Marine Life on Malapascua
From thresher sharks to tiny nudibranchs
The marine life around Malapascua Island is extraordinarily diverse, from thresher sharks to tiny nudibranchs. Situated near the epicenter of marine biodiversity on the planet, our dive sites offer an incredible range of encounters.
Sharks
Malapascua is world-famous for its thresher shark encounters at Monad Shoal. But threshers are just the beginning. You can dive with several different shark species here:
- Thresher sharks – seen almost daily at Monad Shoal
- Whitetip reef sharks – common at Gato Island
- Tiger sharks
- Bamboo sharks & Cat sharks
- Grey reef sharks
- Hammerheads (Jan–Apr, quite rare in recent years)
- Whale sharks (occasional)
Rays & Cephalopods
Rays
The rich waters around Malapascua are home to several ray species:
- Devil rays
- Marble rays & Fantail rays
- Blue spotted rays
- Eagle rays
- Manta rays (now sadly very rare)
Cephalopods
Inquisitive, intelligent, and endlessly fascinating:
- Broadclub cuttlefish (often seen mating)
- Flamboyant cuttlefish
- Blue-ringed octopus
- Starry sky octopus
- Bobtail squid
- Occasional wonderpus
Seahorses, Pipefish & Crustaceans
Seahorses & Pipefish
Our macro life is outstanding. Species spotted regularly include:
- Common, Moluccen, Thorny & Pygmy seahorses
- Ghost pipefish & Robust ghost pipefish
- Schultz’s, Banded, Orange banded pipefish
- White mushroom coral pipefish
Shrimp & Crabs
- Coleman’s shrimp & Harlequin shrimp
- Banded boxer shrimp
- Smashing mantis shrimp
- Box crabs, Decorator crabs, Porcelain anemone crabs
More Marine Life
Moray Eels
White-eyed, Snowflake, Bar-tailed, Giant morays, and Spot-faced morays are all found around our dive sites.
Fish
Many species of frogfish, mandarin fish, seamoths, batfish, scorpionfish, lionfish, flying gurnard, clown triggerfish, barracuda, schooling bannerfish, moorish idols, and many more.
Nudibranchs
Hundreds of types! Way too many to mention. Our dive guides love finding them and we have an excellent library to help you identify what you see.
Dolphins
Dolphins can be seen on the surface, especially on the way to south-western dive sites like Monad, Kimud, Kalanggaman, and Capitancillo.
Sea Snakes
Special shout out to sea snakes – among the world’s most venomous snakes, but totally harmless to divers. Gato Island is a sanctuary for sea snakes and you will almost certainly see some on your dives there.
