Conquering Fear: My Freediving Experience in Moalboal

Growing up near the seashore, people would always assume that I am a sea person. What they don't know is, I grew up with a fear of deep waters and waves, perhaps due to childhood experiences involving the sea.

Allow me to share a little backstory. When I was in Grade 5, there was a Low-Pressure Area (LPA) at that time. I had just returned home from school for lunch with my mother and older brother. While we were having lunch in our kitchen, suddenly, raging waves devoured the foundation of our kitchen, leaving a hole in the floor. The stones and gravels that were poured there were washed away by the strong waves. Thankfully, we had moved away just before it happened, as the floor was already shaking. My mother attempted to salvage our antique jars, but she was too late. This incident is just one of the many that made me afraid of the sea.

However, despite these harrowing experiences, I learned to love the beach, as long as it's sunny and the water is calm. Haha.

In the past year, @iamcjestrada embarked on his journey into freediving with his group of friends. Intrigued by the underwater world, he wanted us to experience it too. So, one day, he organized a freediving trip to Moalboal in Southern Cebu.

Moalboal, a town located in the Southwest of Cebu facing the largest marine protected area in the Philippines, is famous for its Sardine Run. It's known for the hundreds, if not millions, of sardine fish visible just a few meters from the shore.

Together with our fellow Hiveans @mariasalve, @ybanezkim26, and our organizer @iamcjestrada, along with some of our hiking friends, Chiarra, Jovy, and Bon, we embarked on a journey that would determine if freediving was really for us. Haha.

An hour before our meetup time at the South Bus Terminal, I remembered a booking app called Topline Travel that could book tickets to our destination. I booked 7 tickets to save us time at the ticketing window. We immediately proceeded to our door number and had the staff scan the QR Code, allowing us to board the bus directly.

After almost 3 hours of travel, we arrived in Moalboal town and hailed a tricycle to take us to our accommodation.

We had a reservation at Indino's Guest House in Basdiot, where the nightlife is comparable to Boracay. It's also where most restaurants are located, and it's a favorite among foreigners.

After checking in, while we waited for the rain to stop, CJ gave a presentation about freediving 101, covering proper breathing techniques and the dos and don'ts. We listened attentively and asked questions. By 4 PM, the rain had ceased, and we proceeded with our practice dive.

Upon reaching the shore, we noticed the waves were quite strong. Nevertheless, we persevered and swam towards the floating cottage. We managed to reach the cottage, but staying afloat was a challenge with only one buoy, and I was already exhausted from paddling through the big waves. I even ingested some seawater, LOL.

We returned to the shore and then to our accommodation, hungry and tired from the unsuccessful freediving attempt. We went out to find dinner, but all the restaurants were crowded. Eventually, we found a nice place, but the service was slow, so we moved to Venz Kitchen, a restaurant packed with foreigners. We managed to find a table.

While strolling near a bar, we received coupons for a buy-1-take-1 offer on all cocktail drinks. Of course, we couldn't decline those offers. Haha. We went to the second floor where the bar was located. I ordered amaretto sour twice because it was so good.

We went to bed at 8 PM as we had to wake up early the next day for our second attempt at freediving.

@iamcjestrada had booked his guide from his previous freediving experience with his friends. We woke up at 6 AM and searched for bread and coffee since we couldn't have a heavy breakfast before the dive.

The time had come for our second attempt. Our first stop was the Sardine Run. We were astonished at how crowded it was at that time. @iamcjestrada and @ybanezkim26 were amazing in their underwater stunts; they might have been fish in their past lives. LOL. I attempted to dive with the sardines on a shallower part. Nevertheless, I was happy that I finally managed to dive, though I only found out later, when I checked my camera, that the footage was missing. 🙄🙄🙄 Haha. Still, I enjoyed the experience.

I tried to avoid looking at the cliff underwater as it was dark, and my mind kept conjuring scenes from a certain shark movie. LOL.

After hours of being kicked by other people's fins, we decided to move on to the next diving spot, a mermaid statue on the side of an underwater cliff.

It wasn't crowded when we arrived there. Only @iamcjestrada, @ybanezkim26, and Bon were able to dive to the mermaid. Haha. I slowly accepted that I was just meant for snorkeling. Haha.

We moved to another diving site a few meters from the mermaid statue, where there was an underwater tube bench. This time, I managed to sit on the bench for a few seconds before I panicked and swam up quickly. Haha. I was glad they captured it. Now I have proof that I did freediving. Hahahha.

Feeling grumpy due to hunger, we decided to pack up and return to our accommodation. We packed our things and headed to Smooth Cafe for an amazing lunch before heading home.

Trying new things can lead to great experiences and learning opportunities. It helps us discover new interests and broaden our horizons. With more exposure to underwater activities and freediving, hopefully, my fear of dark and deep waters will eventually become just a memory.

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