ฤดูท่องเที่ยว | The Philippines has two seasons: "rainy season" (July-December) and "dry season" (January to June). Luckily, it doesn't mean that it always rains in rainy season - in fact we can go for months in rainy season with very little rain. As Malapascua is away from the mountains we experience much less rainfall that Cebu City. We are rarely affected by typhoons, which tend to pass near to Luzon in the north of the Philippines.High season (December to April) means less chance of rain, but also more people and sometimes higher prices. Hottest time is from March - May. If you want to meet lots of people and have a livelier social life this is the best time.We get mild typhoons year round, but more so in low season (Jul-Dec). However, they do not usually hit us hard and we can almost always dive. It is hard to predict year to year. We can go 1-2 months with barely a day of rain in low season.Water temperature varies from 27-30 degrees for most of the year. From December - February it is usually 24-26 degrees although it does not drop every year.Thresher Sharks used to be more seasonal but are now seen consistently year round. Hammerheads are seen December-April with April being the best month for schools. However these are only tendencies and can change from year to year. Contact us to find out the latest information.Your chance of seeing sharks is not as good during major holidays as there are always many divers around. These holidays include Christmas, Western New Year (Jan 1), Chinese New Year, Easter, Thai New Year (April 14) and May 1. It is best if you can avoid these times if possible. |
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สิ่งที่น่าสนใจ | Thresher shark sightings are the best they have ever been! The huge diversity of marine life in Malapascua includes thresher sharks, hammerhead sharks, whitetip sharks, mandarin fish, countless nudibranchs, pygmy seahorses, frogfish, cuttlefish, endless crustacean species, beautiful unspoiled coral gardens and much more... |
Spain first laid claim to the 7,107 islands of the Philippines in 1511 and named them for King Philip II of Spain. England briefly occupied the islands from 1762-3, and the U.S. laid claim in 1898. Japan took over during WWII, and independence was finally granted in 1946. It has been a politically turbulent country ever since.
U.S. occupation left the legacy of the English tongue, Marlboro cigarettes and basketball. English is widely spoken throughout the country and signs, official documents etc are all in English, although the main language of Malapascua is Visayan (Cebuano).
The name Malapascua means 'Bad Christmas' in Cebuano. Legend has it that it was so named because the Spanish first landed here one stormy Christmas Day in the 1500's. There is some debate about the name because although 'mal' definitely means 'bad,' 'pasco' means Christmas in the local language of Cebuano but 'pascua' in Spanish means Easter. So perhaps it was a stormy Easter after all.
Malapascua was first 'discovered' by present-day foreigners over 30 years ago, when Swiss national, Freddy of Cocobana Resort bought land. Ten years later he opened the island's very first resort. Freddy is not a diver, but at the same time dive safaris were coming up from Cebu and making the first ever dives with thresher sharks. Malapascua quickly became known as a premier dive destination in the Philippines and divers starting visiting regularly.
Today, Malapascua remains a beautiful, sleepy island, as yet unspoiled by tourism, with white sandy beaches, lush green palm trees and surrounded by clear blue waters.
There are no cars on the island and most buildings are only one floor high. The locals are friendly and like to say hello and chat. They may even invite you to their homes for dinner, or at least to sit down, join them singing songs and playing guitar, and toast each other with a rum and coke.
The Philippines has received a lot of bad publicity over the years and some people think it is unsafe to visit. This image is based on only a few isolated events and does not reflect the whole country. Filipinos are mostly devout Catholics due to the Spanish influence and Muslims are a small minority, the extremists smaller still.
The Philippines is generally very safe and the only place to avoid is Mindanao in the far south - an isolated area far away from Malapascua. Cebu itself is populated by very Catholic, very friendly, Filipinos.
As with anywhere, keep your belongings and money in a secure place, although theft is not a big problem in Cebu. Tourists are not a target for the thieves in the way they are in most major tourist areas. Nevertheless, use hotel safes, and be careful when leaving money and cameras in your room. Do not leave anything outside your room at night.
Monad Shoal is an underwater island on the edge of a 200m drop off, and if you're on this page, we're sure you already know that it is famous as the only place in the world where thresher sharks can be seen everyday! Most places will take you to a line where you sit and wait for 30 minutes with all the other divers from all the other shops. Our dive is not like that; it is a swimming dive. Close encounters are common, you generally won't run into many, if any, other divers. As you are swimming, you will see other marine life too, so in the rare instance you don't see a shark, you will still have had a great dive!
