T

he huge towering palm trees are
a bit scarce on Malapascua
now. But after a supertyphoon
flattened the island in 2013, the
island has rebounded nicely, thank
you, and is a beehive of diving and
beach activity. Known as one of the
few places on Earth where divers
fairly consistently can see the
unusual and rare thresher shark at
deep cleaning stations along the
walls of Monad Shoal, the island
has a variety of diving to offer divers
including the early morning (usually
around 5 a.m. departure) thresher
shark dives, some incredible macro
diving, shipwrecks, deep and tek
dives, dusk mandarinfish spotting
and critter-fueled night dives.
One has to visit Malapascua to
really appreciate the rustic charm of

the island. There are no cars; not

even a lot of motorbikes and not a

lot of pavement. All the “streets”

and walkways are sand...

sometimes very thick, slog-through

sand. And Long, white sand

beaches adorn a good part of the

island. There are some trendy little

hotels perched on rocky overlooks

and beach bars. Beachfront cabins

abound and guest houses and

boutique hotels can be found

hidden inside the maze of

walkways that make up the heart of

Malapascua.

You do have to get used to having

sandy feet. It is just part of the

lifestyle here. The going can be a bit

slow along the beach walk. And,

the sand is hot as the sun gets high.

Always wear at least zoris (flip-

Malapascua

Thresher shark carver

57,58 59

54 56

53

55

Cebu

Island

Malapascua

Island

Monad

Shoal

Kimud

Shoal

Dona Marilyn

Wreck