Scuba Diving in Malapascua
The Ultimate Guide
Malapascua is a small island off the northern tip of Cebu famed for its resident thresher sharks. Every morning at dawn, divers ride out to Monad Shoal and sit on a coral plateau 20–30 m deep, quietly watching as pelagic threshers rise from the abyss to use the cleaning station. But the excitement doesn’t end once the sharks disappear into the blue—around the island you’ll find coral‑covered pinnacles, drift dives, walls and gentle reef slopes teeming with life. Macro hunters can stalk flamboyant cuttlefish, pygmy seahorses and frogfish in the muck around Dauin, while wide‑angle lovers will enjoy schooling jackfish, batfish and barracuda at sites like Bugtong Bato and Gato Island. A relaxed village atmosphere, white‑sand beaches and day trips to neighbouring islands such as Kalanggaman or Capitancillo round out the experience.
Difficulty
Moderate
Temperature
27–30°C
Visibility
15–30 m
Diving Highlights
Best Months to Dive
Getting to Malapascua for Diving
✈️Transportation
Fly into Mactan‑Cebu International Airport (CEB) in Lapu‑Lapu City, which has direct domestic and international connections.
From Cebu City, travel overland to New Maya Port on the northern tip of Cebu—either by public bus, shared van or private car. The trip takes around 4 hours.
At New Maya Port, register at the tourist desk and board a bangka (outrigger) ferry bound for Malapascua;
boats depart every 30 minutes between 6:30 AM and 4:30 PM, the crossing taking 30–60 minutes depending on sea state.
Bring cash for fares and the environmental fee, and consider motion‑sickness tablets if you are prone to seasickness.
Once on the island, resorts and dive shops are within walking distance.
Country
Philippines
Currency
Philippine Peso
Electricity
220V, 60Hz，Type A/B plugs；
Cost of a Dive Trip in Malapascua
Day Trip
Dive Resort
Meal
Accommodation
Best Dive Sites in Malapascua
🐠Monad Shoal
The world‑famous Monad Shoal is an underwater seamount on the edge of a deep trench. At dawn, pelagic thresher sharks swim up from the depths to use this cleaning station, giving divers near‑guaranteed encounters. The flat plateau sits around 25 m and drops off to 40 m; divers must be advanced and able to sit still to avoid spooking the shy sharks. Manta rays and eagle rays sometimes cruise overhead, and the reef also hosts batfish, cuttlefish, mantis shrimp, nudibranchs and pygmy seahorses. Currents can be strong and the use of strobes is discouraged.
🐢Lapus Lapus
Lapus Lapus sits on Malapascua’s northwest corner around a rocky outcrop. It offers easy, shallow diving with a gently sloping bottom smothered in soft corals and inhabited by angelfish, clownfish, pufferfish and boxfish. On a falling tide light currents create a fun drift around the corner and the dive is often paired with neighbouring North Wall. Depth ranges 12–20 m, making this site perfect for beginners.
🦈North Wall
A continuation of Lapus Lapus, North Wall combines a deeper rocky section at around 25 m with a shallower reef at 12 m. Divers follow the rubble edge searching for macro life—nudibranchs, crustaceans and seahorses—then move up to soft corals and schooling reef fish. Sea snakes are common here. Light to medium currents make this a gentle drift suitable for beginners and photographers.
🐙Deep Rock
Deep Rock features a curving coral wall and trenched rocky bottom with mild currents. Divers descend to around 17 m to search for flamboyant cuttlefish, ornate ghost pipefish, blue‑ringed octopus and anemone crabs among the pebbles, then ascend onto the wall and plateau covered in coral heads and friendly reef fish. This site suits intermediate divers comfortable with depths up to 30 m.
🐚Quillano
Pronounced “Gi‑li‑an‑o”, Quillano is a small pinnacle north of Malapascua. Divers spiral down to a base at 16–18 m, where mild currents deliver a steady parade of critters. In the surrounding mucky sand you can find seahorses, pipefish, flamboyant cuttlefish and fire urchins with zebra crabs, while the pinnacle itself hosts giant frogfish, banded boxer shrimps, baby boxfish and other reef fish. Inspect the whip coral for gobies guarding their eggs!
🦑Bugtong Bato
Also known as “single rock”, Bugtong Bato is a large coral‑covered pinnacle with currents that vary with the tide. At the 30 m base there are often schools of batfish and barracuda. Black and whip corals decorate the slopes, sheltering pufferfish, butterflyfish and mantis shrimp. This site is suited to advanced divers comfortable with deeper depths and potential current.
🐡Gato Island
Located about an hour by boat from Malapascua, Gato Island is a two‑tank day trip known for its resident sea snakes and a 30 m tunnel that cuts through the island. Divers explore boulder‑strewn slopes covered in soft corals and macro life, then swim through the cathedral‑like tunnel where white‑tip reef sharks often rest at the exit. Expect cuttlefish, seahorses, nudibranchs and crustaceans on every dive, and watch out for the sea snakes that call this marine sanctuary home.
