Tuesday, May 27, 2008
reflection
Today, I learned so many things from the training. I learn how to create a web blog and costumize the blog, but the time is not enough to explore all of the features of the blogger but I know constant practice makes perfect. I do my best to apply my learning in school to maximize learning of the students in using the internet. Also, another application is the digital storytelling which I find it very interesting and challenging, but finally we've made a story. I am very thankful of my mentor.
Monday, May 26, 2008
Scuba Dive Philippines: Discover Moalboal
Extending as a Peninsular in the Southwestern tip of Cebu province, Moalboal is a town bordered to the west by the Tanon Strait. From the Western shoreline, the island of Negros can be seen. Moalboal is located about 80 kilometers from Cebu City, approximately two and a half hours by bus.
Moalboal is a small tourist town that attracts divers from all over the world. It offers a number of resorts as well as a good selection of restaurants and nightlife, whilst still maintaining the quiet, laidback and relaxed atmosphere that many divers crave. Diving here is convenient as most of the dive sites are very close by and can be reached within less that half an hour from Panagsama beach. There are a variety of dive sites that offer a range of diving suited to all levels of divers, from complete beginners to experienced, world traveled divers.
Although there are many interesting sited within close proximity of Panagsama beach, Pescador Island is undoubtedly the best in the area, and possibly one of the best dive locations in the Philippines. The island provides almost everything in a very small area. The island is a large pinnacle rising out of 115 ft of open water to 20 ft above the surface. Around the island is a healthy coral ledge, mostly at around 10ft , at the southern end it slopes to 30 ft.This ledge then drops as a vertical wall with overhangs and crevices to between 100ft and 165 ft before sloping down and out on sand.
The famous Pescador Cathedral is an open top funnel that bottoms out at 115ft, the funnel is open also on its outer side at 50 ft. Depending on the time of year, shafts of sunlight shine into the funnel around noon.
The deepest drop-off is on the north face which goes down to 165 ft, the east and west faces drop to 130 ft and the south face to 108 ft.
The shallow reef top has some lovely boulder, pillar and Acropora table and staghorn corals, and good whip corals and leathery corals, and teem with reef fish of all varieties including lizardfish, catfish, rabitfish, bream, Sand Perch, Fire Gobies and Blue streak gobies.
The walls have many overhangs, cracks and crevices with gorgonian sea fans, black coral, large barrel and tube sponges covered in Alabaster Sea Cucumbers, Tubastrea cup corals, colorful soft corals and crinoids, sea stars, sea cucumbers and nudibranchs.
The fish life includes just about everything you would expect to find in the area: jacks, fusiliers, barracuda, snappers, sweetlips, batfish, surgeonfish and catfish. Lone pufferfish, tuna, Napoleon Wrasse, Moorish Idols, parrotfish, Whitetip and Grey Reef Sharks, lionfish, Zebra Lionfish, scorpionfish, stonefish, moray eels and sea snakes are all likely to appear. Turtles, Whale Sharks(January-March), small schools of Hammerhead Sharks and Manta Rays have been seen here and night dives are famous for very large Spanish Dancer nudibranchs.
How to get there:There are regular flights from Manila to Cebu on a large number of airlines, including Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific. From Cebu, the quickest way to reach Moalboal is by land. Alternatively, you can fly from Manila to Dumaguete and transfer to Moalboal by boat. Contact Blue Horizons Travel & Tours Manila Office by email (newsletter@bluehorizons.com.ph), telephone (+63-2 848-3901) or fax (+63-2 848-3909) for more information or to make a booking.
Moalboal is a small tourist town that attracts divers from all over the world. It offers a number of resorts as well as a good selection of restaurants and nightlife, whilst still maintaining the quiet, laidback and relaxed atmosphere that many divers crave. Diving here is convenient as most of the dive sites are very close by and can be reached within less that half an hour from Panagsama beach. There are a variety of dive sites that offer a range of diving suited to all levels of divers, from complete beginners to experienced, world traveled divers.
Although there are many interesting sited within close proximity of Panagsama beach, Pescador Island is undoubtedly the best in the area, and possibly one of the best dive locations in the Philippines. The island provides almost everything in a very small area. The island is a large pinnacle rising out of 115 ft of open water to 20 ft above the surface. Around the island is a healthy coral ledge, mostly at around 10ft , at the southern end it slopes to 30 ft.This ledge then drops as a vertical wall with overhangs and crevices to between 100ft and 165 ft before sloping down and out on sand.
