Moalboal’s sardine run: inside the living ocean

At 6am, while the shoreline is still quiet, we wade out from Panagsama Beach. Colourful fish dart between our feet in the crystal-clear water. When the seabed drops away, we pull on fins and snorkels and dive, holding our breath for as long as we can. We’re here in search of Moalboal’s sardine run – a vast oceanic murmuration that draws visitors from across the world.

As we slip beneath the surface and kick forward, the silver sea parts. Millions of sardines shimmer at the edge of our vision. The school of sardines forms a living wall that folds and unfurls in perfect synchrony, a single organism with flashes of light rippling across it like sparks. It feels as though the ocean itself is breathing. We surface exhilarated, with a surge of energy that lingers long afterwards.

Moalboal is a small coastal town three hours southwest of Cebu City in the Philippines. Just offshore, a vast shoal of sardines gathers year-round, creating one of the world’s most extraordinary wildlife encounters.

“Even though I see them almost every day, I’m still in awe,” says John Cuyos, an underwater guide and photographer, who seems to possess a natural sardine sensor. “What makes it special is the connection with nature. You don’t just see the fish; you get really close to them.”

From mystery to magnet

No one knows exactly why the sardines first gathered in Moalboal, though several factors may explain their enduring presence. The coastline drops sharply from a shallow coral reef into deep water, providing an easy escape route, while plankton-rich currents offer a reliable food source. Large predators are relatively scarce. Sardine aggregations can be found elsewhere in the Philippines, including Mactan and Bohol, but they’re generally smaller and less predictable. In Moalboal, the shoal remains a constant.

“They’ve been here for more than 15 years. They moved back and forth between Pescador Island and Ronda before settling here at Panagsama Beach,” says Koz Joseph, a Padi course director at Savedra Dive Center. As the shoal’s reputation has grown, so too has Moalboal’s tourism industry, with dive shops multiplying along the shoreline.

The sardines have become both a livelihood and a source of local pride. Their popularity has also brought challenges, including plastic pollution and pressure on fragile coral ecosystems. Visitors pay a small environmental fee upon their arrival, while dive centres such as Savedra support beach and reef clean-ups and educational programmes.

“It’s up to us to look after it, or it won’t be there for the next generation,” Joseph says.

Beneath the shoal

Snorkelling puts you among the sardines, but scuba diving takes you deeper into the open water.

“When you’re at the surface, you’re looking down into the darker part of the water. But when you’re below, looking up, the light is so much brighter, the colours much more vivid,” says our diving instructor, Mario Kaempfer. For him, the spectacle never loses its appeal. “It’s magical. Hundreds of thousands of fish with sunlight streaming through them.”

We swim behind Kaempfer, scanning the house reef off Panagsama Beach. Clownfish dart among corals, lionfish fan their spines, pufferfish drift by like balloons and trumpetfish hover in the current. We follow the path of a sea turtle and briefly lose sight of one another.

Then Kaempfer stops. Our gaze meets the sardine ball. Vast yet intricately detailed, it surrounds us on every side. We keep our distance, but the shoal drifts closer, surrounding us. Its scale is astonishing as we watch, hypnotised. One sardine breaks away, swimming against its peers, before disappearing back into the mass.

What makes Moalboal special isn’t only the sardines, but also the people who’ve built their lives around them. Instructors are unfailingly warm and embrace a pace that reflects the nature of the town itself. “This is my dream job,” Joseph says. “Work doesn’t feel like work. Even if I wasn’t getting paid, I’d still come in.” It’s a philosophy embodied by the community and its shared lifestyle. Natural and balanced, a flow of life all around you.

Tips for visiting the Moalboal sardine run

• Visit between December and May during the dry season for the clearest conditions.
• Snorkelling is accessible for all, but swimming proficiency is required for scuba diving.
• Wait at least 12 hours after diving before boarding an aircraft. See Divers Alert Network for more information.
• An environmental fee of PHP25 (HK$3) is payable at a checkpoint upon arrival in Moalboal.

How to get to Moalboal

Hotels can arrange private transfers from Cebu airport to Moalboal, which take about three and a half hours and cost about PHP3,200 (HK$400).

How to see the sardine run

Savedra Dive Center offers a Padi Discover Scuba Dive . Highly recommended for beginners, this two-to-three-hour taster session teaches the basics before bringing participants to a dive site to see the sardines.

You can hire local underwater photographers in Moalboal to capture your swim through the sardine run. Guides are also available. John Cuyos , an expert underwater guide and photographer, shot some of the images for this feature.

Where to stay

• Harman Suites Moalboal offers comfortable rooms in a central location, with friendly staff and easy access to shops, restaurants and Panagsama Beach.
• Cebu Seaview Dive Resort is a tranquil retreat with an outdoor pool, a small private beach, a restaurant, rooms offering sea views and its own Padi 5 Star Dive Centre.

Where to eat

• Cocofi for refreshing coconut‑based drinks, like coco matcha and coco ube, best enjoyed alongside an ice bath at Mujō next door.
• Three Bears Restaurant for juicy, indulgent burgers, perfect for refuelling after a long day outdoors.

• Shaka for tropical smoothie bowls that are as delicious as they are photogenic.
• Ven’z Kitchen for comforting Filipino staples, such as chicken adobo and Bicol Express.