🦀Dona Marilyn Wreck
The Dona Marilyn is a 98‑m ferry that sank in 1988 during a typhoon and now lies between 20–40 m deep. Currents can be strong, so this spooky wreck dive is recommended for experienced divers. The broken hull shelters big fish such as white‑tip sharks, marble rays, giant scorpionfish, moray eels and schools of jacks.
🐋Chocolate Island
Chocolate Island is a small island passed by on the boat ride from Maya Port to Malapascua. Its shallow reef, 5–20 m deep, is perfect for beginners and underwater photographers. Expect plentiful crustaceans, seahorses, frogfish, cardinalfish and nudibranchs, with night dives revealing giant cuttlefish, sea hares and Spanish dancer nudibranchs.
🦐Kalanggaman Island
Kalanggaman lies to the east in Leyte and is famous for its picture‑perfect sandbar. Divers and snorkelers can explore a shallow coral garden around the sandbar, then drop over a deeper wall lined with corals. Expect turtles, massive shoals of Moorish idols and other reef fish. Suitable for all levels, though currents and depth on the wall make Nitrox or deep speciality training useful.
🐠Capitancillo Island
Capitancillo is a small island often visited on day trips from Malapascua. The surrounding sanctuary offers wall dives ranging from 15–40 m with beautiful fan, whip and black corals. Eagle‑eyed guides will point out pink and yellow pygmy seahorses hiding in the coral, while schools of sardines, jackfish and anthias swirl in the blue. A lighthouse on the island makes a nice lunch spot between dives.
What Divers Say About Diving in Malapascua
Alex Thompson
Marine Biologis / DivemasterMalapascua is one of those places that lures you in with one promise—thresher sharks—and then keeps you around with everything else. Waking up at 4 AM to motor across a glassy ocean and kneel on Monad Shoal while silver scythes glide past your mask is a rite of passage for shark‑mad divers. But I was equally blown away by the diversity of the other sites. Lapus Lapus and North Wall offered lazy drifts past soft‑coral gardens and clouds of reef fish. Deep Rock and Quillano had me hunting for flamboyant cuttlefish, pygmy seahorses and ghost pipefish in the rubble, then surfacing over colourful walls. Gato Island’s tunnel dive was like swimming through a cathedral, with whitetip sharks lurking at the exit and sea snakes weaving through the boulders. Back on land, life is delightfully low‑key: think hammocks, mango shakes and watching fiery sunsets with a bottle of San Miguel. Malapascua may be small, but the mix of big‑animal encounters and macro wonderland kept me grinning for days.
Frequently Asked Questions About Diving in Malapascua
When is the best time to dive in Malapascua?
Diving is possible year‑round. The dry season from March to May offers calm seas and the best visibility.
What marine life can I expect in Malapascua?
The island is world‑famous for pelagic thresher sharks at Monad Shoal and Kimud Shoal. You can also see manta rays, occasional hammerhead and tiger sharks, reef sharks, schooling jackfish, barracuda, batfish, whitetip sharks at Gato Island, plus countless macro critters such as frogfish, seahorses, flamboyant cuttlefish, nudibranchs and ghost pipefish.
Is Malapascua suitable for beginners?
Yes. Many sites around the island, such as Lapus Lapus, North Wall and Chocolate Island, are shallow with minimal current and ideal for beginner divers. However, thresher shark dives at Monad or Kimud Shoal require an Advanced Open Water certification and comfort at 25–30 m depths with possible currents.
How many dive sites are there around Malapascua?
There are more than 20 named sites around the island and nearby islets, including pinnacles, walls, muck slopes, wrecks and drift dives. Popular spots include Monad Shoal, Lapus Lapus, North Wall, Deep Rock, Quillano, Bugtong Bato, Gato Island, Dona Marilyn wreck, Chocolate Island, Kalanggaman and Capitancillo.
How do I get to Malapascua?
Fly into Cebu’s Mactan‑Cebu International Airport, then travel four hours by bus or car to New Maya Port and take a 30–60 minute boat to the island.
What are the water temperatures and visibility like?
Water temperatures typically range from 27–30 °C, dropping to around 25 °C in December–February. Visibility is generally 15–30 m but can drop to 5–10 m during plankton blooms in November–January.
What else can I do besides diving?
Non‑diving activities include snorkeling over shallow reefs, sunbathing on white‑sand beaches, visiting local villages, taking a boat trip to Kalanggaman or Capitancillo islands, or hopping over to Bantayan or Carnaza for island hopping. You can also enjoy sunset cocktails at beach bars and sample fresh seafood.