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If you are interested in freediving in Moalboal, I highly recommend checking out Freediving Planet! I participated in a freediving course with them and it was an unforgettable experience!
In this guide, I will discuss how to get to Moalboal, a review of my experience with Freediving Planet, and my recommendations.
Table of Contents
Where is Moalboal?
Moalboal is a municipality located on the southwestern coast of the island of Cebu in the Philippines. It is about 2.5 hours from Cebu City.
How to Get to Moalboal
You will be able to travel to Moalboal from anywhere on Cebu.
Most travelers will come directly from Mactan-Cebu International Airport, or from Cebu City. From there, you will need to take a taxi to Cebu South Bus Terminal, where you will find frequent buses to Moalboal.
I paid 209 PHP (about $3.60 USD) for the ticket.
Check out my guide on getting from Cebu City to Moalboal!
Freediving Planet
When I was searching for companies to freedive with, Freediving Planet stuck out to me the most. This company had the most positive reviews for freediving in Moalboal.
I had never done freediving before, and decided that I wanted to get certified.
I was a pretty good swimmer, so I decided to combine the AIDA 1 and 2 courses.
What is AIDA?
AIDA stands for Association Internationale pour le Développement de l’Apnée, or International Association for the Development of Apnea. In this context, apnea refers to holding your breath underwater.
AIDA also offers courses to certify participants in different levels of freediving proficiency, starting with AIDA 1.
Preparing for Freediving in Moalboal
Prior to starting your freediving classes with Freediving Planet, you will have to fill out a few forms. These include a liability form, medical form, and optional dive injury insurance.
In addition, you will get access to several online AIDA classes that you will have to complete. There is a lot of information, but I recommend paying close attention! You will learn a lot of important safety information here.
AIDA 1
For your freedive classes, you will usually start at 8:30 AM. My first day I conducted AIDA 1, which included several exercises in the pool, as well as breath-holding exercises.
AIDA 1 serves as a brief introduction to freediving. The only requirement to pass was swimming 100m without stopping.
Because I combined AIDA 1 and 2, I was able to knock out some requirements for AIDA 2 on the first day as well, such as holding my breath for 2 minutes.
AIDA 2
AIDA 2 was much more difficult than AIDA 1. In addition to the requirement of holding your breath for 2 minutes underwater, you also must swim underwater for 40 meters on a single breath. That is almost the length of an Olympic sized swimming pool!
There are several other requirements that you must do in the pool, such as swimming 200 meters non-stop.
In addition to time in the pool, you must also study in a classroom on various topics, such as equalization techniques. Eventually, you will have to take a final exam to prove that you understand the topics.
Open Water
The Open Water portion of the freediving course was my favorite.
Your instructor will get you the necessary equipment, such as a wet suit, weight belt, fins, goggles, and snorkel. Once you have those items, you will start walking toward the beach.
You will swim out a short distance with your instructor. Once you reach a buoy, he will tie the small raft to it, from which he will attach a rope and weight. This will be the rope you use to freedive.
For AIDA 2, you will have to swim down at least 12 meters. For AIDA 1, there is no depth requirement.
My Experience Freediving
The first time I attempted to freedive, I didn’t even make it 2 meters deep. Something about trying to swim down in the ocean freaked me out.
Luckily, there were plenty of opportunities to try again. I eventually made it down to about 14 meters, but there was definitely a strong mental hurdle to overcome!
The toughest exercise I had to do for AIDA 2 was a 10-meter underwater blackout. My instructor swam down to about 15 meters, and once he swam up a few meters, he pretended to black out. I had to swim down 10 meters, pull him up to the surface, and keep him afloat as I pulled him about 30 meters away.
Sardine Run
An unexpected perk of participating in this course was experiencing the Moalboal Sardine Run! As I was diving, I saw hundreds of thousands of silver fish swimming nearby. They surrounded our freediving rope, so diving down was like descending into a cloud of sardines!
The Sardine Run occurs year-round, so you will likely be as lucky as I was! I even saw two sea turtles!
Recommendations
I really enjoyed freediving with Freediving Planet. My instructor, JP, was very knowledgeable and pushed me to succeed. I highly recommend anyone in Cebu who is interested in freediving to check out Freediving Planet!
However, if it is your first time freediving, I wouldn’t recommend combining AIDA 1 and 2 unless you are an experienced swimmer.
Where to Stay in Moalboal
If you are staying in Moalboal on a budget, I highly recommend staying at Sunset Paradise Moalboal. This hotel is conveniently located near several restaurants, bars, and just a 5-minute walk from Freediving Planet! You can get a private room or a shared room here.
If you are planning to go scuba diving as well, consider staying at the Cebu Seaview Dive Resort.
Check out the map below to see available accommodations.
