Visayas · Cebu
Malapascua Island: thresher sharks, dive costs and getting there
By Robert Tramp· Published
Malapascua Island. Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
- Dive site
- Kimud Shoal, about 45 to 60 minutes by boat
- Who can dive
- Certified divers only, Open Water and up
- Cost
- From ₱6,300 for two dives, fees included (2026)
- Season
- All year; calmest seas March to May
Malapascua is a small island off the northern tip of Cebu, 2.6 km long and without cars (DAN Alert Diver, March 2025), and it is known for one thing: pelagic thresher sharks, seen by divers almost every morning. Since 2022 that dive is no longer at Monad Shoal, which most guides still name, but at Kimud Shoal, which became a protected area in December 2025 with new rules for divers.
Why the dive moved from Monad Shoal to Kimud Shoal
The threshers disappeared from Monad Shoal in September 2022 and now come to Kimud Shoal every day, while they are only rarely seen at Monad (Thresher Shark Divers, updated 29 September 2026; Evolution Diving). Nobody knows for sure why. DAN Alert Diver notes that tiger sharks began patrolling Monad around the same time.
Monad Shoal is still dived, now for tiger sharks, whitetips and large rays, and it has been a marine protected area since 2002 (DAN Alert Diver, March 2025).
If a listing for a “Monad Shoal thresher dive” still turns up when you book, ask the dive shop which shoal it goes to. The current daily thresher dive is Kimud.
What a thresher dive at Kimud Shoal is like
Kimud Shoal is a sunken island about 13 km off Tabango, Leyte (X-Ray Mag, 27 August 2026). Its flat top sits at about 12 metres, and the cleaning station where the sharks come in is between 12 and 22 metres, before the wall drops into deep water (Thresher Shark Divers).
The sharks are pelagic threshers, about 3 metres long including the tail, and the species is listed as Endangered (IUCN Shark Specialist Group, 2024). They come up from the deep to have small wrasse clean their skin.
At Monad, divers used to wait at 30 metres at dawn. At Kimud the sharks are seen shallower and later in the morning, anywhere between sunrise and noon, so boats leave between 5 and 8 am (Thresher Shark Divers, dive schedule). A two-dive trip takes about 5 hours.
DAN Alert Diver calls multiple threshers at Kimud a predictable daily occurrence in the morning. Thresher Shark Divers puts its own sighting rate at about 99% and adds a free third dive if you see none on a two-dive trip.
The 2026 rules for divers
The municipality of Tabango, Leyte declared Kimud Shoal a marine protected area and thresher shark sanctuary on 17 December 2025 (X-Ray Mag). Dive shops apply these rules:
- Certified divers only. Snorkelling, freediving, try dives and Open Water course dives are not allowed at Kimud.
- Fewer than 50 logged dives: Open Water divers go with an instructor or divemaster, and Open Water and Advanced divers do a buoyancy workshop first (Sea Explorers).
- A check dive the day before your first shark dive, unless your logbook shows the experience (Thresher Shark Divers). Register by 1 pm the day before if you need one.
- Bring your certification card and logbook.
- In the water: stay at least 5 metres from the sharks, keep out of the cleaning stations, no strobes or flash, no strong lights, no gloves or reef hooks, and never chase a shark.
- Sanctuary fees are paid in cash.
What it costs
Prices from Thresher Shark Divers, valid until 1 December 2026:
Scroll across for the rest of the columns.
| What | Price |
|---|---|
| Kimud trip, 2 dives, Advanced and up, without gear | ₱6,300 |
| Kimud trip, 2 dives, Advanced and up, with gear | ₱7,100 |
| Kimud trip, 2 dives, Open Water with an instructor, gear included | ₱8,900 |
| Of which: park fee | ₱600 |
| Of which: fuel surcharge | ₱700 |
| Other fun dives | ₱2,500 per dive |
| PADI Advanced Open Water course | ₱21,000 |
Malapascua Exotic Island Dive Resort lists the PADI Open Water course at ₱19,500 over 4 days (Exotic). ATMs on the island are unreliable, so bring pesos.
Not certified yet?