The famous Pescador Cathedral is an open top funnel that bottoms out at 115ft, the funnel is open also on its outer side at 50 ft. Depending on the time of year, shafts of sunlight shine into the funnel around noon.
The deepest drop-off is on the north face which goes down to 165 ft, the east and west faces drop to 130 ft and the south face to 108 ft.
The shallow reef top has some lovely boulder, pillar and Acropora table and staghorn corals, and good whip corals and leathery corals, and teem with reef fish of all varieties including lizardfish, catfish, rabitfish, bream, Sand Perch, Fire Gobies and Blue streak gobies.
The walls have many overhangs, cracks and crevices with gorgonian sea fans, black coral, large barrel and tube sponges covered in Alabaster Sea Cucumbers, Tubastrea cup corals, colorful soft corals and crinoids, sea stars, sea cucumbers and nudibranchs.
The fish life includes just about everything you would expect to find in the area: jacks, fusiliers, barracuda, snappers, sweetlips, batfish, surgeonfish and catfish. Lone pufferfish, tuna, Napoleon Wrasse, Moorish Idols, parrotfish, Whitetip and Grey Reef Sharks, lionfish, Zebra Lionfish, scorpionfish, stonefish, moray eels and sea snakes are all likely to appear. Turtles, Whale Sharks(January-March), small schools of Hammerhead Sharks and Manta Rays have been seen here and night dives are famous for very large Spanish Dancer nudibranchs.
How to get there:There are regular flights from Manila to Cebu on a large number of airlines, including Philippine Airlines and Cebu Pacific. From Cebu, the quickest way to reach Moalboal is by land. Alternatively, you can fly from Manila to Dumaguete and transfer to Moalboal by boat. Contact Blue Horizons Travel & Tours Manila Office by email (newsletter@bluehorizons.com.ph), telephone (+63-2 848-3901) or fax (+63-2 848-3909) for more information or to make a booking.
Courtesy of:
History of Moalboal
Legend states that a Spaniard was walking around the place and met a townfolk near a bubbling underground spring situated along the coast of the town. The Spaniard asked the folk in Spanish as to the name of the place. The folk unable to perceive the Spanish language answered “bocal bocal” for he discerned that the Spaniard was asking about the bubbling spring. Bocal-bocal was a tongue twister to the Spaniard hence Moalboal.
There is also another version as to the toponym of Moalboal. Some consider that Moalboal came from the word “bol-anon” for its first major settlers were from Bohol.
It was long time ago that a certain Laurente Sabanal , a victim of Spanish oppression fled to this place in a row boat. It was mostly uninhabited yet. Fish abound in its shoreline and its soil was fertile. The bounty and the beauty of the place captivated the heart of Laurente so her returned to Bohol incognito and returned back to Moalboal together with his family and friends. They were the first settlers of the place. Laurente was renowned to have a magical power which he used for the protection of his people. He was popularly called by his people “Laguno” for his bravery and his concern for them.
When Laguno died, he was buried near the shore, where he used to make his stand against any invader. On his grave was placed a marker, a log, a symbol of the utmost respect of his people and a symbol for his exemplary life. This log can still be seen today. A street running along the shoreline where he was buried was named after him.
There is also another version as to the toponym of Moalboal. Some consider that Moalboal came from the word “bol-anon” for its first major settlers were from Bohol.
It was long time ago that a certain Laurente Sabanal , a victim of Spanish oppression fled to this place in a row boat. It was mostly uninhabited yet. Fish abound in its shoreline and its soil was fertile. The bounty and the beauty of the place captivated the heart of Laurente so her returned to Bohol incognito and returned back to Moalboal together with his family and friends. They were the first settlers of the place. Laurente was renowned to have a magical power which he used for the protection of his people. He was popularly called by his people “Laguno” for his bravery and his concern for them.
When Laguno died, he was buried near the shore, where he used to make his stand against any invader. On his grave was placed a marker, a log, a symbol of the utmost respect of his people and a symbol for his exemplary life. This log can still be seen today. A street running along the shoreline where he was buried was named after him.
Courtesy of:
Moalboal
Hello! You are now entering the Diving Paradise of Southern Cebu Philippines and acclaimed by many as the Diving Capital of the world. This is the municipality of Moalboal, Cebu, Philippines, the melting bowl of Moalboal National High School. Our loved Moalboal National High School is located at the coastal barangay of Basdiot of around 1.5 kilometers from the town proper. This is where you can find the beautiful PANAGSAMA BEACH with sand as white as crystals facing the panoramic view of the island province of Negros Oriental, Philippines.
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