Monad Shoal

Monad Shoal is a submerged plateau off Malapascua, one of the few places on the planet where pelagic thresher sharks show up reliably enough to build a dive economy around. The sharks rise from deep water at first light to visit cleaning stations on the shoal, which is why every dive boat here leaves before sunrise rather than after breakfast.

• Thresher shark sightings cluster in the early-morning cleaning-station window — the one dive on the island where the schedule isn’t negotiable.
• The shoal also holds pygmy seahorses and healthy soft coral for divers who stay down past the shark window.
• Book the night before; morning boat slots fill first.

Malapascua’s shift from a fishing island to a dive destination tracks almost entirely with Monad Shoal’s reputation, and the island is now also home to LAMAVE, the marine research group that studies and helps protect the sharks that put it on the map.

Explore More in North Cebu Mainland

• Capitancillo Lighthouse
• Laaw Lagoon
• Orongan Beach