Dave Matthews Band's "Crash into Me" played out perfectly in my head when I was staring at the sea when we arrived in Moalboal. I have never tried scuba diving after making plans half a dozen times in the past. Maybe it's the cost - or my little fear of deep sea water but I've reckoned myself to eliminate that fear by hoping one day to try scuba diving. When that day comes - I'll make sure to visit Panagsama beach in Moalboal again.
Moalboal - aside from being a tongue twister (not 'Mole Bowl') is a known divers paradise where divers ends up spending hours and hours underwater, then go back into the land and have drinks at the fine rows of bars and restaurants located within the beach - then hit up the deep sea again for another dive. I noticed some divers get off their boats just before sunset and the look of ecstasy visible on their faces and though they were speaking Japanese, I'm sure they were telling each other "Wahhh Awesome - lets do this again tomorrow".
Which got me thinking about what I was missing by prolonging my opportunity to experience diving. Anyway its something I would have to seriously consider in the coming months. If budget allows me to, then why not. We stayed at a place across "Backpackers Lodge" - we wanted to stay at the Backpackers Lodge but it was already full and it would have been great if we were able to since rooms go as low as 250 per room.
There are a lot of dive shops where you can rent out diving gears and hire a boat for diving and a lot of cheap places to eat. During the night we feasted on some bbq and other seafoods.
It can be a bit boring if you go there sans the diving trip, but if you wanted to explore more then take a tricycle and visit nearby Kawasan Falls, which unfortunately was converted into a resort and the man made structures erected there brings an eyesore to the what could be a wonderful view of the waterfalls.
If you wanted to swim in the beach, White Beach would be the place to be, its a very short tricycle ride away from Panagsama Beach and features a longer shore of white sands and clear waters suitable for an afternoon or early morning swim.
With the cloud turning dark and rains starting to pelt, we took a short walk across a short beach head in Panagsama and saw a group of fishermen circling around a barge and checking up the days fresh catch. I took a peek and saw a respectably large size of fish. It was indeed a great fishing day.
Me and my friend Toni and her friends Heidi and Paul never bothered to take a swim as it has gotten cold that afternoon. Even though I did nothing at Moalboal, I was elated by the fact that my extra two days of stay in Cebu right after the Sinulog Festival wasn't wasted and I was able to scout a location for a possible diving trip in the future.
As the sun set and turned the place of Moalboal into darkness, the crashing sounds of the waves becomes less oblivious as we drank the night away with the help of a few bottles of beer. Half drunk, I listened earnestly to Toni and her friend Heidi conversing in sweet Cebuano language from which I tried to pick up a few words to remember.
Too bad, I lost the picture we had that night. It was fun meeting new friends in Cebu all the way to Moalboal, learning a bit of a different language. It was great to be introduced to a place that someday will able to please me at a time when I'll finally conquer my fear of the deep and sport on my diving gear, not only to explore but to get lost temporarily with the creatures underneath the waters of Moalboal.
