Malapascua

Philippines

A small island off the northern tip of Cebu in the Visayan Sea, a dive destination since the early 1990s and internationally known as one of the few places where thresher sharks can be observed regularly.

Malapascua lies about 6.8 km across a shallow strait from the northern tip of Cebu Island, part of Daanbantayan municipality, and measures only about 2.5 by 1 kilometre. The island became a diving destination from the early 1990s onward, with local coral gardens and walls complemented by boat-accessible sites such as Gato Island and the offshore seamount Monad Shoal. Monad Shoal, about 7.8 km from the island, acts as a natural cleaning station where thresher sharks and other pelagic fish such as devil rays and eagle rays can be seen, with manta rays and hammerheads appearing seasonally.

Facts

Region type
Island Group
Coordinates
11.3347, 124.1161

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