Level: Resort nearby
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Last updated on September 3, 2023
Located in Moalboal, a popular dive destination on the west coast of Cebu, the Cebu Seaview Dive Resort has great snorkeling from the beach. The hotel’s house reef is a good spot to snorkel during the daytime. Anemonefish and butterflyfish are easy to spot here. Nighttime is also a good time to explore, as this is when another marine world comes to life. Many species that are hiding during the day, such as Mandarin fish, ghost pipefish, waspfish and blue-ringed octopus, can be encountered at nighttime on this site.
Cebu Seaview is a dive resort located in the southern part of Moalboal, a popular diving village on the southwestern coast of Cebu Island. It is just a few steps south of Panagsama Beach, a world-renowned snorkeling location that is popular for its schools of thousands of sardines that shelter near the beach.
The Cebu Seaview Dive Resort is easily reached by taxi or public transport from the other parts of the island. Only the guests of the Cebu Seaview Dive Resort have easy and direct shore access to the snorkeling location. If you are not staying at the Cebu Seaview Dive Resort, call them and ask permission to enter the water from the resort. You can also swim to the snorkeling location from some of the nearby hotels, such as the Love’s Beach & Dive Resort.
Recommended water entrance is from the tiny sandy beach of the Cebu Seaview Dive Resort, located next to the swimming pool.
The Cebu Seaview Dive Resort is fringed by a 100-meter-wide coral reef. At the edge of the shallow flat, the reef dramatically drops off to a wall descending to 60+ feet/18+ meters.
The reef flat (↕1-6 ft/0.5-3 meters) is covered with different types of corals, including finger coral, branching coral, and a collection of sea fans and sponges. On the drop-off, you will discover a spectacular and healthy profusion of corals, especially from a depth of 10 ft/3 meters.
On the flat, you can spot many interesting species of fish and other critters that hide out in their rocky homes. During the day, the most common species seen at the reef are butterflyfish, triggerfish, damsels and wrasse, as well as several types of anemonefish sheltering in their sea anemone. Green sea turtles occasionally visit the reef. If you are interested in seeing the “sardine run,” the Cebu Seaview Dive Resort’s house reef is not a location for it. To witness this spectacular phenomenon, head to Panagsama Beach instead.
With its sheltered shallow flat and entries straight from the beach, Cebu Seaview Dive Resort’s house reef is a great location for night snorkeling. At night, you’ll discover a different and varied marine world. This gives you the opportunity to spot species that usually hide during the day.
We recommend you start your night snorkeling at dusk, soon after the sunset. It is at this time that you are likely to spot the Mandarinfish, one of the most colorful reef fish. This particular fish is very photogenic, so have a camera ready. Extremely shy, the Mandarinfish is usually found among branching corals or coral debris, at the reef edge.
Many other “bucket list” creatures are active at night on the house reef, such as the waspfish, the ghost pipefish, and the blue-ringed octopus.
This snorkeling spot is Cebu Seaview Dive Resort’s house reef. The restaurant is open to visitors.
These snorkeling spots are accessible to beginners and kids. You will enter the water gradually from a beach, or in a less than 3ft. deep area. The sea is generally calm, shallow, with almost no waves or currents. These spots are usually located in marked and/or monitored swimming areas. It is not necessary to swim long distances to discover the sea life. This level only apply when the spot experiences optimal sea and/or weather conditions. It is not applicable if the sea and/or weather conditions deteriorate, in particular in the presence of rough sea, rain, strong wind, unusual current, large tides, waves and/or swell. You can find more details about the definition of our snorkeling levels on our snorkeling safety page.
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Snorkeling spots are part of a wild environment and their aspect can be significantly altered by weather, seasons, sea conditions, human impact and climate events (storms, hurricanes, seawater-warming episodes…). The consequences can be an alteration of the seabed (coral bleaching, coral destruction, and invasive seagrass), a poor underwater visibility, or a decrease of the sea life present in the area. Snorkeling Report makes every effort to ensure that all the information displayed on this website is accurate and up-to-date, but no guarantee is given that the underwater visibility and seabed aspect will be exactly as described on this page the day you will snorkel the spot. If you recently snorkeled this area and noticed some changes compared to the information contained on this page, please contact us.
The data contained in this website is for general information purposes only, and is not legal advice. It is intended to provide snorkelers with the information that will enable them to engage in safe and enjoyable snorkeling, and it is not meant as a substitute for swim level, physical condition, experience, or local knowledge. Remember that all marine activities, including snorkeling, are potentially dangerous, and that you enter the water at your own risk. You must take an individual weather, sea conditions and hazards assessment before entering the water. If snorkeling conditions are degraded, postpone your snorkeling or select an alternate site. Know and obey local laws and regulations, including regulated areas, protected species, wildlife interaction and dive flag laws.
