Malapascua Island Diving
Some of the best diving in Cebu & The Philippines

Thresher Shark Divers

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Thresher Shark Divers offers

Contact Us

Email: dive@thresherdivers.com

Phone: +63 (0)927-612-3359

Getting To Malapascua

The closest airport to Malapascua is Cebu International in Mactan/Cebu City.

Airport Pickup and Transfer from Cebu to Thresher Shark Divers

We will meet you at the airport or your hotel in Cebu City and bring you to Malapascua by private taxi and private boat. Cost round trip is P6,500, 1-2 divers, P9,000 up to 5 divers.

Make your own way

Cebu to Maya on the north tip of Cebu by taxi (2500-3500 pesos, 2.5 hours).
Maya to Malapascua by boat. (800-1500) pesos before 4pm, 1000+ after 4pm, private boat, 30 minutes)
Ask them to bring you to Thresher Shark Divers.

Budget traveler

Bus: Cebu to Maya by bus from the Northern Bus Terminal in Cebu (100 pesos, 4-5 hours).
Public Boat: Maya to Malapascua by public boat (40 pesos, 30 minutes).
You may have to wait until the boat is full before it departs. Try to be in Maya before 3pm or you may have to arrange a private boat (see above). When you arrive at the beach, you will probably land near Cocobana. Turn right up the beach and we are 100m up the beach. Even if you are not diving or staying with us, feel free to leave your bags with us while you find a room.

What you should know before coming

Budgeting and Money

The currency of the Philippines is the peso. Currently the rate is around 40 pesos to the US dollar, 90 pesos to the pound and 60 pesos to the Euro. The rate of exchange in Malapascua is poor, so it is best to get pesos in Cebu. You can do this with money changers or with an ATM bank card (Cirrus, Maestro, Mastercard or Visa).

Travelers' checks are difficult to change in the Philippines.

Living costs are very inexpensive on Malapascua. Accommodation ranges from $7 to $120 a day depending on the time of year and accommodation style. Food on Malapascua is fantastic and inexpensive. You will probably spend $4-$10+ a day for food. Beer costs a dollar.

We will accept payment in most major currencies (pesos or dollars preferred). We can do internet bank transfer. We also accept travelers checks and credit cards (transaction charges apply).

Visas

A free 21 day tourist visa is standard on arrival in the Philippines for most nationalities. It is possible to get a 2 month visa at a Philippine embassy abroad before coming, or to extend your stay to two months in Cebu, Manila, or Tagbilaran. After 2 months you are able to extend your visa for two more months up to a year.

Health / Medical

There are not many health related problems on Malapascua among tourists. There is no Malaria. Bottled drinking water is available everywhere on the island and we provide free refills for our customers to cut down on the environmental impact of plastic bottles.

Basic medications, including antibiotics, are usually available on the island although it is always a good idea to carry a basic first aid kit. There are generally no problems with the food on the island.

The nearest recompression chamber is in Cebu and the nearest hospitals are in Dan Bantayan, which is nearby on the mainland.

If you are thinking of taking a PADI diving course and have any pre-existing medical conditions, please click here.

Prices

Package options are available. We can arrange dive packages to suit you and can also personalized your package to include any of the following: accommodation, food, transportation, and even trips to other dive destinations in the Philippines. Find out more.

Marine Park Fee: The government charges a marine park fee to all divers in Malapascua of P100 ($2) per person per day

Most Visited Dive Sites

Monad Shoal/Shark Point    26m+

See thresher sharks almost every day. We often see mantas and devil rays.

Gato    24m

Gato Island houses at least five dive sites with a huge diversity of marine life. We regularly see whitetip sharks, banded sea snakes, cuttlefish (often while mating), seahorses, nudibranchs, moray eels, scorpion fish, squid, big-mouthed mackerel, frogfish, pipefish, banded boxer shrimp, hermit crabs, mantis shrimp, and pygmy seahorses. There is also a cave that goes underneath the island.

Lighthouse   10m

See rare mandarin fish and seahorses. There is also a small WWII wreck.

Lapus Lapus   18m

Superb soft and hard coral, in pristine condition. Other marine life includes frogfish, various sweetlips, cuttlefish and dwarf lionfish.

Bantigi  18m

An amazing muck dive. Pipefish (including stick and robust ghost pipefish), nudibranchs, demon stingers, shrimps and crabs, seamoths, upside-down jellys, snake eels and Alvin of unusual critters.

Nunez Shoal    40m

A stunning wall dive: pelagics such as eagle rays and sharks, white-eyed and snowflake moray eels, lionfish, scorpionfish, and nudibranchs among the giant sea fans and sponges. Nunez shoal is on the edge of a drop off to nearly 1km. Visibility is usually 25-30m.

Calanggaman Island    40m

Calanggaman Island is the picture postcard desert island. Palm trees and a pile of white sand surrounded by crystal clear water and steep walls dropping off into the blue. The walls are covered in hard corals and gorgonian fans and are inhabited by many species of fish. You can also see many critters including nudibranchs, crabs and shrimp. A large pod of dolphins lives nearby.

Dona Marilyn Wreck    18m-32m

At nearly 100m long, the Dona Marilyn is a passenger ferry lying on its starboard side, still all in one piece. Covered in a healthy growth of soft coral, it is home to many larger fish. Marble rays, blue-spotted rays and whitetip sharks live under the bow and eagle rays and devil rays sometimes pass through. A giant moray eel has its home among the metal. Several varieties of sweetlips grow bigger here than at any of our other dive sites and the juveniles are often seen. Smaller things such as nudibranchs, flatworms and fire sea urchins are around. Penetration is possible for qualified divers. There is lots to see inside as it has remained unsalvaged.

Tapilon Wreck    22m-28m

A World War II Japanese cargo carrier now lying in several sections. There is a huge abundance of life on this wreck: it is covered in beautiful soft coral. Marine life: a ball of thousands of small barracuda, flat worms & nudibranchs, moray eels, cuttlefish &squid, and scorpion fish. Huge marble rays are sometimes seen, as well as the beautiful fire sea urchin and its accompanying zebra crab and Coleman's shrimp.

We have many other dive sites. Click here for more information.

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