Malapascua Dive Sites
Malapascua Island: One destination; everything here!
Malapascua is the only place in the world where the magnificent thresher shark can be seen daily. It also boasts some of the best and most varied diving in the Philippines: guaranteed whitetip sharks as well as other sharks and large rays; wrecks and reefs; wall dives and muck dives; beautiful unspoiled coral gardens, mating mandarin fish, frogfish, seahorses, cuttlefish, nudibranchs galore, endless crustaceans, amazing macro and much more…
About Thresher Sharks
Kimud Shoal — Home of Our Famous Thresher Sharks!
Depth: 12m+ | Travel: 20 mins
You are very fortunate to be coming now. We have had incredible thresher shark dives since 2022, when the sharks moved from Monad Shoal to Kimud Shoal. Now they are seen shallower, later in the morning and much closer in general – which means far better sightings and fantastic photo ops. We are also getting regular tiger shark sightings at Monad Shoal, as well as other large sharks and rays.
We are so sure you will see thresher sharks that we offer a unique “Thresher Shark Guarantee”: if you do not see thresher sharks on one double-dive Kimud trip, we will offer you a third dive for free.
Threshers always used to be most common at dawn, but we are now getting sightings throughout the morning. So we usually offer double shark dives, and our new three-shark-dive trips are proving very popular. We also offer 3-dive day trips for shark followed by a double dive at Gato, our best-known dive site other than the sharks.
TSD also offers a unique PADI Course. Please note that this is a more advanced dive site. If you are an Open Water diver, you can still participate, but you must have an instructor accompany you.
Aside from thresher sharks, we sometimes see devil rays, even schooling, and turtles are occasional visitors. The top of the island has a lot of hard coral, and many excellent hiding spots for moray eels and frogfish. The sides are covered in soft coral growth. Many species of shrimp can be found among the corals and several species of unusual nudibranchs. The east side is especially interesting for its rock formations and overhangs. Because of the drop off, at any point on the island there is the chance of seeing other pelagics such as sharks, rays and tuna. Dolphins are also in the area!
Monad Shoal
Depth: 26m+ | Travel: 20 mins
Monad Shoal is an underwater island on the edge of a 200m drop off. The thresher sharks used to live here, but a few years ago, several tiger sharks moved in and took over! The shoal also attracts other pelagics such as large rays and other species of shark. Monad Shoal is perfect for Nitrox. Please note that this is a more advanced dive site and if you are Open Water please contact us for your options.
Gato Island
Gato Island is one of our most famous dive sites. TSD’s famous saying is that “You come to Malapascua for the thresher sharks, but leave with Gato in your heart”. Gato is a marine reserve and sea snake sanctuary with at least five dive sites and a huge diversity of marine life.
Gato: White-tip Alley
Depth: 24m | Travel: 40 mins
You are 95% guaranteed to find whitetip sharks sleeping under rocks, and if you are lucky you will see them circling. They grow to huge sizes – sometimes over 2 meters. Other life here includes banded boxer shrimp, nudis, seahorses and scorpion fish, spider crabs, frogfish, lionfish and whip coral shrimp, perfectly colour matched to the huge whip corals found inside the ‘Seahorse Cave’.
Gato: The Guardhouse
Depth: 24m | Travel: 40 mins
Drop down to 24m to find the extremely rare pygmy seahorse, both pink and yellow as well as spider crabs and cowries. Then work your way back along a wall where you can find lion fish and many nudibranchs, including the beautiful Spanish dancers, up to 30cm long. Painted frogfish are often in residence.
Gato: The Cave
Depth: 24m | Travel: 40 mins
Or more accurately, “The Tunnel”. Journey underneath Gato Island and come out the other side! This 30m tunnel houses all the usual cave dwellers: many types of crab big and small, lobsters and cardinal fish. You should also encounter some large puffer fish and perhaps bamboo and cat sharks.
