Oslob Whale Sharks and Moalboal Sardin Run, Sea Turtles Tour

We had a great time with our tour guide Norvina and our driver Nino, they were very patient with us and explained everything.. Swimming the Whale Shark, Sardins run and the Sea Turtles was a fantastic experience.. it was worth the wait, the travel and the expenses.. I would do it again..

We had a wonderful time with Farrah our guide and Nino our driver, they were both friendly and very helpful. The tour ran seamlessly, they arrived promptly at 3am to pick us up from our hotel, explained how long the drive would take and what would happen on arrival to snorkel with the whale sharks. The next part was just as good, snorkelling with the sea turtles and sardines. Farrah helped to arrange for us to get food from a local restaurant and she gave us recommendations of what Filipino food to try. I would definitely do another tour with Farrah and Nino when we come back to Cebu.

Let me be straight with you. Pickup was on time at 2:30 AM. The guide was professional. The driver got us there. These guys did their job and deserve to be tipped. Everything else was an equipment disaster. The GoPro rental froze mid-video, shut off repeatedly, and destroyed what should have been extraordinary whale shark footage. I have the freeze on video. I kept it as evidence. Don’t rent their GoPro. Bring your own camera — this moment deserves it. The mask and snorkel at Moalboal were defective. Mask leaked constantly. I have scuba experience so I could clear it — but I spent my entire sardine run and turtle session clearing water instead of watching millions of sardines spiral around me. A child’s snorkel set handed to a paying adult. The fins cost 100 PHP extra and were so worn they didn’t flex — they folded in the water. Completely useless. Everything is a paid add-on. Snorkel. Fins. GoPro. Lunch. Budget for it and bring your own gear. Here’s what’s real — the whale sharks at Oslob are extraordinary. The sardine run at Panagsama delivers everything people say. Sea turtles in the same water, 20 meters from shore. The experiences themselves are worth doing. Just don’t trust their equipment with your memories. Bring your own everything. Tip the guide and driver. Leave the GoPro on the boat. One genuine bright spot — a young girl named Myra at Moalboal beach selling souvenirs. Persistent in the best possible way, genuinely funny, and called this bearded American “Santa Claus” for the entire visit. She made a rough day better. If you see her — buy something. Tell her Santa Claus sent you.

We were given a great tour by Mae, our tour guide. While the pick up time in Cebu City was early, (around 3am), it was well worth it! It took about 4 hours to get down to the Whale Shark stop in Oslob. The whale sharks are fed by a few of the tour operators and you can get fairly close to them! At this time of year, there were only a few there but we were able to get lots of pictures with them and saw them as much as we wanted! The second stop was about another 2 hour drive away in Moalboal. This stop had a lot of naturally present sea turtles and sardines that were very impressive. Our snorkel guide was exceptional and helped us get pictures of us diving right next to the turtles! He even brought over an octopus for us to hold in our hands! While the travelling was long, the staff was very friendly and we were able to stop for planned food and bathroom breaks. They speak great English and assisted us with all the equipment provided. I would highly recommend this tour!

I was so impressed to be able to enter the ocean with whale sharks and experience their size and dynamics firsthand. I was also really happy to see moal boals and sea turtles up close, probably because the ocean is beautiful. I recommend renting a GoPro. Including travel time (I didn't recommend it because it won't come back if you drop your phone), I found it commensurately moving, although I'm held captive for a long time.

Great day. We did exactly as described on the listing. Even though I rated this as a 5, there are things everyone should understand. The entire day lasted almost 16 hours - from 2 AM to past 5:30 pm. This could be improved by giving people a set amount of time at lunch and at rest stops. People took advantage of no set time, and the rest of us had to suffer while we waited. The guide was efficient at the stops in telling us what to do. What would have been nice is a little more commentary as we passed things on this incredibly long ride. I know this wasn't specified, but it would have made the day go by faster. The experience with the whale sharks was quite an adventure. But is is somewhat ruined by the massive number of people in the water that kick and push you and also by the scuba divers under the sharks sending up constant bubbles so you can't see. The scuba divers seemed uninterested in the sharks - just in taking pictures of themselves.

We had a terrific time swimming with the whale sharks, sardines and sea turtles! We were picked up from our hotel on time (2am) and were greeted by our tour guide Farrah who was very friendly, cordial and helpful throughout the tour. The driver Richie was also great taking us to each location. One thing to mention is be prepared for a long drive (3-4+ hours each way, if staying in Mactan). It was a long day, but really worth it. Thanks!

Bucket list experience! Seeing the whale sharks is such an incredible experience. We especially loved our guide Danny and driver Frances - they made the tour extra special. The sardine run and turtle snorkel was cool too but the whale shark experience really took the cake for us. Worth the early morning and long drive to get there!

Amazing experience. Great staff. Felt safe. Excursions are good. Whale sharks boats have ladders. Worth it

Very well organized. May Excellent. A long way. But good drivers who respect the traffic and speed. Mu Well organized