Gato Island is one of our most famous dive sites. Gato is a marine reserve and sea snake sanctuary. It has at least five dive sites with a huge diversity of marine life. We are constantly seeing new creatures. At all sites you can see such things as banded sea snakes, cuttlefish (often while mating), seahorses, nudibranchs, frogfish, scorpion fish, porcupine fish, and smashing mantis shrimp. Away from the reef you can see schools of squid and big-mouthed mackerel attracted by the baitballs. There are many whitetip sharks in residence at Gato, as well as bamboo and cat sharks. The coral is in good condition and the rocky island has many interesting underwater rock formations, overhangs, and swim-throughs.
Or more accurately, "The Tunnel". Journey underneath Gato Island and come out the other side! This 30m tunnel houses all the usual cave dwellers: many types of crab big and small, lobsters and cardinal fish. You should also encounter some large puffer fish and perhaps bamboo and cat sharks.
Most exciting of all, the cave is home to whitetip sharks! You may see them hiding in a corner as you pass by inches from their face, or see their silhouette as they circle near the exit in the midst of a huge school of smaller fish. If you are careful and move slowly, they will swim straight by your face. The sight is simply breathtaking. Not for the faint of heart. For experienced divers only.
At the exit of the cave are some overhangs and swim throughs were even inexperienced divers who cannot swim through the cave can get up close to the baby whitetips sleeping under the rocks.
The mandarinfish is possibly the most beautiful fish in the world, certainly the most psychedelic. There are few places where they can be seen, but Malapascua is one of them. And - even better - on Thresher Diver's famous "Randy Mandy" dive you will see mating mandarinfish in their full glory!
Mandarin fish are quite rare and very skittish, but in Malapascua you are almost guaranteed a sighting at this time of day. You will usually see their unique mating dance, particularly around full moon. The male (who is larger) dances with the females one by one and takes his time choosing. When he finally decides on his mate, they spiral up towards the surface, shimmying together above the corals, explode in a puff of gametes, and dart off separately into the corals.
A unique experience, not to be missed. What a photography opportunity!
Dusk is a time most people rarely dive. However, it is one of the best times to observe marine life because of the increased feeding and mating activity. It is the time when all the action takes place on the reef! Daytime animals mix with night-time animals, and all hell breaks loose!
As day turns into night, and the mandarin fish return to their hiding places, the creatures of the night come out. You should catch some interesting nudibranchs and a variety of cephalopods - reef squid, bobtail squid, starry night octopus, blue-ringed octopus and cuttlefish. Your DM will take you to find some seahorses and you may also see scribbled and banded pipefish, juvenile sweetlips, banded sea snakes, huge crabs and sea stars, many varieties of shrimp and the occasional frogfish.
Many of our divers have told us this is the best night dive they have ever done.
Also near this sight is a small World War II wreck that is a great shallow dive during the day.
Calanggaman Island is the picture postcard desert island, actually chosen from over 7,000 islands to grace the cover of Jens Peters - the definitive Philippines Travel Guide. The island itself is just palm trees and a pile of white sand surrounded by crystal clear water and steep walls dropping off into the blue.
Vis is usually good and fish life is plentiful. Drop down the walls which are covered in hard corals and gorgonian fans and inhabited by many varieties of fish. Look for pelagics out in the blue including sharks, rays, tuna and barracuda, or unusual fish like clown triggers on the wall. You can also see many critters including nudibranchs, crabs and shrimp. As you come back along the top of the wall, look for fields of garden eels, and large patches of hammerhead nudis which always seem to be mating! You can often find the beautiful white mushroom coral pipefish, ornate ghost pipefish and candy crabs as well as the very special Denise Pygmy seahorse which is currently in residence.
Dolphins are often seen on the way there or back.
Often we will stop on the island for a beach barbecue during our surface interval and overnight stays can also be arranged.
There are very few health related problems on Malapascua among tourists. Bottled drinking water is available everywhere on the island and we provide cheap refills to cut down on the environmental impact of plastic bottles.
There is no malaria on Malapascua. The mosquito borne disease dengue fever is around, but it is rarely caught by tourists. Even so, it wise to avoid mosquito bites and cover up or use repellant. We have found, apart from the more poisonous DEET-based products, that Jungle Juice, Avon Skin-so-Soft and plain antiseptic soap work well. A tiny pot of Tiger Balm is great to take away that itch if you do get bitten.
There is no doctor on Malapascua. Basic medications, including antibiotics, are usually available although it is always a good idea to carry a basic first aid kit. Of course we have a first aid kit in the dive shop and on the boat.
The nearest hospital is in Daan Bantayan, which is on the mainland and takes about an hour to reach. The nearest recompression chamber is in Cebu and helicopter evacuation is available if necessary.