Malapascua
Island
Cebu, The Philippines
Malapascua Island is just off the north tip of Cebu (Philippines map).
About 2km by 0.5km, you can walk around it in 1-2 hours. It has a population
of around 4000, most of whom live off tourism, fishing, boat building
or coconuts.
The name Malapascua means 'Bad Christmas' in Cebuano. Legend has it that it was so named because the
Spanish first landed here one stormy Christmas Day in the 1500's.
There is some debate about the name however because although 'mal' definitely means 'bad', 'pasco' means Christmas in the local language of Cebuano but "pascua" in Spanish means Easter. So perhaps it was a stormy Easter after all.
Today, Malapascua is a beautiful, sleepy island, as yet unspoiled by tourism
with white sandy beaches, lush green palm trees and surrounded by clear
blue waters.
There are no cars on the island and most buildings are only one floor
high. The locals are friendly and like to say hello and chat. They may
even invite you to their homes for dinner, or at least to sit down, join
them singing songs and playing guitar, and toast each other with a rum
and coke.
Bounty Beach and Thresher Shark Divers is located on the south of the island, on the bottom side of the map above.
Local events
Fiestas: There are many
fiestas throughout the year with beauty pageants, discos, booths, food
and drink. Westerners are always welcome.
Basketball is the national
obsession and games are played at courts all over the island. You may
even be here at the right time to cheer on the Thresher Shark Divers team.
Cockfighting comes second
after basketball, and you will see the proud birds (and prouder owners)
all over the island. For the less squeamish among you, you can find a
fight most Sundays. You will be welcome to watch, especially if you want
to place a bet!
Malapascua is suitable for families, with a swimming
pool at Kuan Ba as well as the beautiful beaches.
If this is not enough to completely relax you, the massage ladies will soothe away any remaining stress, with a coconut oil massage
for less than the price of a Western beer.
As for sightseeing, the
island is so small, the main attractions are the beaches,
the snorkeling and the diving.
Many people enjoy walking around the island to see the local villages, and the local children will clamor for you to take their photos. There is a lighthouse open to the public, and the cemetery is worth a
visit. It has a certain interest, despite the skulls and bones that can sometimes
be seen!
Find out more about recreational activities on Malapascua
Resorts
We use several resorts on the island, each with different facilities
and its own charm. Find out more about Malapascua's
resorts.
Dining
Malapascua has some excellent restaurants. Many are Western owned and
run and they have set a high standard for the island. The food is of excellent
quality, and is generally a mix of Filipino and European dishes. German,
English and Italian cuisines rank high in the ratings. There are also
some excellent curries and even Mexican food! And if you are a meat or
fish lover, the Philippines is really the place for you.
"Oscar's" is the island's newest restaurant and our favorite. It is a new concept in dining on Malapascua with an ever-changing menu serving a mix of international dishes made from the freshest ingredients.
Bars
 Malapascua has several different bars and you are sure to find
one you like. Our favorite is the Pub Upstairs, an open air bar, right above Thresher Shark Divers in the palm trees with a view over the sea. With a wide selection of imported liquor as well as several imported beers and an extensive cocktail list, you are sure to find a tipple to suit you. It is a popular choice for divers' decompression time, comparing how many sharks they saw that morning. Happy Hour runs from 4-7pm. Come around 7pm to see our newly certified divers get their free Shark Bite shot.
The Weather in Malapascua
We are very fortunate with the weather on Malapascua. The Philippines
in general has two seasons: "rainy season" (July-November) and
"dry season" (December to June). Luckily, this doesn't mean
that it always rains in rainy season - in fact we can go for months in
rainy season with very little rain. As Malapascua is away from the mountains,
we experience much less rainfall that Cebu City. We are rarely affected
by typhoons, which tend to pass near to Luzon in the north of the Philippines.
Diving and the weather: We lose very few days
diving out of every year. There is almost always a protected area on the
island that we can dive. It is very difficult for us to say how the weather
will be at a certain time of year and of course the weather is hard to
predict far in advance. The few storms we have are spread out fairly evenly
through the year with a few more in November and December. This can change
from year to year.
So when should you come?
This very much depends on the kind of holiday you want and the marine
life you want to see. Our personal favorite time to dive here is September.
Mantas are usually at their peak, and there are usually many thresher
sharks. The weather is generally sunny but not too hot, and there are not many tourists.
This means fewer divers in the water, fewer people on the beach, and faster
service in the restaurants.
A few points to think about when making your decision:
- High season (December to April) means less chance of rain, but also
more people and with some things higher prices. Hottest time is from March - May. If
you want to meet lots of people and have a livelier social life this
is the best time.
- We get mild typhoons year round, but more so in low season (Jul-Dec).
However, they do not usually hit us hard and we can almost always dive.
It is hard to predict year to year. It can go 1-2 months with barely
a day of rain.
- Water temperature varies from 27-30 degrees for most of the year.
From December - February it is 24-26 degrees.
- Thresher Sharks and mantas used to be more seasonal but are now seen consistently year round. Hammerheads are seen December-March. However
these are only tendencies and can change from year to year. Contact
us to find out the latest information.
- Your chance of seeing sharks is not as good during major holidays as there are always many divers around. These holidays include Christmas, New Year, Chinese New Year, Easter and May 1. It is best if you can avoid these times if possible.
Find out
Contact us if you have any further questions
about coming to Malapascua and the Philippines.
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