Malapascua: A Diver’s Dream

close encounters

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pinasugbo

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Cacing (pronounced Chaching)

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pista

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jellybeans

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Pintaflores

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morning glory

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dance of the dolphins

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sandbar, unexposed

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gangha-an

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The sight of Malapascua will excite any beachcomber's heart. The small island, located eight kilometers off the north of Cebu, has blinding white sand, sparkling blue waters, and coconut tree-fringed shores. However, the beach is only secondary to its main attraction: the thresher shark. Divers from all corners of the world fly thousands of kilometers with the sole desire to see this underwater predator. Malapascua is one of the two places in the world where thresher sharks can be seen regularly (the other one is the Bahamas). All three thresher shark species are considered vulnerable to extinction by the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Getting to Malapascua from Manila means traveling by air, land, and water. Prepare cash before leaving the mainland, because the island has no banks, ATMs, and moneychangers. The first “installment” will take an hour to Cebu by plane, a quick taxi ride to the city’s North Bus Terminal, followed by a three- to four-hour ride to Maya by bus (PhP160-190 or USD3.72-4.41). Boats (bancas) ply from Maya to Malapascua everyday, starting at 6:30AM until about 4:30PM. The trip costs about PhP80-100 (USD1.86-2.33) and takes 30-45 minutes, depending on how big the waves are. The boats only leave when they’re full, so another option is to arrange for a private boat ride for about PhP1200 (USD27.9). The bancas do not provide a lot of protection from the sea, so it’s best to wrap your valuables in waterproof cases and cover yourself with a water-resistant jacket if you don’t want to get splashed.

There are no cars in the island, which is not a problem because Malapascua is only about two kilometers by 0.50 kilometers. Touring the entire island by foot will take only one to three hours. Peak season is from December to May, so it would be best that you book accommodations ahead if you’re going during those months.

Dive. Eat. Sleep. Rinse. Repeat.

During both trips to Malapascua, I stayed in Slam's Garden Diving Beach Resort because of its proximity to DiveLinkCebu. At Slam’s, a simple, air-conditioned room for two starts at PhP2,600 (USD 60.45). I particularly like DiveLinkCebu because of its chill vibe and passionate dive guides. A dive at DiveLinkCebu begins at PhP1,400 (USD32.56) with an additional PhP600 (USD13.95) for gear rental. It’s common to see dive guides drinking and laughing with their clients after a long day underwater in a bar that looks like a ship, aptly named Bar.Ko. In Spanish, “barko” means “ship,” but in the local language, it means “my bar.”

Two other well-established dive operators are Thresher Shark Divers (TSD) and Evolution Diving. TSD offers daily thresher shark dives, macro and muck diving; PADI courses from beginner to instructor levels; and diving internships. They have been given PADI Certificates of Excellence and the Project AWARE Marine Environmental Award for their shark conservation efforts.

Evolution Diving is run two foreigners, Matt and David. Though they come from England and Ireland respectively, their compassion for the thresher sharks and the community are almost palpable. Evolution has all PADI and SDI Recreational Courses and all TDI Technical Courses. Evolution also offers onsite accommodations and the Craic House, where one can unwind with cold beer after several dives.

My favorite dining establishment in Malapascua is Angelina, an Italian restaurant owned by, well, an Italian named Angelina. I first ate in Angelina with my family back in May 2010. When we reminisce about our Malapascua getaway, we always talk about the calzone and the thin crust pizza from Angelina. The day before I left for my second trip to the island, my mom even remarked, "You're going to eat in that Italian restaurant without us!" During my most recent stay, my friend and I stuffed ourselves with Italian food every night. Behind is a hotel run by another lovely Italian couple called Teppanee. Teppanee has a number of cottages in a large, hilly complex. Rates start at about PhP3,000 (USD69.77) per night.

Starring: the pelagic thresher shark

In Malapascua, the thresher shark can be seen on an almost daily basis because of their interaction with “cleaner” wrasses. It is famous for its long, graceful tail, almost half of its body. The significance of the thresher sharks to the island is ubiquitous; the shark’s distinct shape is in the logo of most dive operators and resorts.

Divers need to get up earlier than the sun to catch a glimpse of the thresher shark. The cleaning station cum dive site is called Monad Shoal, a short boat trip from the island. On my first trip, my family and I saw one thresher shark, a pair of manta rays, and about seven devil rays. This is considered a jackpot in the diving lottery. During my second trip, we were with divers from Czech Republic and Denmark. We saw one thresher shark. Towards the end of the dive, two devil rays decided to pop in as well.

A feast for the diver’s eyes

DiveLinkCebu took us to another famous dive site called Gato, one hour away from Malapascua. I hope I don’t hurt the thresher shark’s feelings by saying this, but given the opportunity to dive in Malapascua again, I’d spend more time in Gato than Monad. I felt like I was thrown into the set of Avatar, with a 20- to 25-meter cave to explore, a meadow of soft corals, a breeding ground for sea snakes, and towering reefs where white tip sharks sleep underneath during the day. We spotted about three white tip sharks in slumber and one actively swimming in circles. We also found a pygmy seahorse! Finding a pygmy seahorse always calls for a celebration because it is difficult to locate. It blends in with the color of the fan coral it lives in, and is about the size of a pinky fingernail.

Underwater macro photographers will also fall in love with other sites in Malapascua. Other species to see and be seen are the frogfish, scorpionfish, shrimps, cuttlefish, and nudibranchs. One of the wreck diving spots is the Japanese World War II landing craft located near the island’s Lighthouse. The vessel, loaded with cement for gun emplacement, was bombed just before landing. The site Lighthouse West is home to mandarinfish, first discovered in the Philippines in 1927. The name Mandarinfish comes from its vibrant colors, like the robes of the Imperial Chinese mandarin. It’s one of the two animal species with blue coloring coming from pigment-containing and light-reflecting cells.

MaLOVEpascua

What struck me most about this tiny island was community’s genuine care for the environment. The people of Malapascua are well aware that sharks are better off in the sea than soup. Locals and foreigners-turned-locals alike radiate with pride when they speak about their diving paradise. The children call the thresher shark “the friendly shark.” “You’re not scared of it?” I teased a young girl. “It’s only the shark in Jaws that bites,” she replied knowingly. “We need to take care of the sea because the sea takes care of us,” said a dive guide. He added, “Diving here is like our version of gold.”

• Anonymous June 24, 2011

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