From Cebu: Oslob Whale Shark Swimming & Moalboal Sardine Run Tour

WOW! An amazing trip, unreal scenes of whale sharks, turtles and sardines. Richelle was so efficient, she told us at every step what was happening and rough wait times, she made this day for us!!! As did Reg our driver, he was so efficient and smooth with getting us around. We couldn’t be more pleased with this experience. We will be back again and again!!! Thank you Richelle and Reg!!

Absolutely fantastic! Everything about this trip was perfect from beginning to end. Richelle and Reg were the best guide and driver, so knowledgeable and fun. We came from Melbourne Australia and we will definitely be back again. The day was 12 hours but it felt like it went so quickly with it being split up through Oslob, Moal Boal and Carcar for lunch. Thank you Richelle and Reg!!!

It was a great experience. I think swimming with whale sharks in particular is very valuable.

This was such an awesome experience and every person involved contributed to this. Our driver Reggie, super safe and comfortable journey from start to finish. Farrah, our guide. Wonderful human being that was very helpful and kind throughout. All of the guides on all the different activities, very well organised. Last but not least, James who helped me to no end before the tour had even started. Don't hesitate to book this tour, you will not regret it and I highly recommend that you do.

We only did swimming with the whale shark. Our boat crew were super patient and helpful. We gave them a good tip afterwards. I learned floating on deep water, probably 20 feet deep. We were provided a vest and the 3 guides helped us all get pictures with the whale shark. There was strong current but the boat was just inches away and the guides are on the water too. We actually took a 15 minute boat ride to Sumilon island. I don't have photo of the whale shark. This experience is 10/10

You have to be aware that the route is as long as possible and the road conditions are poor. You have to get up very early, but you really experience a highlight for it. The whale sharks were great. We also saw turtles and, of course, many sardines as well. Our return was around 4:00 PM, as we were a small group of only four people.

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!