Cebu.travel
Dive boats at sea off Malapascua
Malapascua, Gato Island & the thresher shoals

Monad Shoal, Malapascua

Monad Shoal is a submerged island about 30-35 minutes by boat from Malapascua, rising from about 200 m to a flat top at roughly 20 m. Its edge is a cleaning station that made Malapascua famous for thresher sharks, but since 2022 the threshers are only rarely seen here and mostly visit Kimud Shoal instead. Monad is still dived for rays, its cleaning station and occasional tiger sharks, inside the Philippines’ first shark and ray sanctuary.

Quote a transfer to Maya port Last checked: Oct 2026
Depth
12-40 m
Level
Intermediate
Access
Boat
Area
Malapascua
  • Long known for thresher sharks at dawn, though since about 2022 they are only rarely seen here
  • Manta, devil and eagle rays
  • Tiger sharks reported at the cleaning station
  • A flat-topped shoal on the edge of a drop past 200 m

The dive

Sources put the plateau top between about 12 and 24 m, with the drop beyond it going far deeper. Dive centres rate it an Advanced Open Water dive. Currents are usually light but can rip at the surface on some days.

The dive
From MalapascuaAbout 30-35 minutes by boat
ProtectedMarine protected area since 2002; shark and ray sanctuary since 2015
Seen hereManta, devil and eagle rays; tiger sharks reported; threshers now rare
FAQ

Monad Shoal: questions

Should I dive Monad or Kimud for threshers?

Kimud. Since 2022 the threshers visit Kimud Shoal daily and are only rarely seen at Monad.

Sources for this site (11)