Most exciting of all, the cave is home to white-tip sharks! You may see them hiding in a corner as you pass by inches from their face, or see their silhouette as they circle near the exit in the midst of a huge school of smaller fish. If you are careful and move slowly, they will swim straight by your face. The sight is simply breathtaking. Not for the faint of heart. For experienced divers only.
Local Dive Sites
All within 5-20 minutes of the dive shop
Lighthouse
Depth: 10m | Travel: 5 mins
The mandarinfish is possibly the most beautiful fish in the world, certainly the most psychedelic. There are few places where they can be seen, but Malapascua is one of them. And – even better – on Thresher Diver’s famous “Randy Mandy” dive you will see mating mandarinfish in their full glory!
Mandarin fish are quite rare and very skittish, but in Malapascua you have a reasonable chance of a sighting at this time of day, especially in low season when there are less divers in the water. They have a unique mating dance; the male (who is larger) dances with the females one by one and takes his time choosing. When he finally decides on his mate, they spiral up towards the surface, shimmying together above the corals, explode in a puff of gametes, and dart off separately into the corals.
A one-of-a-kind experience, not to be missed. What a photography opportunity!
Dusk is a time most people rarely dive. However, it is one of the best times to observe marine life because of the increased feeding and mating activity. As day turns into night, the creatures of the night come out. You should catch some interesting nudibranchs and a variety of cephalopods – reef squid, bobtail squid, starry night octopus, blue-ringed octopus and cuttlefish. Your DM will take you to find some seahorses and you may also see scribbled and banded pipefish, juvenile sweetlips, banded sea snakes, huge crabs and sea stars, many varieties of shrimp and the occasional frogfish.
Many of our divers have told us this is the best night dive they have ever done. Also near this site is a small World War II wreck that is a great shallow dive during the day.
Lapus Lapus
Depth: 18m | Travel: 5 mins
Lapus Lapus Island has some of the most spectacular coral growth we have ever seen. There is a huge variety of soft and hard coral, much of it in pristine condition. Other marine life includes giant frogfish, painted frogfish, smashing mantis shrimp, various sweetlips, cuttlefish and lion fish. There are many nudis, several varieties of commensal shrimp and also porcelain crabs. A great macro site and at the end of the dive you come to 8 meters onto a seemingly endless beautiful soft coral garden.
North Wall
Depth: 24m | Travel: 5 mins
This is a short wall at 24m, about 10m long by 6m high. Its nooks and crannies hide a wide variety of life including giant frogfish and nudibranchs. After investigating the wall, swim out from the wall into a sandy area which is home to a field of sea pens and many other critters, then let yourself get taken by the current on an amazing drift dive.
Chocolate Island
Depth: 16m | Travel: 20 mins
Chocolate Island is a beautiful shallow dive site and a macro photographer’s delight. The healthy soft coral is home to a large variety of life: sea snakes, snake eels, moray eels, cuttlefish (including flamboyants), seamoths (Pegasus), large crabs and juvenile batfish. Macro includes nudibranchs, flatworms, shrimp, shells and cowries. Flatworms are common and if you are lucky you will see them performing their jaw droppingly beautiful shimmery mating ritual!
Bantigi
Depth: 18m | Travel: 5 mins
This is a great muck dive – some divers have told us that Bantigi is even better than Lembeh! It starts as a shallow reef that turns into a sandy bottom at around 12m where you can find all kinds of unusual creatures. There are goby and shrimp living together in holes everywhere and the tiny rocks often house small mantis shrimp.
You will often see fire urchins, zebra crabs, dwarf lionfish, cuttlefish, seamoths, crabs, snake eels, frogfish, nudis and snowflake moray eels. One rock is home to a large carpet anemone. The anemonefish that live on it often have a patch of their orange eggs to guard and get quite aggressive if you get too close!
Occasionally we see mimic octopus and stargazers here. Ask for our DM Tata to help you to find those!
