MAGICAL ENCOUNTERS IN MYTHICAL MALAPASCUA – FOX SHARKS

by Per Lagerberg

Magical encounters with thresher sharks in mythical Malapascua, Philippines.

My magical encounters with thresher sharks up close and personal mythical Malapascua was like magic. It's like a dream when four, five, close to three meters long, fantastically graceful thresher sharks, or thresher sharks as they are called in English, slide past me within just a few meters of distance. The closest one is literally spoken to my face. Don't hold your breath, don't hold your breath…. a diver's mantra pumps through my head as the shark glides past me. I still hold my breath as much as I can to feel and squeeze out this fantastic proximity to the absolute maximum with one of the world's most beautiful sharks.

We are coming to Cebu

The whole gang has spent a night in Cebu at the airport hotel and after breakfast a car transfer awaits up to the northern part of the island of Cebu. Here it is then a boat to the island of Malapascua. A small island, only a little over a kilometer wide and barely twice as long. The island offers nice relaxation and a real feeling of vacation with sandy beaches, palm trees and beautiful sunsets. There are several Tripsts or smaller houses of varying standards. Lots of small restaurants where you can enjoy your vacation and together with the diving, it makes the island one of the most popular places in the Philippines to go on a diving trip.

More and more backpackers are also coming here as the nice beaches and simple life here attract tourists like a sugar cube attracts flies. However, it is rarely experienced as full on Malapascua except when you go diving with thresher sharks.

Diving with thresher sharks

Early every morning year-round, weather permitting, a small armada of dive boats, called bankas, which is the Filipino word for boat, sets out from Malapascua, about 45 minutes almost due east. Here in the middle of the ocean between Cebu and Leyte lies a small plateau called Kimod Shoal. The place is one of the few places in the world and perhaps the best in the world to dive with and experience thresher sharks.

The reef is shallow at the top but drops down to a depth of several hundred meters on all sides. At the top it is no more than six or seven meters deep and it is like a large plateau. Coming down our first morning we are in luck. Visibility has improved in the last few days before we get here and we estimated it at just over 40 metres. Magical, it's like a dream. The sunlight streams down through the clear water and we all begin to slide and swim after our guide who takes us towards the edge of the reef.

I'm surprised! That it's so empty of people but probably all the boats in the 20s that were here have already made their first dive. We're late.... I wonder if everything and all the sharks are scared away now but after barely a minute I see my first thresher shark. It's from a distance but it's slowly circling a small spot where it's probably finding fish to groom it.

© Noel Guevara Filippinerna Evolution Malapascua 22

© Adam Broadbent Filippinerna Evolution Malapascua Whitetip1

Diving shark in vibrant coral reef underwater scene with clear blue water.

Great White Shark swimming in the ocean with pilot fish, popular marine life for scuba diving.

Colorful mandarin fish swimming underwater with vibrant orange and blue patterns.

Colorful Harlequin Ghost Pipefish blending with coral on a scuba diving adventure.

© Adam Broadbent Filippinerna Evolution Malapascua9

The sharks are getting more and they are getting closer…..

After a few minutes, I'm alone again, the sharks have swum on, so I move a bit up towards the northern part. It doesn't take many minutes before I see another thresher shark gliding below me. Time stops, I stop, I hear how my breathing slows down and feel that the eyes are getting bigger and bigger, three more sharks come gliding towards me at a depth of only 15-16 meters. They make a break and some of them swim up towards a shallower part and I swim slowly slowly after.
When I come to a small ridge seven or eight meters deep, I stop. A large thresher shark, roughly three meters long, lies almost completely still in the middle of the water just a couple of meters in front of me and very slowly glides by as a result of 20 or so fish cleaning the shark free of parasites.

I stop breathing even though I know that breathing breathing breathing is the key but here I lie completely still with this wonderfully beautiful

a shark at arm's length. It's pure magic to get so close to these mythical animals.
After about half an hour, more sharks have gathered in front of me. At most, I count seven pieces within 15 meters. A shark comes so close that I feel the fins against my mask as it passes over my head.

Best place

Apparently I have found “the best place to get close to thresher sharks” in

at least for the day or the hour. More and more divers are coming towards the ridge where I have been largely alone for nearly 30 minutes with these magically beautiful sharks.
I lie in the middle of the batter and see how the sharks come very close to all the other divers. After a while I think there are too many of us and too much bubbles as the sharks slowly slide on.

It's time to get up, the hour has passed and I feel happiness bubbling inside me. The happiness and euphoria are "slightly" overturned by a real "slap" from something I

not see. On the way back to the boat it burns all over my face and neck. There were plenty of “No sees” as I call them, small burning particles in the water but this one was probably the second worst I have encountered in years. All in all it was still worth this painful experience to say the least. That I looked like Homer Simpson on the face with a gigantic pork lip and chose to forgo further diving that day is another story. I have experienced magical encounters in mythical Malapascua with thresher sharks.

lass=”yoast-text-mark”>lass=”yoast-text-mark” style=”color: #000000;”>>Easy to combine and travel further in the Philippines.

For those of you who want to go further in the Philippines and combine, it's easy. Because it is so close to Cebu, it is quick to get further in the country. Fast can sometimes be discussed as all transport in the country between different destinations takes time. Count on a day no matter how you combine and go the faster it is a bonus.
You can combine with any of all the Tripsts and destinations that the Philippines offers. Also live board can be combined with for those who wish.

Overall, the visit was very pleasant. Malapascua is for those who seek peace and quiet. Here at Malapascua, relaxation and vacations are what counts. You alternate diving on species-rich reefs with diving in the mornings with the fantastically beautiful thresher sharks. The fox shark is what made Malapascua the mythical place it is reputed to be. It is definitely not luxury to be and live here. The luxury is to experience magical encounters in mythical Malapascua with ray sharks. A real experience that everyone who dives should try.