Sea Tours in Bohol normally starts at Php 1,500 per boat which is already good for 4-6 persons. But since tourism is low in Bohol it looks like you can actually haggle the price to as low as Php 1,000. Try strolling around Alona Beach when the sun sets and you will be surprised that there will be people offering you their tours at really low prices. We got ours at Php 900! Snorkeling masks included as a package.
Alona Beach
The day before our scheduled sea tour, we strolled along the white sandy beach of Alona just before the sun sets. The beach stretches for 1.5 kms and borders by rocks on both ends. Its sand were fine but not as fine as that to Boracay's.
Balicasag Island
Sea tours start early around 6 AM to be able to see the dolphins swim near Balicasag Island. We departed from Alona beach quite late around 7AM because unknowingly we were waiting for two more tourists to join. Luckily we were still able to see the dolphins swim in groups, many of which were still babies. They were so cute. Unfortunately we were not able to take pictures of the dolphins.
After watching the dolphins swim around for 15 minutes, we started heading towards
Balicasag Island which is one of the best dive and snorkeling sites in Bohol.
The sandy shell shore of the island is lined-up with make-shift stores offering visitors seafood to be cooked while we are away for snorkeling. Be warned that prices are really expensive. You will be charged Php 500 per kilo for any seafood plus Php 100 for each viand. We ordered half a kilo of their Jack Fish and a buko for Php 75.
When in
Balicasag Island, you will also be approached by a resident guide to do the snorkeling. Snorkeling costs Php 200 per head. Your guide will lead you to a smaller boat where you will be taken to the snorkeling site which was declared a marine sanctuary. Water shoes are also offered for rental because the snorkeling area is surrounded by hard corals. We opted to skip renting the shoes and used our slippers instead.
Truly this island is a really nice snorkeling spot as there was a diversity of marine life in it. I can rank this one as second best from our Coron snorkeling experiences. What's unique about our snorkeling experience is that we get to see bigger fishes like Mackerels on the cliff of the reef. Scary yet fascinating!
After snorkeling, we went back to the island to have our early lunch. Even though food are expensive there we still wanted to buy some to help the locals there as we believe that tourism is their main livelihood.
After taking some relaxing time in Balicasag Island, we are off to the
Virgin Island. It took around 30 minutes to reach the island but sadly the tide was high that time that the sand bar was still submerged in water.
Lined up along the sand bar were several bankas and stalls selling coconut, banana-Q, and urchins! I got the chance to try eating a sand dollar urchin at Php 20 a piece (you can haggle for it to be at Php 10 each). It was slimy but I especially liked their spiced vinegar to go with it.
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| Sand Dollar Urchins |
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| Stalls selling fried bananas. Yummy! |
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| Giant Sea Urchins! These are the ones used in Unagi sushi |
We took our time strolling in the island's fine white sand in bare foot. The
Virgin Island was called so because there was no inhabitants there, but from the looks of it - I think it will soon become a resort because there were several workers there constructing a building.
When in Bohol, don't fail to experience their Sea Tour - it's definitely worth it. If you still have time, you may also want to swim with the Whale Sharks (Butanding) in Oslob - this tour is also available in Panglao Island at Php 2,000.
This is part of our 5D4N Cebu-Bohol Summer Adventure. Read more about our trip in below links:
Read about our accommodations and food trips in Cebu here:
Read about our accommodation and food trips in Bohol here:
