johnnyafrica
Registered
- Messages
- 26
- Reaction score
- 23
- # of dives
- 200 - 499
Hi guys,
Just got back from 10 days in the Philippines (really 8 days after all the flight time). Flights are insanely cheap nowadays from the US to Asia and I scored a flight from NYC to Manila for $500. Doing some reserach and I ended up deciding on Cebu, and specifically Malapascua to see the thresher sharks.
- Malapascua is not the easiest place to get to. Flights from Manila to Cebu City are required and very cheap via AirAsia or Cebu Pacific. From the airport, you can either take a cab to the bus station, or just barter with the cab driver for a fare all the way to the northern tip of the island. Bus is about 5hrs, and car is 3.5hrs. Once you reach the northern port town of Maya, another 30-45min ferry is required to get to Malapascua island!
- Malapascua is an awesome little island. Without a doubt, it is a divers island now but it feels more rustic than other dive islands I've been to. The beaches are nice and the vibe is overall chilled.
- Diving with the threshers was amazing. Waking up at 4am was not but the euphoria you will on that early morning boat ride to Monad Shoal is enough to energize you. of all the sharks i've seen underwater, I must say that threshers are some of the coolest. Their tails are magnified underwater and they just look so magnificent.
- Diving around the island is mostly focused on macro stuff as lot of the corals and fish have been depleted due to dynamite fishing. Gato Island (about 1 hr from Malapascua) is a great day trip and the coral and marine life are still very healthy.
- I was originaly not planning on going to Moalboal but after copius amounts of beers with other divers, I was convinced. It's one of the few places in the world with schooling sardines that are available year round. From Malapascua, I had to go back to Cebu City, and from Cebu City, I took another cab to Moalboal. All in all, it was a full days trip (10am-6pm)
- The sardines are amazing. I've never seen something lik ethis before. The sheer magnitude of the fish will leave anyone in awe. We would dive for 1 hr, swimming the entire time and clouds of sardines would surround us at all times! best of all, it's pretty much 100% guaranteed as the sardines now reside nearby the shore, and be accessed via shore diving from certain dive shops.
- The corals here are also in better condition. The soft and hard corals are more picturesque than Malapascua with overall more marine life, especially on Pescador Island. I wish I spent more time in Moalboal as the diving is some of the cheapest diving in the world. The vibe of the town is also laid back with great ocean views at all times.
- DO NOT go to Oslob. i was originally planning to dive with the whale sharks there but after learning they are routinely fed fish (They eat plankton), and more or less treated as pets, I quickly canceled plans.
Anyway, I wrote about my trip in some detail with lots of videos for those interested!
Diving With 10 Million Sardines In Moalboal, Cebu - Johnny Africa
http://johnnyafrica.com/diving-cebu-thresher-shark-malapascua/
Just got back from 10 days in the Philippines (really 8 days after all the flight time). Flights are insanely cheap nowadays from the US to Asia and I scored a flight from NYC to Manila for $500. Doing some reserach and I ended up deciding on Cebu, and specifically Malapascua to see the thresher sharks.
- Malapascua is not the easiest place to get to. Flights from Manila to Cebu City are required and very cheap via AirAsia or Cebu Pacific. From the airport, you can either take a cab to the bus station, or just barter with the cab driver for a fare all the way to the northern tip of the island. Bus is about 5hrs, and car is 3.5hrs. Once you reach the northern port town of Maya, another 30-45min ferry is required to get to Malapascua island!
- Malapascua is an awesome little island. Without a doubt, it is a divers island now but it feels more rustic than other dive islands I've been to. The beaches are nice and the vibe is overall chilled.
- Diving with the threshers was amazing. Waking up at 4am was not but the euphoria you will on that early morning boat ride to Monad Shoal is enough to energize you. of all the sharks i've seen underwater, I must say that threshers are some of the coolest. Their tails are magnified underwater and they just look so magnificent.
- Diving around the island is mostly focused on macro stuff as lot of the corals and fish have been depleted due to dynamite fishing. Gato Island (about 1 hr from Malapascua) is a great day trip and the coral and marine life are still very healthy.
- I was originaly not planning on going to Moalboal but after copius amounts of beers with other divers, I was convinced. It's one of the few places in the world with schooling sardines that are available year round. From Malapascua, I had to go back to Cebu City, and from Cebu City, I took another cab to Moalboal. All in all, it was a full days trip (10am-6pm)
- The sardines are amazing. I've never seen something lik ethis before. The sheer magnitude of the fish will leave anyone in awe. We would dive for 1 hr, swimming the entire time and clouds of sardines would surround us at all times! best of all, it's pretty much 100% guaranteed as the sardines now reside nearby the shore, and be accessed via shore diving from certain dive shops.
- The corals here are also in better condition. The soft and hard corals are more picturesque than Malapascua with overall more marine life, especially on Pescador Island. I wish I spent more time in Moalboal as the diving is some of the cheapest diving in the world. The vibe of the town is also laid back with great ocean views at all times.
- DO NOT go to Oslob. i was originally planning to dive with the whale sharks there but after learning they are routinely fed fish (They eat plankton), and more or less treated as pets, I quickly canceled plans.
Anyway, I wrote about my trip in some detail with lots of videos for those interested!
Diving With 10 Million Sardines In Moalboal, Cebu - Johnny Africa
http://johnnyafrica.com/diving-cebu-thresher-shark-malapascua/