11/01/2026
Swim with a Purpose – Protecting Moalboal & Pescador’s Reefs
After 4 hours and 40 minutes in the water, covering 7.8 kilometers — through strong current and swarms of jellyfish — history was made.
On December 29, 2025, Betty and Amanda, the first women ever completed the swim from Moalboal to Pescador Island and back. With the purpose of raising awareness of protecting the reefs of Moalboal and Pescador.
Here is their story:
Betty
"I'm from Germany and I'm here to do my dive master, and then next month starting my instructor course. Sport has always been part of my life — if I don’t move for a few days, I get really grumpy. I’m more of a runner than a swimmer, and I’m definitely not fast, but I do have stamina. When I first looked at Pescador from the shore, I kept thinking: I wonder if you can swim there. Once I found out someone had done it before, I thought: if he can do it, we can do it too.
The jellyfish around Pescador were quite challenging — I was very happy once we got back into the deep blue. During the swim I thought about friends, what they're doing in Germany in winter, and that I’m so lucky to be swimming here in the ocean. It was the best day ever. This swim showed me how beautiful Moalboal and Pescador are and that we have to keep it that way. But marine life is not only here — it lives everywhere. If this swim helps people think a bit more about protecting reefs around Moalboal and Pescador, then it was worth it."
Amanda
"I was born and raised in Zimbabwe, a landlocked country, so now I’m spending the rest of my life making up for that. I came to Moalboal to do my instructor course. Endurance isn’t really my thing, so this swim was definitely outside my comfort zone. Around the three-hour mark, the tiredness kicked in. Having Betty there helped so much — as long as I followed her pace, I knew I could keep going.
So the goal was to raise awareness and to promote the protection of our oceans and the marine life. Moalboal and Pescador Island are famous diving destinations. Not have any pollution or plastic litter go into it is crucial, so we can continue to share this with future generations.
Not many people swim to Pescador — officially only one man has done it before — so it was really another big part of this: the female empowerment, and doing it as a team. That girl power came into play here in a big way, and it's amazing to represent women in the ocean, in the diving industry, and in accomplishing incredible feats. This swim wasn’t just about the physical challenge. It was about raising awareness for ocean protection and female empowerment. It was an amazing way to finish the year."
Congratulations to these incredible Women with Power.
Strength, endurance, teamwork — and a shared commitment to protecting Moalboal & Pescador’s reefs. 💙🌊💪
Thanks to Savedra Dive Center, Cebu Fun Divers and Cebu Seaview Dive Resort for supporting these women achieving this challenge!
