Malapascua Island

Malapascua is about two and a half kilometres long, sits off the northern tip of Cebu, and would be a quiet beach island were it not for Monad Shoal. The shoal is a sunken seamount a short boat ride away whose plateau sits at around twenty-five metres, and thresher sharks come up to it at first light to be cleaned by wrasse. Divers are in the water before sunrise, kneeling behind a rope line on the plateau, waiting. The sharks have long tails they use like whips and are otherwise unbothered. Away from the diving the island has Bounty Beach on the south side, a lighthouse walk, and boats out to Kalanggaman's sandbar.

What you actually see

• Monad Shoal at dawn - the pre-sunrise dive on the seamount plateau where thresher sharks are cleaned.
• Bounty Beach - the pale south-facing beach where most of the accommodation and boats are.
• Gato Island - a day-trip dive site with a tunnel through the rock and sea snakes.
• Kalanggaman Island - the long sandbar island reached by boat on calm days.

When to go

November to May is the dry season with the calmest crossings from Maya and the best visibility. The thresher dive runs year-round, boats leaving around four in the morning. Rough seas from June to October cancel crossings and shoal dives alike. Book the dive and the accommodation together, since dive shops control the early boats.

Honest expectations

The thresher dive is deep, dark, cold and current-swept, and shops require advanced certification and a check dive; it is not a beginner's morning. Sightings are common but not guaranteed and you may see a shark for thirty seconds at distance. The journey from Cebu City takes most of a day. The island still shows storm damage in places and power and water can be intermittent.

Nearby

Kalanggaman Island lies east, and Bantayan Island is on the other side of northern Cebu.