Malapascua

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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).

). it is about 2km by 0.5km, and you can walk around it in 1-2 hours. It has a population of around 4000, most of whom live off tourism, fishing, boat building or coconuts.

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.

• SIM cards are widely available in Malapascua for mobile phones. Globe is best for Malapascua.
• The Philippines uses USA style plugs - flat, vertical two pin plugs. Its voltage is different from the US - 220v at 60Hz. 24 hour electric has recently arrived in Malapascua and is now available in most resorts and island-wide.
• There is rarely toilet tissue or water in public toilets so take your own. Tampons are hard to find, so bring a sufficient supply. You may be able to buy them at some of the pharmacies in the bigger shopping malls in Cebu (Rose Pharmacy is best).
• A free 30 day tourist visa is standard on arrival in the Philippines for most nationalities.
• The currency of the Philippines is the peso.
• US$ cash is easiest to change on the island. However, it is best to get pesos in Cebu. You can change money at some banks (BDO and Metrobank),or money changers in the shopping malls (SM, Ayala or Robinson's). You can also withdraw cash through an ATM bank machine. There is one at the airport. If you are getting a taxi or transfer to Malapascua, just ask your driver to stop at an ATM machine. There are no ATMs in Malapascua. The nearest ATM is in Bogo, over an hour away.

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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.