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Moalboal sardine run

DivingPermit neededNo mooring buoys

Reef & coral · Also good for snorkeling

The Visayas & the Bohol Sea, PHMoalboal sardine run
Best time
Year–round
Water temp.
27–30 °C
Dive depth
3–25 m
Coordinates9°56′24″ N, 123°22′59″ E

Millions of sardines forming a shifting wall that blocks out the sun, 20 metres from shore, in water shallow enough to freedive. The shoal moves as one organism, opening tunnels around you. Thresher sharks and tuna hit it from below; turtles graze the seagrass beside it. Unlike South Africa's seasonal run, Moalboal's shoal is permanent and has held station off this beach for decades, nobody is entirely sure why it stays. It is the single most accessible mass-biomass spectacle in the ocean, no boat required, no season, no permit. Anchorage: Anchor off Panagsama in deep water, the drop-off is very close inshore. Hazards: No site-specific hazards noted, brief normally.

Weather

°C°F

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