BEST DIVES IN CEBU AND NEGROS ORIENTAL: FROM MALAPASCUA TO DUMAGUETE
Malapascua & Surrounding Islands, Cebu
Malapascua is a small island off the northern coast of Cebu and one of the best places for new divers to visit. There, you can find a plethora of dive schools offering tours of the area. Malapascua's famous seamount Monad Shoal is known to be the best location in the world to encounter thresher sharks and numerous thresher shark dives are offered for those looking to take a dip with these elusive big animals.
The extraordinary journey into the deep blue for an up-close encounter with the thresher shark starts early in the morning when the waters are calm. Visitors can opt for an easy afternoon exploring waters with thresher shark divers or choose from a wide range of excursions, from reefs and wrecks to dives by day and by night. Close encounters with these incredible predators are not unusual and will certainly make for thrilling and memorable dives.
Just 90 minutes away from Malapascua is another underwater playground. With its white sandy beaches and turquoise waters framed by an azure sky painted with white fluffy clouds, Kalanggaman Island is the picturesque definition of a tropical paradise. More suited for the experienced, divers can look forward to healthy fringing reefs, juvenile green sea turtles and schools of trevally.
Another island just off the coast of Malapascua is Gato Island. The surrounding reefs here are resplendently healthy with magnificent soft coral gardens covering a jagged, rocky seascape, truly a sight to behold. However, the true star of Gato island is the underwater cave system that takes you from one side of the island to the other. For photographers, this is a great destination as all the dive sites offer excellent macro opportunities. Expect an abundant variety of sea creatures like sea snakes, frogfish, nudibranchs, blacktip sharks, bobtail squid, blue-ring octopuses, harlequin shrimp, ghost shrimp, xenon crabs, sea hares, sea stars, and more.