Day Trips & Expeditions
Further afield — some of the best diving in the Visayas
Nunez Shoal
Depth: 40m+ | Travel: 2 hours
A stunning wall dive, Nunez Shoal hosts a wide variety of life. As you approach the wall and drop off, look ahead into the sandy areas for groups of garden eels. As you drop over the wall, look out into the blue for pelagics such as eagle rays and sharks, and along the wall you can spot white eyed and snowflake moray eels, lionfish, scorpion fish, and rare nudibranchs galore among the giant sea fans and sponges. Visibility can be around 30m and there are big schools of small fish. Nunez Shoal is on the edge of a drop off to almost 1km, so expect the unexpected!
Kalanggaman Island
Depth: 40m+ | Travel: 90 mins
Kalanggaman Island is the picture postcard desert island, actually chosen from over 7,000 islands to grace the cover of Jens Peters – the definitive Philippines Travel Guide. The island itself is just palm trees and a pile of white sand surrounded by crystal clear water and steep walls dropping off into the blue.
Vis is usually good and fish life is plentiful. Drop down the walls which are covered in hard corals and gorgonian fans and inhabited by many varieties of fish. Look for pelagics out in the blue including sharks, rays, tuna and barracuda. You can also see many critters including nudibranchs, crabs and shrimp. You can often find the beautiful white mushroom coral pipefish, ornate ghost pipefish and candy crabs as well as the very special Denise Pygmy seahorse.
Dolphins are often seen on the way there or back. Often we will stop on the island for a beach barbecue during our surface interval and overnight stays can also be arranged.
Sambawan
Depth: 30m | Travel: 3 hours
This is a very special trip to an isolated area that is rarely dived. Expect stunning reefs with a lot of fish life. Including blacktip reef sharks, beaked coralfish, Bartlett’s dragonets, Denise pygmy seahorse, barracuda, tiger mantis shrimp, nudi galore and much more! We usually run this as a 3 dive day trip, including breakfast and lunch, with a possible stop at dive sites on the way.
Capitancillo
Depth: 30m+ | Travel: 2 hours
A picturesque and pristine Coral Island that derives its name from a notable American Navy Captain Cillo, who during the second world war, beached his vessel on the Islet. This is a stunning wall dive of soft corals, sea fans and a plethora of colourful macro-life.
More Around Malapascua
Shore Diving
Depth: 5m | Travel: 0 mins (walk in!)
Shore diving is limited but possible. It is very shallow off the main beach, and you will have to swim out for 200m to get even 3m. However, there are some good things to see. The first 100m is mostly sea grass, but it hides beautiful starfish, puffers, pipefish, nudibranchs, small octopus, and is the schooling ground for many juveniles.
The sea grass turns into hard coral, home to schools of cardinalfish, damselfish and sergeant majors. Look carefully and you can find lionfish, moray eels and incredibly well camouflaged and very weird looking sea hares. Occasionally seen are blue-ringed octopus and eagle rays. You must do this dive with a float or SMB above you at all times as it is so shallow.
Malapascua’s Wrecks
From beginner to technical diver, Malapascua has a wreck for you! If you’ve heard that Coron is the only place in the Philippines with good wreck diving, think again!
Lighthouse Wreck
Depth: 5m | Travel: 5 mins
The wreck at Lighthouse was a Japanese World War II landing craft. It was bombed just before landing with a large shipment of cement destined for a gun emplacement. The wreck is in very shallow water – 3m average – and is broken up with the hull in two pieces. The nearby rocks that you will see are actually bags of cement and you can still see the weave imprints on some of them!
Marine life around the wreck include yellow-tailed barracuda, hermit crabs, octopus, pipefish, juvenile harlequin sweetlips, and banded sea snakes. This is a great boat for wreck diving newbies and you may even dive on it during PADI Open Water course dives. It is also perfect for practicing reel use and running a line in preparation for wreck penetration into the Dona Marilyn Wreck on the PADI Wreck Diver Specialty Course.
