Malapascua Island, Cebu

Shark encounter in Malapascua.
If mermaids exist they would surely choose the waters in and around Malapascua as a favourite vacation spot.

Malapascua is a small island situated at the northern tip of Cebu and a short ferry ride from the port of Maya. It is blessed with several pristine white beaches, clear blue-green water and several top class dive sites. There are also many places to stay and to eat and, the island itself is so captivating that it would be easy to visit, have a great time and not even be aware of the hidden jewels beneath the sea.


I have visited Malapascua several times now, and I will never forget the thrill of my first close-up Thresher Shark and Manta Ray encounter, seeing a pod of Dolphins on the way back from Monad Shoals at 7.30 AM in the morning, nor the excitement of swimming through the underground tunnel from one side of Gato Island to the other, while being accompanied by two friendly Whitetip Reef sharks. I say friendly because, on this occasion, they actually acted as my dive guide through the tunnel.

After the dive at Gato island (45 minutes from Malapascua by Banca) my buddies, a family of underwater photographers from France all exclaimed “Fantastique” and wholeheartedly ageed that that was their best ever dive. I had to concur. Not only were the sharks mesmerizing but the life within the tunnel and surrounding Gato island is like nowhere else I have yet experienced. The inside of the tunnel is adorned with the most exquisitely coloured Tubastrea, Oysters, clams and other shellfish giving it the appearance of a natural aquatic Aladdin’s cave.

Before you cry “Sharks” and run a mile in the opposite direction to Malapascua it might be useful to know that Whitetip Reef sharks and Threshers are not among the most dangerous sharks that have been known to attack man. Sharks play an important role in the aquatic ecosystem. Without them the critical balance of nature would be disturbed. But each year, more than one million sharks are killed by man. They need our protection.

To have an encounter with the larger Thresher sharks and Manta Rays, for which Malapascua is internationally renowned, you should take a banca ,at the crack of dawn, to Monad shoals. The Monad shoals lie at a depth of about 26M, so you will need to be at least a PADI Advanced diver.


The sharks I encountered were mildly curious but more wary of us than us of them. Who can blame them? There was something of another world about their demeanour. On my first dive at Monad shoals a Thresher circled us and then turned directly towards me. My first urge was to hitch a ride on it’s huge scythe tail but I soon came to my senses and dropped onto the seabed to watch it turn away only a few metres in front of me. As my heartbeat came back to normal I reflected on the magnificent spectacle that I had just witnessed so near.


To see the grace and elegance of the Thresher and Whitetip Sharks at close hand has earned itself a place in my Top 5 “All time Great Experiences”, alongside ; Climbing Mont Blanc for the Eclipse, racing a Formula Vauxhall Junior at Donnington, my first time in the Lonestar, and having a son. The last two not being connected as far as I am aware. Three out of five of my Top 5 Experiences have happened in the Phillipines : a good advertisement for our precious 7107 islands and the reason why I have decided to make the Philippines my home.

To get to Malapascua you can take a car, leave it at the Port of Maya, where someone will watch it for about P50 a day, or take a v-hire or bus from the North Bus Terminal. The buses start at 4 AM in the morning and run every 2 hours until 8 PM. The journey takes between 3 and a half and four hours. The last ferry from Maya to Malapascua is about 5PM. Foreigners can expect to pay about P100. Alternatively you could rent your own boat for about P1000 to save waiting for the ferry to fill up.

The Thresher shark and Manta encounter can be experienced by taking a Banca from Malapascua at around 6 AM in the morning. The Monad shoal lies about 25 minutes away.
To find the Whitetip Reef sharks, nurse sharks, seasnakes and the underground tunnel you will need someone to take you to Gato island.
Gato island is between 45-60 minutes from Malapascua.
Other dive sites of note are the Tapilon wreck and the Dona Marilyn wreck.