Pescador Island & sardines

[rjjj111]

I hear there are large schools of sardines around Pescador Island?

Any truth to the rumor?

can you swim beside them? through them? in them?

Is it easy to get between Apo Island and Pescador Island? do you stay on Pescador Island? what hotel is best?

 

[rab1412000]

my friend who is also on these boards swan there last oct.
he saw a huge school of sardines.
swam through, in them. said it was kinda scary.
ill see if i can get him to join this thread

 

[schaffld]

I tried to remain completely motionless and let myself just drift into the school of sardines at Pescador. They would just swallow you up and you would see nothing but flashes of silver and white in all directions... and all of those big glassy round eyes staring at you. :buggy: I'm not sure if they are there year-round or just seasonal. We were there in September last year.

You can't stay on Pescador island but it's only a 10 minute boat ride from the cluster of diveshops in Moalboal (Panagsama Beach to be precise). We stayed at and dived with Savedra resort and dive centre. That's the only place I've ever stayed at there so I can't say if it's the best... but we enjoyed it very much.

I recognize the Point Bar at Sabang Beach in your avatar... Moalboal is a much smaller centre than Sabang but wonderful for three or four days of diving... and I've never seen a school of sardines in Puerto Galera like the ones that circulate around Pescador. It's definitely worth a few days of your time if you can squeeze it into your itinerary.

 

[CODMAN]

I did a 20 minute drift Deco stop in a school of sardines in blue water off of lalaguna beach. It was pretty cool. PG isn't know for this, but they are there and you can chance upon it...

I tried to remain completely motionless and let myself just drift into the school of sardines at Pescador. They would just swallow you up and you would see nothing but flashes of silver and white in all directions... and all of those big glassy round eyes staring at you. :buggy: I'm not sure if they are there year-round or just seasonal. We were there in September last year.

You can't stay on Pescador island but it's only a 10 minute boat ride from the cluster of diveshops in Moalboal (Panagsama Beach to be precise). We stayed at and dived with Savedra resort and dive centre. That's the only place I've ever stayed at there so I can't say if it's the best... but we enjoyed it very much.

I recognize the Point Bar at Sabang Beach in your avatar... Moalboal is a much smaller centre than Sabang but wonderful for three or four days of diving... and I've never seen a school of sardines in Puerto Galera like the ones that circulate around Pescador. It's definitely worth a few days of your time if you can squeeze it into your itinerary.

 

[rjjj111]

thanks for the info..... i will look at going to Pescador if i have the time......

my trip is starting to get really packed........thanks.

 

[bill22]

I hear there are large schools of sardines around Pescador Island?

Any truth to the rumor?

can you swim beside them? through them? in them?

Is it easy to get between Apo Island and Pescador Island? do you stay on Pescador Island? what hotel is best?

I think you would generally access Apo Island from Dauin or Dumaguete. Although you can stay on the island itself I probably wouldn't. My last trip I stayed in Dauin and did a day trip to Apo Island which is only around a 30 minute boat ride. I did 3 dives there. It was nice but I wouldn't base a trip around it. Depends on your interests though. Mine tend towards macro which makes Dauin a better choice for me

I liked Pescador Island a little more than Apo but they're both nice. You wouldn't stay on Pescador Island. Moalboal is a very short boat ride away. I didn't experience the schools of sardines at Pescador but did at Moalboal. Always saw them when diving early evening or early morning. Moalboal is definitely worth a few days of your time I consider Pescador Island to be one of the better places I've dived in the Philippines

You could probably make it to Moalboal in around half a day if you timed it right. You would catch a boat over to Cebu from Dumaguete and then you could take the bus or hire a car. From Apo Island itself would likely complicate it a little since you would probably have to go to Dumaguete first. Thats speculation though since I haven't actually made that connection myself.

My suggestion would be to fly into Cebu, and then hire a car or take a bus (depending on your budget to Moalboal. Dive there, then continue on to Dumaguete. Dive Dauin with a day trip to Apo Island. A ferry back to Cebu City is pretty easy.

Here's a few shots from when I was there in November 2007...

I just moved so haven't had time to finish editing photos from Dauin and Apo. I'll be putting up a trip report that includes them shortly. For a look at the first couple of days in Dauin, click on the link to my flickr account

 

[rjjj111]

so if i do not stay on Apo Island...

what city should i stay in and what dive operations should i use?

 

[bill22]

so if i do not stay on Apo Island...

what city should i stay in and what dive operations should i use?

Depends on what you are looking for... if you want peace and quiet then I would stay in Dauin where there are a number of different resorts. If you want some nightlife also then stay in Dumaguete and go out to Dauin during the day to dive. I dived with Mike's Dauin Beach Resort Mikes Dauin Beach Resort - Dumaguete, Philippines during my last trip. A brand-new resort that just opened in November. If you want to stay in Dumaguete, Mike can arrange for you to ride out each day with one of his employees. He runs regular day trips over to Apo Island.

In Moalboal (Panagsama Beach) I stayed at Eve's Kiosk and dived with Nelsons Moalboal OSP They went to Pescador every morning I was there. I still plan on going back to Moalboal at some point

I was happy with the people I dived with and have no problem recommending them. Others on the board have dived with other operations and had good experiences as well

 

[rjjj111]

bill22,

Mike's Dauin Beach Resort looks really nice, but i am unsure where is the best place to stay?

Apo Island itself, Dumaguete or Dauin?

 

[rjjj111]

Bill22,

I am going to stay at Mike's Dauin Beach Resort for my Apo Island trip and in Moalboal i am going to use both your suggestions and dive with Moalboal OSP and stay at Eve's Kiosk Dive Resort - Moalboal, Philippines for the hotel.......

Thanks.