In this article, we bring you first-hand information about diving on Malapascua Island from professional divers. Keep reading so you don’t miss anything!
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Diving is in the air on Malapascua Island, and it’s top-notch. After sailing for about 30 minutes from northern Cebu, you can already spot the crystal-clear waters and dazzling white sand, the kind of place most of us would love to capture in a keepsake photo. For many years, it remained a little-known diving destination, but recently, it has become a “must” for anyone wanting to explore the underwater world of the Philippines.
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Enjoy diving with the thresher shark
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On this small island, you’ll find plenty of divers eager to meet one of the most elegant creatures you can find underwater: the thresher shark (Alopias pelagicus).
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Its most striking feature is its unmistakable, incredibly long tail (which in some individuals can measure over 2 meters), with an upper lobe that matches the length of its body. This extraordinary caudal fin is used to whip and stun its prey. Its graceful movements and large eyes, which take up a significant portion of its face, make it a truly mesmerizing creature.
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The best dive site in Malapascua
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Monad Shoal used to be the go-to site for frequent sightings, but suddenly, the sharks stopped appearing. The entire island, which relies exclusively on the diving industry and specializes in encounters with this species, was baffled for months.
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Monad Shoal is a relatively demanding dive since the atoll’s seabed, covering several hectares, lies at a depth of between 20 and 25 meters. Rumor has it that the presence of tiger sharks in the area caused the thresher sharks to stop ascending from the depths to use the cleaning stations.
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These sharks are shy, active, and fast swimmers. That’s why thresher sharks are difficult to spot, let alone have close encounters with. But we’re in luck! It is now much easier to see them at Kimud Shoal: a pinnacle in the middle of the sea that rises from the abyss to just 13 meters deep.
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To reach this dive site, we’ll take a 45-minute boat ride – don’t forget a windbreaker if you get cold easily! – where our reward is practically 100% guaranteed. On our last expedition, we managed to dive with more than four individuals in the same dive, twisting our necks in every direction just to catch the next sighting.
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Tips for diving near thresher sharks
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To fully enjoy these sharks and increase your chances of a close encounter, remember to:
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Maintain neutral buoyancy, staying 1 meter above the reef.
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Always position yourself below their eye level; otherwise, they may feel threatened and vanish into the blue.
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Stay close to your group. If you manage to stick closely together, the shark might get curious and come closer, sometimes circling you multiple times. If the group is scattered, close encounters will be much harder to achieve.
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Make sure to dive with an operator that respects the sharks’ environment and follows all safety standards (we take care of that!).
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Other must-dive sites
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But Malapascua is more than just sharks. If you’re an advanced diver, you can visit Gato Island, home to a 30-meter-long cave where you might spot large reef whitetip sharks exiting the tunnel – a moment you won’t soon forget. Gato Island is also known for its huge amount of soft coral and an incredible variety of macro life worth observing.
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Another dive that truly impressed us was Quillano, a dive site just minutes north of the island. During our 50-minute dive, we observed a stunning array of macro life (nudibranchs, seahorses, frogfish, among others), paired with the unspoiled soft coral formations we found on our single dive in the area – an absolutely spectacular experience.
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Author: Bru Eito
Plan your diving trip
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At Te Moana Expeditions, we specialize in customized and organized dive trips to this stunning destination. Contact us with any questions.
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