Kimod Shoal
Unlike Monad, Kemod Shoal, as it is sometimes spelled, is quite shallow with the plateau being at 12 to 14 m depth. This of course means longer bottom times and there is also more life to observe when you are not busy gazing in wonder as thresher sharks swim slowly around as if entranced by the spa treatment they are receiving from the cleaner fish. Kimud Shoal is a sunken island located in the same trench at Malapascua as Monad Shoal. The island rises from a depth of over 200m to a flattish top and, in addition to threshers, can sometimes be visited by turtles, tuna, dolphins, devil rays and manta rays. Among the sponges and hard and soft corals in the shallower sections you can look out for frogfish and moray eels, plus a vast array of nudibranchs and shrimp species.
However, the undoubted stars of the show are the thresher sharks which makes Kimud Shoal the thresher shark dive site, not just in Malapascua, but in the whole world. These shy sharks normally inhabit deeper waters but they visit Kimud Shoal to benefit from the cleaning station here. The spa treatment they seek is the removal by cleaner wrasse of little parasites and imperfections from their skin, mouth and gills. Regularly, the cleaning stations are enjoyed by more than one of these big species simultaneously, and threshers are sometimes seen breaching the surface. However, such scenes are witnessed only by the lucky few. Threshers are easily distinguishable from other sharks with a distinctive body, eye location, and tail.
Normally, but not always, this is a morning dive. The shallow water and good lighting make it great for both regular divers and photographers alike. The sharks swim very close to divers, turning away when necessary, especially if there is a stream of bubbles. Sometimes, due to the cleaner fish touching a sensitive spot, they twitch and swim off at speed.
Due to its shallow depth, Kemod Shoal is also home to another rare diver-favorite - mandarinfish. Their electric blue and orange colors and unique behavior make them one of the most photographed and sought-after in the Philippines, so Kemod is also a popular spot to visit for a dusk dive at Malapascua. Just before sunset, male mandarinfish perform a colorful courtship dance to attract females. Once a pair connects, they spiral upward together in a quick mating burst before darting back to the reef. Besides the mandarinfish, divers could also spot pygmy seahorses (often on nearby sea fans), ornate ghost pipefish, harlequin shrimp, nudibranchs, and skeleton shrimp.
Monad Shoal
Monad Shoal is no longer the place to dive with thresher sharks in Malapascua. It was in the past, but the threshers were said to have given up this territory due to the presence of hammerheads particularly during the January to April period. Now Kimud Shoal is the place to go for more reliable thresher shark encounters. You are unlikely to visit Monad Shoal as part of a liveaboard itinerary, but it is still a site dived by nearby land-based operators. The sightings of hammerheads are not as regular here as threshers are at Kimud Shoal however, other creatures to look out for include mobula rays and manta rays.
Dona Marilyn Wreck
This 100m long wreck lies intact at a depth of between 18 and 33m on its starboard side. A Cebu-Manila passenger ferry, it sank at Malapascua during a typhoon in 1988 with considerable loss of life. Depending on your experience level, you can dive the outside only, or penetrate at various points and inspect the many navigable channels. Marine life you can expect to see includes a number of large individuals like big sweetlips, cuttlefish and a giant moray! There is a lot of soft coral growth on the structure plus many fire urchins. Nudibranchs and scorpionfish are also present. There are also a number of batfish and thousands of glassfish lurking in the more sheltered recesses.
Lighthouse
This is a site that showcases the diversity of scuba diving in Malapascua. While scuba divers might spend the morning and early afternoon in the company of thresher sharks, hammerhead sharks, manta rays and mobula rays, at sunset it is a different story. At Lighthouse, when the light is fading, you will descend onto this shallow reef in the hope of observing the incredible mandarinfish. These psychedelically multi-coloured little fish will perform a mating ritual before your awe-struck eyes. Shyly a male and female will emerge from the coral before consummating their union in a rising spiral dance. As soon as the job is done they part and dash back into the coral.
After the show is over your dive will continue as a more usual night dive but with a mesmerising line up of creatures. Banded pipefish, juvenile sweetlips, seahorses, frogfish, and myriad crabs and shrimps can all be seen. However, this site may be best remembered for the parade of cephalopods that will entertain you. Cuttlefish, starry night and even blue-ringed octopus, as well as reef and bobtail squid are all quite regularly seen.
Gato Island
Lying around 45 minutes boat ride from Malapascua is the fabulous marine reserve and sea snake sanctuary, Gato Island. There are in fact a number of different dive sites here. At any one of them you can see banded sea kraits, mantis shrimp and cuttlefish. In the blue, distant from the reef you can see baitballs with feeding big-mouth mackerel as well as schools of reef squid.
Among the best known Gato Island dive sites is The Cave. This is a 30m swim-through tunnel below Gato Island which is home to multiple white-tip reef sharks. Often divers have to wait until the sharks vacate before they can enter the cave. In so doing the sharks may swim right past your face! The 10m deep tunnel also shelters bamboo sharks, pufferfish, lobsters and cardinalfish.
The Guardhouse is a site where photographers will want to bring their macro lenses. Potential subjects include pink and yellow seahorses, painted frogfish and Spanish dancers. Cathedral boasts impressive rock formations with a channel and overhangs to dive through. Harlequin shrimp, spider crabs and ribbon eels can all be spotted as well as blue-spotted rays and white tips. Hermit crabs, scorpionfish and a vast variety and number of nudibranchs are all likely to put in an appearance at Nudibranch City.
North Point
North Point is one of Malapascua's most exciting dive sites, offering strong currents, dramatic underwater terrain, and frequent pelagic encounters. It is best suited for experienced divers looking for adrenaline-pumping drift dives with the chance to spot big fish. Not surprisingly, it is located at the northern tip of Malapascua and is composed of a wall and slope with overhangs and small caverns at a depth of 15-30m. Currents can be unpredictable here so divers are advised to make a negative entry to quickly reach the reef and avoid surface currents. Once on the wall, you can drift along to admire schools of barracuda, hunting tuna and trevally, Napoleon wrasse, bumphead parrotfish, and sometimes reef sharks and eagle rays.
Other Malapascua dive sites
Among the other local sites you might visit is Lapus Lapus, an 18m dive site with fantastic hard and soft coral coverage. This is another great macro-photography opportunity with frogfish, mantis shrimp, cuttlefish and crustaceans galore among the stars of the show, as well as a popular night dive spot. At Calanggaman Island, which is often dived together with Nunez Shoal, you can dive a beautiful shallow reef with a steep wall. In the blue may be thresher sharks, tuna and barracuda while the shallows are home to hammerhead nudibranchs, mushroom coral pipefish and many pygmy seahorses. The shallower corals are swarmed by vibrant schools of dancing anthias.
Chocolate Island is a sweet spot for some of the more rare critters in the region including flamboyant cuttlefish and pegasus sea moths. Mating flatworms are a common topic of discussion here and can cause a few snickers as they twirl themselves into a flatworm double-decker. Cowries, dwarf cuttlefish, sea-snakes and juvenile batfish add to the bounty of this site. Deep Rock is among the favourite dives of Malapascua and is, unusually for the area, a pinnacle. This shallow sea mount is carpetted in soft corals. Residents include black cowries, spotted leather coral cowries, frogfish, nudibranchs, harlequin shrimp and pygmy seahorses. It is a perfect site to end a week of scuba diving in Malapascua: small, rich, and patient.
