Cebu prides itself as one of the country’s premiere hotspots; from its lively nightlife to its majestic mountain scenery, this city offers an array of sights to explore. But the most visited areas in Cebu lies in its white sandy beaches and breathtaking diving spots. Here are some of Cebu’s popular diving spots in Cebu:

Pescador Island

Pescador Island is located close to Cebu’s other famous diving spot, Moalboal. This well-known dive site off the western coast of Cebu boasts clear blue waters, soft corals, large sponges, gorgonians, black corals and a stunning variety of marine life. The island is said to be a diver’s favorite because of its easy access from the shore. At temperatures between 27-29°C and with exceptionally deep waters of about 600m deep, Pescador’s waters are a haven for over 2,500 fish species; that’s nearly 70% of all fish species in the entire country. In fact, the island reportedly has one of the highest levels of marine biodiversity in the world!

Sunken Island

Sunken Island, located between the deep blue waters of Negros and Cebu, is not for the faint of heart. This dive site is strictly for seasoned and experienced divers only.

Strong currents are to be expected especially after dropping off at depths of 25-30 meters. Plus, the occasional sharks and schools of barracuda make this dive site certainly quite the challenge.

However, when you get pass the challenging part, you will be greeted with a remarkable sight of schools of Bigeye Trevally, Scorpion Fish and Surgeon fish. You may also want to bring your underwater camera and take snaps at the colorful coral spots, blue triggerfish, mackerel, grouper, snapper and the strange-looking frogfish.

Wall of Death

At the southernmost part of Cebu lies the diving site called the “Wall of Death”. Again, this spot is for experienced divers only due to strong currents. Despite its name, “Wall of Death” is considered one of the must-dive sites in Cebu.

Don’t be put off by the ominous-sounding name; Wall of Death is hardly that. In fact divers consider it to be the most beautiful dive spot in the local area.

Fluctuating currents may discourage beginners from going in but experienced divers will be rewarded with a spectacular view of nudibranchs, sponges and soft and hard corals. Other “regular visitors” include sting rays, lionfish, frogfish and manta rays among others. Resources: http://www.oneocean.org/flash/philippine_biodiversity.html

Tags: Cebu, diving, scuba diving, Cebu activities, beach, Cebu beach, island, Cebu islands, Cebu marine, Cebu marine life, dive spots

If you are one of those who watch and collect anime, comic books, manggas, action figures, and other cartoon products, you’d feel right at home at a Cosplay event. It’s a colorful playground and a fun get-together for everybody who is into the world of animation. Some fanatics even show up dressed in costumes and outfits of the characters and ideas they idolize as their way of paying homage to these animated beings. If you happen to drop by in one of those Cosplay events, it will be like seeing all those animation personalities come to life!

Allow me to give you a simple history where it all began to grow here in Cebu.

Cosplay first started in Cebu during the launching of Ragnarok Online™, the 1st Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) game that was a hit in the Philippines. The event organizers encouraged people to dress up as one of the playable characters from the game. At that time, it was only a community facilitating the advertising of the MMO game, sponsored by a local hobby shop with donations from small companies for the event.

The event was a success and the anime community in Cebu was hooked! So to keep the ball rolling, an idea came to mind to some anime loving individuals to gather together and dress up like their idolized characters for a photo shoot. They shared their photos from the shoot in Cebu’s anime community in Facebook. This inspired other Cosplayers to do the same as well as encouraged local Cosplay groups to come up with an actual Cosplay event.

These small, strictly Cosplay-only events became more frequent and had sparked the interest of several businessmen, who saw the events to be both entertaining and a potentially big advertising avenue. With that, the Cosplay events got more sponsors and had grown bigger each year.

From then on, Cosplay events had attracted more and more enthusiasts of all kinds – kids, artists, young at heart, fanatics, and basically anybody who would like to express their creativity to the community.

Do try to catch the next Cosplay event and get to see some of the characters of the cartoons or animations you used to love as a kid! See you then! I’ll be dressed as Speed Racer if you want to come say hi!

- Paul
Team MFIC

7/11 opened a string of stores here in Cebu just recently and a steady stream of people (locals and tourists alike) had packed the convenience store every day since opening its doors to the public.