You cannot learn to dive on the thresher dive itself, but you can do the course on Malapascua first. Open Water takes about 4 days, and dive shops there sell it with the shark dive in mind. Under the 2026 rules a fresh Open Water diver goes to Kimud with an instructor.
Other dives around Malapascua
- Gato Island: a swim-through cave and whitetip reef sharks resting on the bottom (DAN Alert Diver).
- Monad Shoal: tiger sharks, whitetips and large rays.
- Lighthouse Reef: mandarinfish at sunset.
- Lapus Lapus: a relaxed macro dive.
- Kalanggaman Island: a snorkelling and island-hopping day trip from Malapascua (Thresher Shark Divers).
Best time to go
The threshers are at Kimud all year. The calmest seas are March to May, January to June is usually good, October to December is a little rougher, and August and September can be bad, according to Thresher Shark Divers. The water is coolest in January and February.
How to get to Malapascua from Cebu
Allow 4 to 5 hours from Cebu City and about 6 hours from landing at the airport (Thresher Shark Divers, 13 October 2026).
Scroll across for the rest of the columns.
| Leg | Mode | Time | Fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mactan-Cebu Airport to North Bus Terminal | Taxi or Grab | 30 to 45 min | ₱250 to 400 |
| North Bus Terminal to Maya | Ceres or Rough Riders bus | 4 to 6 hours | ₱300 to 350 |
| Maya environmental fee | ₱140 | ||
| Maya to Malapascua | Public boat | about 30 min | ₱200, plus ₱20 to 50 per bag |
- Buses: the first leaves around 1 am and the last around 6 pm, with air-conditioned buses every 1 to 2 hours.
- Boats: they leave Maya when full, from 6 am. The coast guard stops crossings between 4:30 and 5:30 pm, depending on the season and the weather, so be in Maya before 5 pm.
- Private boat: from ₱2,000 for the crossing.
- Taxi all the way from Cebu to Maya: ₱4,000 to 7,000, 3 to 4 hours.
- Mactan-Cebu AirportTaxi or Grab · 30–45 min
- North Bus TerminalCebu CityBus · 4–6 hr
- MayaportBoat · about 30 min
- MalapascuaLogon, Bounty BeachDive boat · 45–60 min
- Kimud Shoalthresher sharks
Where to stay
Boats land at Logon, the island’s main village, and most dive resorts are on Bounty Beach next to it. Book close to your dive shop: the shark boats leave early.
More sharks in the Philippines
For whale sharks, I filmed wild ones in Sogod Bay, Southern Leyte, where they are not fed. The whale shark comparison sets Oslob, Donsol and Sogod Bay side by side, and the whale shark trip I am planning has a free waitlist.
Questions people ask
Where do you see thresher sharks at Malapascua?
At Kimud Shoal, a sunken island about 45 minutes to an hour by boat from Malapascua, toward Leyte. The sharks moved there from Monad Shoal in 2022, and Monad is now known for tiger sharks.
Can you snorkel with thresher sharks at Malapascua?
No. Only certified scuba divers may dive Kimud Shoal. Snorkelling, freediving, try dives and dives that are part of an Open Water course are not allowed.
Do I need Advanced Open Water to see thresher sharks?
No. Open Water is the minimum. Under the 2026 rules, Open Water divers with fewer than 50 logged dives go with an instructor or divemaster, and divers with fewer than 50 logged dives do a buoyancy workshop or check dive first.
How much does a thresher shark dive cost?
At Thresher Shark Divers, a two-dive Kimud trip costs ₱6,300 for Advanced divers without gear and ₱8,900 for an instructor-led trip for Open Water divers, both including the ₱600 park fee and ₱700 fuel surcharge (prices to 1 December 2026).
What is the best time of year to dive Malapascua?
The threshers are seen all year. The calmest seas are March to May, January to June is usually good, and August and September can be rough, according to Thresher Shark Divers.
How do I get to Malapascua from Cebu?
Take a bus from the Cebu North Bus Terminal to Maya, which takes 4 to 6 hours, then a public boat to Malapascua for ₱200, about 30 minutes. Be in Maya before 5 pm: the coast guard stops crossings between 4:30 and 5:30 pm.
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