If you are contemplating your first trip to Malapascua its probably because you want a personal encounter with a famous Thresher Shark. Well that’s no problem, but please don’t forget that apart from near daily sightings of these mesmerising sharks we have so, so much more.
Like all diving we need to be mindful of currents, tides and weather but if you stay one week with us you can expect to sample all of the amazing dive sites on offer to you.
Contact us for our current prices. We offer a sliding scale, so in simple terms, the more you get wet, the cheaper it becomes.
Contact us for ratesWe do daily trips to see the Thresher Sharks on Monad Shoal – it’s a dawn dive and it is the most popular excursion for visitors here. We also do day dives here to see the Manta Rays who swoop in for a good clean. For our tech customers we do day dives here between 30m and 100m where we encounter the Threshers by ourselves over the side of the plateau.
A sanctuary and protected breeding location for the beautiful Sea Krait (sea snake). We’re almost guaranteed to see the resident White Tip Reef Sharks. This island is alive with nudibranchs, Harlequin Ghost Pipefish, Pygmy Sea horses and an endless amount of other macro surprises. Gato is always tough for photographers – macro or wide angle? We recommend diving Gato at least twice – one with each set up!
Our very own house reef is one of the best muck dives in the country. Just 3 minutes from our beach front is an incredible array of macro delights. Here we repeatedly see pairs of Crinoid Squat Lobsters and Imperial Shrimps. At dusk dozens of Bobtail Squid appear. Coconut Vein Octopi are regulars and we find seahorses on every dive. Snake Eels poke their head from the sand and Stargazers make occasional appearances too. Robust Ghostpipefish and an array of Mantis Shrimp species are also part of the Evolution House Reef experience. And that’s just for starters.
This Philippine ferry capsized over 15 years ago and is now a living, breathing wreck. It takes time to explore all the features and remember those who were lost. It is the perfect location for the PADI Wreck Specialty.
For our tech customers this is an excellent penetration dive with lots of multilevel deep passages to explore. Not qualified to do safe wreck penetrations? Well sign up for our TDI Advanced Wreck Course and give yourself the ultimate diving challenge.
Another northern site, this is everyone’s favourite night dive. As a photographer David insists this is the best place to try and capture spawning Mandarin fish in Asia. Our males are big and brazen here and are not put off their mating quest by joyous divers. Lots of nocturnal critters appear after sunset and we love the minute Bobtail Squid that only an expert can find.
For our tech customers only, this WWII Japanese Wreck lies in just over 50m. It stands upright and is a perfect decompression dive. Ammunition is still scattered inside the hull – again real history on display.
One of the most popular local sites with a wide selection of macro critters from frogfish to nudibranchs and everything in between. Search for the critters nestling amongst the gardens of soft corals waving in the breeze, or stick your head in to the small cave to look for cleaner shrimp hiding behind the school of glass fish.
David’s favorite site is a small pinnacle with the deepest point at around 30m, and the shallowest at 15m on the top. So a slightly more advanced dive which can sometimes have currents, and a great one for nitrox divers.
Look out for the large school of batfish which is resident, and if you don’t see them you might be lucky enough to see the common school of squid which cruises in the current around this area.
A fantastic dive for Open Water classes, or photographers who want to shelter from any currents. Spend you time admiring the long whip corals and seeing if they are home to a tiny Goby, or look under some coral heads to see if the common juvenile box fish is fluttering around there.
One of the closest sites other than the Evolution house reef, Ka Osting is a regular favorite for those who like to stay shallow and combine some muck diving with some colorful corals towards the end of the dive. As you would expect in the Philippines you can expect to find some crazy critters like bobtail squid, decorator crabs and more in this area, and this is also one of Malapascua’s finest night dives for critter hunting.
The small islets of Dakit Dakit are one of the first things you see when you approach Malapascua, however most divers don’t realize the surprise that await them so close by. Dakit Dakit is an exciting collection of boulders in 8-15m and can have strong currents, so although it’s shallow can make an exciting dive for all levels. Look out for butterfly fish schooling and feeding and the famous yet elusive orangutan crab.
This is Monad’s Shoal’s little brother. Here we can have day time encounters with Threshers away from other divers. For our Tech customers we also do dives between 30m and 100m where we have personalised encounters with Thresher Sharks. And schooling Hammerheads. Yes Hammerheads – so no boring deco stops here.
Visiting Kalanggaman Island is one of the most popular trips we offer for divers and non-divers alike. This postcard-perfect island has a spectacular sandbar, azure waters and fantastic drops offs. A variety of reef fish patrol the walls along with turtles and from time to time a curious Thresher Shark Enjoy lunch on the island in between dives. Be sure to bring a camera.
As you travel to Malapascua on the boat from Maya, you pass the small, uninhabited Chocolate Island. Home to exquisite soft corals, small, rocky walls and hard coral encrusted boulders, Chocolate Island offers up endless surprises as a fantastic dive either day or night. From blue ringed octopus, cuttlefish and other cephalopods, to mantis shrimp, crustaceans and nudibranchs galore and of course frogfish. Shallow topography in the 5-12m range means plenty of time to explore, making Chocolate Island a firm favourite with photographers.
Contact us directly for current prices and promos.
Or book now if you are ready to take the plunge!
