayan and other great beaches of Cebu. But the diving is definitely spectacular.