Handpicked experience · Cebu
Cebu, Phillippines
Two hours across one of the deepest seas in the Philippines, to an island that was once the bottom of one.
Choose between one way or round trip transfers between Cebu and Bohol via OceanJet and travel hassle free.
Sit back and relax in comfort as you head towards to your destination.
You can also to book business class tickets for more spacious seating.
A direct high-speed crossing of about two hours
Several sailings a day on the main route
Indoor air-conditioned seating with onboard restrooms
One-way or round-trip booking to suit your plans
A reserved seat rather than open boarding
A reserved seat on the fast ferry between Cebu and Bohol, booked one way or as a round trip, on the sailing and date printed on your voucher. The crossing takes about two hours in an enclosed air-conditioned cabin.
A scheduled sea crossing rather than an excursion: you check in at the terminal, exchange your voucher at the counter, and board with everyone else. There are sailings through the day on the main route, so the ticket is usually the simplest part of a Bohol trip. Bring something to read — the cabin has windows but this is not a sightseeing deck.
The Bohol Sea is far deeper than its position between islands suggests, dropping past 1,500 metres in places. Deep water close to land is why large marine animals come near here: dolphins, pilot whales and occasionally sperm whales move through this stretch, and the small island of Pamilacan off Bohol's south coast is named for the manta rays that used to gather around it. Its people hunted whales and mantas by hand until the practice was outlawed in the 1990s; many of the same families now take visitors out to find the animals instead.
Bohol is limestone — marine sediment that formed underwater, was lifted above the surface, and has been dissolving into hills ever since. The famous conical mounds inland are what is left when rain removes the softer rock and leaves the harder cores standing. You are crossing deep sea to arrive at an island that used to be the bottom of one.
Fast craft of this kind run at speeds that make open decks impractical, so seating is indoors and air-conditioned, with the windows fixed. If you are prone to motion sickness, ask for a seat low and near the middle of the vessel, where movement is least, and take something before departure rather than after you notice it.
A magnitude 7.2 earthquake in 2013 lifted parts of the island by up to a metre and brought down several of its oldest stone churches. Some have been rebuilt, some are still scaffolded, and a stretch of the north coast is permanently higher than it was. It is recent enough that people will tell you where they were.
Arrive at the terminal well before departure — check-in, voucher exchange and baggage screening all take time, and boarding closes before the sailing time. Bring photo identification: passengers are recorded on a manifest. Carry small local notes: not everything at the pier takes a card.
Open it to pick a date and work out the price.
What the fare covers, and what to budget for separately.
The practical detail, and the answers people actually ask for.
About two hours between Cebu and Bohol on the main route, with sailings through the day.
No. These are fast craft, so seating is indoors and air-conditioned with fixed windows. If motion bothers you, ask for a seat low and mid-ship.
Because the water is unusually deep close to shore — past 1,500 metres in places. Dolphins, pilot whales and occasionally sperm whales move through, and Pamilacan island is named for the manta rays that gathered there.
Uplifted marine limestone. The cone-shaped hills inland are the harder cores left standing after rain dissolved the softer rock around them.
Yes. The magnitude 7.2 quake raised parts of Bohol by up to a metre and destroyed several of its oldest stone churches, some rebuilt and some still under scaffolding.
Your voucher to exchange at the counter and photo identification, since passengers are recorded on a manifest. Allow time for check-in and baggage screening.
Before the scheduled sailing time. Arriving well ahead is the only reliable way to make the departure you booked.
Only if you booked a round trip. The voucher states the route, date and direction you hold.