Thresher Shark Study

Little is known about thresher sharks, and the sea mound of Monad Shoal near Malapascua is the only place in the world where they can be easily seen on a daily basis with such easy access. Find out more about our thresher sharks.

In the summer or 2005, Thresher Shark Divers played host to a Master's thesis study on the thresher sharks, the first of its kind in the world. The researcher hoped among other things to ensure the survival of the sharks in a world with ever declining shark populations. The sharks come to Monad Shoal every morning to be cleaned by wrasse. This study's topic was investigating the relationship between the sharks and the wrasse in an effort to better understand how to preserve these magnificent creatures.

Since then, other studies have been done, including one in Southern California showing that threshers do in fact use their tails to stun fish while hunting, and one in Florida looking at the way that threshers navigate.

At Thresher Shark Divers we have monitored and recorded the number and type of shark sightings on a daily basis since 2005. At the time of the study, the number of sightings had been declining, but they are since appearing in greater numbers and sightings are the best in over 4 years. We think this may have something to do with the voluntary diving protocols spearheaded by TSD and put in place by the Malapascua Dive Shop Association on Monad Shoal in April 2008 to ensure that divers behave in an appropriate non-invasive manner.