For the most part, 7/11 Cebu is just like any convenience store. What makes it so special is the store’s 2 main attractions: the smoothie machine and an all-you-can-drink soda and juice dispenser. I never got close to the smoothie machine though because of the long line, and I’ve never been really good at lining up. Though it’s not as long as the line when a certain donut shop opened just a year back, it felt more cramped since the entire line is packed inside the store and intercuts to another line for the cashier. All for a smoothie. Go figure. So, I decided to explore the goods instead.

The merchandise is pretty much the same as any convenience store – national brand sodas, foreign brand and local brand chips, toilet paper, liquor, cigarettes, ice cream and more junk food. Not to dive into the flurry or anything but I was jumping up and down with the fact that one of the 7/11 stores has a 2nd level, the first one here in Cebu. For a geek like me, that means a heavenly venue for an all night game of pen-and-paper role playing games with immediate access to snacks and refreshments of my choice.

And yes, it’s just another convenience store. However, it lives up to its name by providing a meal-on-the-go, a quick snack or a drink or two to Cebuanos 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and maybe soon – in every corner of our city. And that’s enough to bring a Slurpee-stained smile to my face.

- Paul
Team MFIC

Amusement parks did not occur to me as a fun kind of a treat. I’ve been working for several years now and I do not wish to waste my hard-earned money on something that spins me around, rocks me back and forth, or make me throw up. That is, until I visited the holiday installation in Cebu – the Saint James Amusement Park.

I must say, I had a blast when I visited this “quaint” amusement park located across Parkmall in the North Reclamation Area of Mandaue. “Quaint” was the first word that came to mind when I saw the park since it did look kind of small from the outside. When you get inside however, it is actually big enough for an entire afternoon/night of fun – bigger than the usual local “peryahan” or fair that you’ll find around Cebu on fiestas and special events, but can be fully explored and enjoyed in just a day compared to the big theme parks that usually takes days to go through.

The park is well-lit and their employees are courteous. The rates are also pretty affordable with an entrance fee of PHP 150/head and about 2-3 tokens per ride at PHP 35/token. The park has several rides and carnival games for all ages – from bump cars to mini roller coasters, from spinning swings to trampolines, and from shooting galleries to games of chance.

Overall, St. James Amusement Park is a small yet a beautiful reminder for all of us to enjoy life’s sweet little surprises and to stay a kid at heart.

- Shaun
Team MFIC

Going out never gets old, especially when all you want to do is to get that weekly breather you deserve with your friends or family. Speaking of nightlife, Cebu boasts of a humble number of clubs and entertainment bars ready to replenish your weekend-hunger. Here are a couple of those frequented by the night prowlers.

For the party animals: MO2 Restobar in Mandaue Reclamation Area.

Billiards, bar, karaoke, live band and a party club – all in one insane party place. That’s more than you can ask for to relieve you of your stress from the week’s grind. I have been there a lot of times and I can’t say I had enough. The parking space may become problematic during the weekend since, well, it’s the weekend. More convenient take a cab or carpool with friends instead!

For the musical souls: The Outpost in Lahug.

Yes, most music lovers in Cebu gather in this helluva place during the weekends. Events are held there too – from benefit concerts to album launchings of local or indie bands and from rockin’ gigs of nationally or internationally-known bands to special music events. This popular music hub in Cebu is one of our favorite places, bar none. Drop by at The Outpost regularly and you might discover your next favorite musical act!

For the gastronomically inclined and the compulsive chiller: IT Park in Lahug.

Lucky indeed are those who work in Asiatown IT Park where work and play are deliciously fused in one beautiful park-like setting. One can surely mix business with pleasure as IT Park is not only the home of international BPO companies but is also packed with de-stressing centers such as bistros, bars, clubs, and restaurants. A cluster of restaurants can be found at The Walk and the ground floors of all the buildings in IT Park. To unwind after a day’s hard work, have a drink with friends at Captain A’s, VIPs, Chicken and Beer or Mooon Café. For those who are looking to a night of partying, check out The Penthouse or Loft at the Skyrise building located at the of IT Park.

Those are just a few of my favorites. My next post would be about my favorite hole-in-the-wall places around the city! Where’s your favorite hangout spot?

- Shaun
Team MFIC