Scuba Diving in the Philippines | Malapascua Island
I had gone diving all over the Philippines (Apo Island, Apo Reef, Puerto Galera, Batangas, Camiguin, Cebu, Boracay), including a liveaboard in Apo Reef, but I haven’t had a chance to dive in Malapascua, yet. So when Shweta, a fellow travel blogger, offered to write a post about her experience diving in Malapascua and seeing thresher sharks, I grabbed the chance to share her story here. Hopefully, I can dive again in the Philippines! ―Aleah
“When I went shark diving in the Philippines….”
My conversations with friends and family and even random acquaintances in the past few weeks have mostly started like this. A somewhat deliberate act on my part, I must admit. 😉 Scuba diving in Philippines, doing my Advanced Open Water Certification with Thresher Shark Divers, and experiencing the beauty of some of the Philippines dive sites has given me a high that is unparalleled.
How to Get to Malapascua Island
There are several flights from Manila to Mactan-Cebu International Airport (CEB). I would recommend staying a night at least in Cebu City after your arrival, especially if you’re arriving in the afternoon. If you want to head straight to Malapascua, get a taxi to Cebu North Bus Terminal; it will take up to one hour, depending on the traffic.
From the terminal, take the Ceres Liner bus for Maya Port, which takes around four to five hours. You can then take a local boat to the island. Note that these boats may stop running at 5 p.m., so make sure to get there well before then. If you can’t, spend a night in Cebu City.
For international travelers, make sure to have an onward flight booked because Philippine immigration will ask you for it. If you’re not sure when you’re leaving, do what most slow- and long-term travelers do: use a site where you can pay for proof of onward travel―basically a ticket that shows you do intend to leave the country, but without having to pay for the full ticket.
(Aleah’s note: I used services like this a lot in my travels, because I liked the flexibility it gave me without the risk of being denied entry by immigration.)
Malapascua, One of the Best Dive Destinations in the Philippines
Malapascua is a small island with a laid-back feel, off the northern tip of Cebu. It’s far, for sure. However, both the Philippines dive sites that the island offers and the local authentic vibes made for a fabulous scuba diving vacation. Diving in Malapascua is one of the best dive experiences in the Philippines.
Thresher sharks, white tip reef sharks, rays and eels, cuttlefish, seahorses, a variety of nudibranchs, beautiful coral gardens housing countless colorful fish―the one week of scuba diving in the Philippines made me experience all this and more.
Thresher Sharks at Monad Shoal, Malapascua
These nocturnal creatures, not often seen by divers elsewhere, can be regularly seen at Monad Shoal dive site in Malapascua. I sighted them on both the early morning dives I went for. The 4 a.m. wake up alarm was so worth it!
Check out this video from Thresher Shark Divers.
During the first dive at Monad Shoal, my group had already started ascending when the dive instructor spotted three thresher sharks right below us. I halted the ascent and started descending a bit to get a clearer view. My first view of these magnificent creatures circling around down under was fabulous.
But the memory that will remain locked forever in my mind came the next day. We went to the same dive site and this time around, were even luckier. My group had descended to more than 24 meters when we spotted a couple of thresher sharks far in the ocean.
Knowing that these sharks like to circle, we moved very slowly. And then one of them―about 2 meters in length―came closer. I stopped as it circled past my left side at a distance of about 5 to 6 meters and went back to the deep end. What a thrill!
It’s interesting to note why the thresher sharks come regularly to Monad Shoal. These sharks have a symbiotic relationship with the small fish called cleaning wrasse which eat dead skin and bacteria from the shark’s body.
So the thresher sharks come each morning to the Shoal to get cleaned. Shark Spa, anyone?
Pretty Coral Gardens
There is a large variety of pretty corals and fish to be seen in Malapascua; Gato Island, Lapus Lapus, North Wall, Quiliano are some of the best diving spots in Malapascua where I saw incredible marine life.
While the epic sighting at Gato Island was one of white-tip reef sharks resting in a cave, the sheer colors and variety of corals and other marine life at these dive sites was dazzling.
Night Diving in Malapascua
This was my first experience of doing a night dive. The first dive at dusk time, while clearing my head of any residual fears about night diving, left me quite underwhelmed. I couldn’t fathom what the excitement was about night dives.
Looking for marine life in tiny nooks and corners using a torchlight didn’t seem to be my cup of tea. I did get to see varieties of crabs, slugs, shrimps, nudibranchs and cuttlefish, not easy to spot during the day. The other divers in my group―who were experienced in night diving―enjoyed the Bantigue dive site thoroughly.
The second night dive at Lighthouse site felt much better. I was more comfortable with getting closer to the ocean bed without bumping into anything. But overall, I rather do more day diving.
Exit at a High: Diving Spots in the Philippines
The last day of diving got us to North Wall and Quiliano, these have to count as fabulous diving spots in the Philippines. When the dive master pointed to a brownish-red seahorse on the ocean bed, I couldn’t contain my excitement. If it would have been possible to jump in delight, I would have done so! And then we got to see two more in that dive.
Spending a week with daily diving really gets you to improve your buoyancy and improve other skills. All of us were quite happy that we were managing ourselves better, getting closer to the fascinating marine life without touching anything, keeping calm, and spotting beauties.
Malapascua! What a fabulous taste of scuba diving adventure and fun in Philippines.
Note from Joydeep Sarkar, the insanely talented diver who took all the underwater photos showcased in this article, on equipment used:
- Camera: Sony RX 100 Mk V
- Underwater case: Sony MPK-URX100A
- Lights: Archon Underwater Dive Light 120 Degree beam 5200 lumens
- Generic Video dive light: 120 degree beam, 1800 lumens
- Aluminum tray and dual grips with dive light attachments
- Most common setting used: Aperture priority between f5. 6 – f8 ISO 400
