If you read any number of scuba diving publications sooner or later you hear about Malapascua, Philippines. This certainly played a part in making it our first stop in our initial exploration of the Philippines. There is a reason it shows up in so many articles, it is awesome.
It is no small feat getting to the island. After a 2.5 hour flight from Taipei to Cebu City we met our driver who drove us 4 hours north to the little port of Maya, where we boarded a boat for a 40 minute ride in rough seas to Malapascua Island. When we arrived we were treated royally. The staff at Ocean Vida Beach & Dive Resort are fantastic. They immediately introduced us to Happy Hour. Two double rum and cokes for $2.40CDN. I knew we were going to like this place. More than that though, you felt like you were part of the family.A short walk down the beach let you know where they got their unique boats from. There were two under construction when we went by.The atmosphere on the beach was great. Plenty of well behaved dogs running around so you could get your puppy fix if you needed it. This area is definitely geared toward a younger crowd, but we felt like we fit right in anyway. The only sad thing was seeing scenes like this. No matter what, it seems people seem to be trapped by their phones. So sad.But we were there to dive, so to heck with those young whipper snappers. We signed on to dive with Sea Explorers. They certainly deserve the great rating they have. Every day you could check the board to see what dives were available the next day. The rental equipment was excellent and our guide, Genesis, was excellent. It is a resort and they take care of everything for you. I almost felt guilty at times, but I got over it.If you choose to dive with nitrox all the tanks were ready for you to test the night before and the setup was slick to test and label your tanks.When I saw this boat when we first arrived I was a bit nervous, but they were with a different company. I think I’ll stick with PADI for my diving.
While I was putting together the video I was reminded of the exceptional skill of photographers and videographers that ply their trade underwater. The challenge of trying to remain still despite buoyancy challenges, currents, and your subjects moving is quite a challenge. I have a lot of work to do, but I hope you enjoy the video. I am quite pleased with the images of the thresher shark and the mandarin fish as these were high on our list of must sees. This is the only place you find thresher sharks and this region is the only place you find mandarin fish.
I mentioned in the video about a leak. Fortunately it wasn’t a big deal and I was able to fix it and have everything working properly the next day.
The wonder of being able to watch the incredible symbiotic interaction of all the different species under the water is mesmerizing for me. I could float and watch a stack of coral for hours with all the action going on.
Heading back to the resort after an exceptional day of diving. Life is good.It my be time for a refreshment on the beach.
Now heading south to Dauin for a second week of diving. Stay tuned.
Excellent video and pictures. You would be wonderful if you wanted to do advertising video for tourism lol. Truly. Question, my apologies if it’s rude. Can you eat the mandarin fish? If so have you?
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