As an archipelago nation comprised of over 7,000 individual islands, the Philippines is home to some truly incredible aquatic animals. The islands are a global hotspot for marine biodiversity, with over 2,500 species of fish and 500 species of coral at home in the waters. On the island of Cebu, we were fortunate enough to have 3 spectacular close encounters with Filipino marine life – you can enjoy them all in this video.
First, we took a very early trip to the town of Oslob, where wild whale sharks come to be fed by locals each day. This practice has become one of the Philippines most popular tourism draws – we were lucky to be one of the first groups of the day, so got out fairly quickly. The sharks are enormous, but actually harmless (they only eat small fish and krill) so swim right past you in the water!
Next up, we visited the town of Moalboal to witness something very unique – an active run of sardines. The school of sardines contains hundreds of thousands of fish, and can be seen year-round just a short swim away from the beach. The area prohibits net-fishing, allowing these fish to thrive in the local waters. There is nothing quite like swimming through these schools, watching them clear away and reform as you pass by.
Finally – and also on Moalboal – we visited an area frequented by wild sea turtles. The turtles are actually quite calm to the presence of humans (we were told some get used to people around, while others just feed in different areas) so you can get right up next to them with your camera!
On top of incredible snorkeling (bonus corals at the end of the video) and diving opportunities found throughout the Philippines, these animal encounters were some of the most unique and memorable experiences we had on our trip so far. Enjoy!
