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.