Dive with Thresher Sharks off Malapascua Island, Philippines

Have you ever wanted to dive with sharks?  And have a near guarantee that you will see sharks when you dive?  Malapascua Island off the northern tip of Cebu Island in the Philippines is a must visit. And as a bonus, Gato Island is one of the best kept diving secrets – a must see. Below I outline my recommendations of what to see and how to get to Malapascua Island.

MALAPASCUA ISLAND: WORLD CLASS DIVING

I only recommend this island if you are a diver.  The island is certainly pretty, but there are many other destinations in the Philippines that are just as beautiful as Malapascua Island and much easier to get to.  If you are a diver (or a shark enthusiast or diver wannabe), keep reading!

DIVE WITH THRESHER SHARKS

Malapascua Island is one of the few, if not the only place in the world where you can (consistently) dive with unique thresher sharks. Many dive shops exist on the island, however Evolution Diving is the top, five-star PADI dive shop.  With prices slightly higher at Evolution, the experience is certainly what you pay for – world class!

Be ready for an early rise to be on the boat around 4:30am in the morning.  You hit the water around 5:00am at sunrise which is when the thresher sharks come up from 200 meters below to pass through the cleaning stations, which are coral areas that contain small fish that clean the shark’s skin as they swim through.  The sharks basically are getting a massage. They have distinguishable, long tails and huge eyes since they live at very deep depths where sunlight does not reach.

We dropped below the surface and immediately spotted the huge creatures swimming about 20 meters in front of us.  We swam to the “viewing area” near the main cleaning station and hovered for 10 minutes watching the majestic creatures swim in front of us.  It never really hit me that I was swimming with sharks while I was underwater, but when I got back on the dive boat, I thought to myself “holy crap, I just dove with 15-20 sharks”.  Amazing!

GATO ISLAND: ONE OF THE BEST KEPT SECRET DIVING SPOTS

I would say Gato Island is probably one of the best kept secrets among diving spots.  Not all diving companies dive the island and of those that do, they don’t dive the island every day. The island is about an hour and half boat ride from Malapascua Island.  There are no beaches on this tiny island.  But the island is a large limestone rock, similar to those in El Nido and Coron, that pops out of the water.  The island has a 25 meter tunnel that runs underneath the entire island where white-tip sharks sometimes rest during the day.

On the first dive we swam through the tunnel, through a smaller tunnel, and then around part of the island to see the stunning underwater landscapes swimming among the large boulders up next to the island.  On the second dive we found a small cave with a white-tip shark resting that eventually swam out the main opening when we shined our lights in a smaller opening.  We also saw many different types of seahorse and nudibranchs.  Overall it is a great dive and probably one of my all time favorites.

Take a look at this video of my experience diving Gato Island:

GETTING TO MALAPASCUA

Getting to Malapascua Island is not easy.  The closest airport is located in Cebu City.  From Cebu City, you must either catch a five hour coach bus, which is the cheapest option, or hire a private car taking three hours. The drive will take you north to Maya village, the northernmost tip of Cebu Island. From Maya, you must catch a 45 minute water taxi/ferry to Malapascua.

There are no paved streets in Malapascua.  All “streets” are dirt/sand pathways that crisscross the island with many houses/properties around the pathways.  Just ask a local when you arrive and they can help you find your hotel. The island is very small so everyone will know where you need to go.

If you have any desire to visit Malapascua and have any questions, shoot me a note at cory@thereiscory.com or leave me a comment below.  Also feel free to visit ThereIsCory on Facebook to see what others have said about my tips on Malapascua.