Paddlers awed by butandings, dolphins, sea turtles in 227km expedition of south Cebu

The 13-man expedition team of the Philippine Outrigger Canoe Club raises the Philippine flag after completing their 200k open water outrigger canoe expedition in the southern part of Cebu. | Contributed Photo via Glendale Rosal

CEBU CITY, Philippines— The 13 paddlers who took on a grueling open-sea expedition successfully completed their mission of paddling 227 kilometers of coastal area in the first “Paddle Forward Cebu Expedition” from June 12 to 16, 2021 in Cebu.

All 13 are members of the Philippine Outrigger Canoe Club (POCC).

The team started rowing aboard a six-man single outrigger canoe last June 12 and finished the expedition along the south coastal areas of Cebu on June 16 by reaching Moalboal town in southwest Cebu from their starting point at the South Road Properties (SRP).

The team headed by POCC founder Buzzy Budlong is planning to continue up north of Cebu, to complete the circumnavigation of the entire island.

The group is advocating the return of tourism activities on the island.

The rest of the team who completed the expedition were Faye Jimiera, Ludivino Alvez Jr., Josephine Baquero, Rain Del Socorro, Shiela Solana-Alvez, Alberto Saavedra, Arnold Boniao, Ai Lustre, Nat Borromeo, Carlo De Asis, Charlie Sutcliffe, and Ryan Capuno.

“If you look at the shape of Cebu island, it is in the shape of a canoe, and like the canoe in this expedition, we will continue to move forward and make Cebu the ocean paddle sports capital of the Philippines, and make the Philippines a premier ocean paddling destination in the world”, said Budlong.

The expedition was never short of amazing highlights along the way. It showcased Cebu’s
rich marine environment.

One of the highlights was the team’s encounter with Oslob’s whale sharks, which were captured on camera. The photo has garnered thousands of shares on social media. The group also had encounters with sea turtles in Alcoy, dolphins in Oslob, and pilot whales in Moalboal all in their natural habitat.

It has also grabbed the attention of the global outrigger canoe paddling community, who expressed excitement to come and paddle in Cebu once travel restrictions are lifted.

“Paddling is one of the safest ways to explore our beautiful waterways, oceans, and islands without marine disruption. Through the expedition, we were also able to identify potential coastal developments,” added Budlong.

The expedition was part of the local “Balik Turismo” initiative of the Cebu Provincial Government, led by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.     /rcg