Nearby is Lighthouse (see above) – easily reached from the wreck to see abundant mandarinfish and seahorses.
Dona Marilyn Wreck
Depth: 18-32m | Travel: 90 mins
The Dona Marilyn was a Cebu-Manila passenger ferry that sank in a typhoon over 20 years ago. It was a huge disaster and many people lost their lives. The wreck is around 100m long, and now lying on its starboard side, amazingly still all in one piece. Long lost fishing nets encrusted in coral are draped all over it, giving it quite a spooky feel!
Marble rays, blue-spotted rays and whitetip sharks live under the bow and eagle rays and devil rays sometimes pass through. The wreck is covered in a healthy growth of soft coral, and the resident fish grow to a large size. Several varieties of sweetlips grow bigger here than at any of our other dive sites. Large cuttlefish and scorpionfish are common as well as nudibranchs and flatworms. A giant moray eel is living in the wreck. Penetration is possible for qualified divers. There is lots to see inside as it has remained unsalvaged.
We dive here on a minimum 2 day dive safari.
Tapilon Wreck
Depth: 22-28m | Travel: 30 mins
The Tapilon Wreck is an unidentified World War II Japanese cargo carrier, named for the nearby town on the mainland. The boat was hit by torpedoes and although it lies in several sections, it is still recognizable as a vessel. There is an abundance of life on this wreck and it is covered in beautiful black coral, some bushes containing hundreds of almost invisible shrimp jumping around.
There are also many species of flatworms and nudibranchs, as well as moray eels, cuttlefish, squid, and scorpion fish. Huge marble rays are sometimes seen; also the fire sea urchin and its accompanying zebra crabs, squat lobsters and Coleman’s shrimp. Sometimes we have several ornate ghost pipefish and frogfish in residence and if you are lucky you will see a flamboyant cuttlefish.
A recent attempt to salvage the wreck uncovered bullets and bones so this is not a dive for the faint-hearted!
Pioneer Wreck (Tec Diving)
Depth: 42-54m | Travel: 10 mins
The “Pioneer” Wreck is still unidentified but thought to be either the Japanese WWII Oakita Maru or Mogami Maru. It is about 60m long, in the upright position and still mostly in one piece. There is a torpedo hit on the stern but the prop is still remaining.
The wreck has more fish than anywhere else on Malapascua due to its depth, as well as sharks, rays, barracuda and groupers. Only diveable when the tides are right, so you should arrange this well in advance. Find out more about technical diving at TSD Tec.
We have other secret sites that we dive occasionally and we try to go out looking for new sites regularly, so come and dive with us to find out more!
Our Dive Schedule
Our dive schedule is not fixed, but below is a typical example.
6am – Thresher Shark Dive
Our first dive of the day is at 6am and it is well worth getting up for. We provide plenty of coffee and tea, and you will get to see an amazing sunrise. On the dive you should get to see the rare sight of thresher sharks! This is usually a 2 or 3-dive trip. You may also get to see tiger sharks, bull sharks and the very occasional hammerhead!
We often have a 3-dive trip with the sharks followed by Gato, and you are back early-mid afternoon, giving you extra time for more diving or enjoying the island.
Day Dives
During the day we have single dives at around 9am and 2pm (+/-), or 2-3 tank day trips, depending on the dive site. See our list of dive sites above for more information.
5pm – Famous Randy Mandy Dive with MANDARIN FISH!
In the late afternoon we dive Lighthouse, where the rare and psychedelic mandarinfish will be getting frisky. Do not miss the exotic mating dance of the male and his adoring females. Many of our divers have told us this is the best night dive they have ever done.
6pm – Night Dive
We also regularly run full night dives to other sites around Malapascua. The sites are very different in the dark, so it is a great idea to do a few of these both by day and by night!
