Panagsama Beach Travel Guide

Although it was virtually wiped off the map during a 1984 typhoon, Panagsama Beach remains one of the most popular seaside destinations for visitors to the town of MoalBoal on Cebu’s western coast, despite its lack of sand.

The beach is located about a mile from the pleasant town of Moalboal. It is a hub for scuba diving excursions to the reef, which lies right at the edge of the beach and extends impressively out into the sea. Most dive sites are within a 25-minute boat ride from the beach.

Panagsama Beach got its start from scuba diving back in the 1970s, and as a result there are plenty of decent amenities on hand for visitors. The highlight of any diving trip to Panagsama Beach is a trip over the tiny island of Pescador, where the reefs are even more pristine and teeming with fish.

Getting There & Away

Since Moalboal is one of the most popular tourism destinations on Cebu Island, there are frequent transport options to reach Panagsama Beach. Most visitors fly into Cebu at the busy Mactan-Cebu International Airport, located just across the strait from Cebu Island. Buses from the airport takes less than 3 hours to reach Moalboal and Panagsama Beach. Cebu’s airport has regional connections or you can connect with Manila, where even greater selections of flights are available.