Malapascua Island

March 28, 2016April 15, 2017 Johneejo Ramos 0 Comments

Enjoy the Sun in Malapascua Island

Malapascua Island is a Philippine island situated in the Visayan Sea, 6.8 kilometres (4.2 mi) across a shallow strait from the northern most tip of Cebu Island. Administratively, it is part of the insular barangay of Logon, Daanbantayan, Cebu. Malapascua is a small island, only about 2.5 by 1 kilometre (1.55 by 0.62 mi), and has eight hamlets.

Malapascua island became famous just recently. In the early 1900’s it is just only a dive destination. The island is known for its wide white sand beach, known as Bounty Beach; it also became famous for its beautiful coral gardens, coral walls and excellent local dive spots. There are also other sites in the island including Gato Island, Monad Shoal, and Kemod Shoal. Monad Shoal is an underwater plateau where thresher sharks and manta rays can regularly be sighted.

Most of the islanders derive their livelihood from tourism, while some still rely on sustenance by fishing and farming.

Monad Shoal

The number-one dive site of Malapascua is Monad Shoal, a natural cleaning station for fish located 7.8 kilometers (4.8 mi) from the island (30-35 minutes boat ride). The shoal is a rather unremarkable 1.5 kilometers (0.93 mi) long rock stump at the edge of a 200 meters (660 ft) drop and has a flattish top at a depth of 20 to 24 meters (66 to 79 ft). The site is best known as the only place in the world where thresher sharks can be seen regularly at and just before sunrise. They use the sea mount as a cleaning station for bluestreak and moon cleaner wrasse to remove ectoparasites such as gnathiids from their skin and clean their gills and mouths. The shoal also attracts other pelagic fish such as devil rays and eagle rays. Manta rays and hammerheads are seasonal.

How to get to Malapascua Island

Malapascua is located in the Philippines just off the north tip of Cebu Island. In order to get to Malapascua Island, you need to take a van or a Ceres Bus from Cebu North Bus Terminal bound to Maya. and from Maya you will need to take a boat/ferry going to Malapascua Island.

From Cebu to Maya:

Van at Php 150.00
Ceres Bus:

Air-conditioned Php 190.00
Non-air conditioned Php 150.00
Travel time: Roughly 4 hours

*Note: Leaving in the morning is the best way to make sure you arrive at Maya port before 3pm.

From Maya Port to Malapascua:

Local boat for Php 80.00

Travel time:
First trip starts at 6:30 a.m.
Last trip at 3:00 p.m.
Only 30 minutes travel from Maya port to Malapascua island.

*Note: If you missed the last trip from Maya port to Malapascua, you can also charter a boat but will cost around Php 800-Php 2,000. Alternatively, you can stay in Maya, and rent a room for Php 400 located approximately 100 meters away from Maya port. And leave in the morning for the first trip at 6:30 a.m.

What you can do in Malapascua (Activities)

Malapascua island is mostly visited by divers who flock to the island to swim with the famous Thresher Sharks and Manta Rays that surround the area. For Diving, there are scattered shops around the island.
Beach Bumming, there are some secluded coves in the island that are ideal for swimming.
Snorkeling and Island Hopping, boat rental starts at Php 500 but some may charge you at Php 400.
If you like other adventure in the island, there is also Cliff Jumping in Malapascua. There is 50 foot cliff that you can jump off. Just ask the boatman to take you to that cliff during your island hopping tour.
Even though the island is not that much developed compared to other popular tourist spots. There are also other activities that you could enjoy in Malapascua. There are motorcycles that can take you to the lighthouse and Los Bamboos Island where you could enjoy the serenity of the island. There are also bikes for rent around the island if you want to have some fun roaming around the island.

Some nice resorts to stay in Malapascua:
Thresher Cove Resort
Logon, Malapascua

Malapascua Starlight Resort
Brgy, Logon Daanbantayan, Malapascua

Slam’s Garden Resort
Brgy, Logon Daanbantayan, Malapascua

Buenavida Resort and Spa
Logon, Malapascua