Malapascua Cagayan (Cebu - Cebu)

Seadoors · Philippines · 10 nights

Duration
10 nights
Embarkation
Cebu, Philippines
Disembarkation
Cebu, Philippines
Dives
Approximately 28 dives in total

About this route

This Philippine liveaboard adventure begins in Cebu, heading north to Monad Shoal for unique thresher shark encounters and mobula rays. The journey then extends to the remote Cagayan Islands, renowned for their pristine reefs and diverse marine life. Explore untouched coral gardens and vibrant ecosystems, concluding the trip with further exploration around Apo Island and Bohol, offering chances for whale shark sightings and rich macro photography opportunities. The itinerary is designed for divers seeking a blend of pelagic action and macro wonders in the Visayas region.

Regions on this route

MalapascuaBoholMonad ShoalApo ReefSulu Sea

Highlights

Apo Reef

Apo Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site nominee and the second-largest contiguous coral reef system in the world. Its pristine waters teem with biodiversity, featuring extensive coral gardens, vertical walls, and a wide array of marine life, from reef sharks and school of pelagic fish to various macro critters. The reef is characterized by strong currents, offering exhilarating drift dives.

  • Extensive coral reef system
  • Rich marine biodiversity
  • Reef sharks and pelagics
  • Exhilarating drift dives

Bohol

Bohol's dive sites are characterized by dramatic walls, healthy hard coral gardens, and rich macro diversity. Areas like Black Forest feature deep walls adorned with sea fans and sponges, bustling with schooling fish and turtles. The region is also a key nesting ground for green sea turtles. Certain bays offer seasonal whale shark encounters, adding to the allure of its extensive and varied dive landscape.

  • Deep wall diving
  • Healthy coral gardens
  • Green turtle populations
  • Seasonal whale shark encounters

Malapascua

Malapascua is world-renowned for its thresher shark encounters, particularly at Monad Shoal, a submerged island serving as a cleaning station. Beyond these elusive pelagics, the area offers diverse reef diving with vibrant coral gardens and opportunities to spot mobula rays and various macro life. The dive sites range from current-swept pinnacles to gentle slopes, catering to different diving experiences.

  • Thresher shark encounters
  • Monad Shoal cleaning station
  • Mobula ray sightings
  • Vibrant reef ecosystems

Monad Shoal

Monad Shoal, located near Malapascua, is a unique submerged island internationally recognized as one of the few places in the world where thresher sharks are regularly seen. These powerful pelagics visit the shoal at dawn for cleaning. The site features a relatively flat top that drops off into deeper waters, often with strong currents, making it a thrilling dive for experienced divers.

  • Daily thresher shark sightings
  • Cleaning station activity
  • Deep water pelagic encounters
  • Strong currents

Sulu Sea

The Sulu Sea is a vast body of water known for its remote, pristine, and largely unexplored dive sites. It encompasses diverse marine habitats, including deep trenches, vibrant coral reefs, and seamounts, supporting a wide range of pelagic species. This area is often characterized by strong currents and offers opportunities for encounters with large marine animals, making it a destination for advanced divers seeking adventure.

  • Remote, pristine waters
  • Deep trenches and seamounts
  • Abundant pelagic life
  • Strong currents, advanced diving

Requirements

  • CertificationOpen Water
  • Minimum logged dives30
  • ExperienceDivers should have a minimum of 30 logged dives.

Good to know

  • The last dive is scheduled for the penultimate day of the trip, followed by a 24-hour no-fly period.
  • Certification of Open Water with a minimum of 30 logged dives is required for this trip.

Day-by-day plan

  1. Day 1: Embarkation – Cebu

    Boarding commences in Cebu at 5 PM. Guests will transfer from the airport to the yacht club, where they will be welcomed aboard the Seadoors. After cabin assignments, a comprehensive briefing will cover the vessel's facilities and the exciting dive itinerary ahead, setting the stage for the journey.

  2. Day 2: Malapascua – Thresher Sharks

    The day focuses on the waters around Malapascua, famous for its thresher shark sightings. Early morning dives are planned at Monad Shoal, a renowned cleaning station where these elusive sharks are commonly observed. Later dives offer opportunities to encounter mobula rays and explore the vibrant reef ecosystems unique to Malapascua.

    Dive sites: MALAPASCUA Unique cleaning station for Thresher Sharks, MALAPASCUA Dive where Manta is often passing by as well as thresher sharks.

  3. Day 3: Bohol – Diverse Reefs and Macro Life

    Today's diving centers around Bohol, known for its diverse underwater terrain and rich macro life. Dives are planned at sites featuring 80m deep walls, perfect for spotting frogfish, pygmy seahorses, and ribbon eels. Other locations are frequented by schools of barracuda, jackfish, and possibly whitetip reef sharks, with the area often showcasing vibrant coral gardens and a variety of small critters.

    Dive sites: BOHOL 80m deep wall, BOHOL Very deep wall, BOHOL Quite dives along the plateau

  4. Day 4: Negros – Current-swept Walls

    Exploration of Negros offers colorful dives characterized by strong currents, often attracting schooling fish. Coral gardens provide habitat for a variety of marine life, including ghost pipefish and frogfish. An underwater wall with an overhang is a highlight, known for giant sea fans and sightings of barracudas and jackfish.

    Dive sites: NEGOS A very colored dive with its schools of fish animated by strong currents., NEGOS Stagering coral reef sloping down ending in a wall., NEGOS A huge hard coral garden, healthy, untouched, something very rare on earth today.

  5. Day 5: Cagayan Islands – Untouched Reefs

    The Cagayan Islands present opportunities for dives along untouched reefs and straight underwater walls. These sites often feature bumphead parrotfish, while strong currents can attract schools of barracudas and jackfish. Clearwater conditions provide excellent visibility for exploring hammerhead sharks in the deeper water.

    Dive sites: CAGAYANCILLO ISLANDS It is a straight wall with an overhang in the wall done by sea erosion, totally covered by giant sea fans., CAGAYANCILLO ISLANDS Clearwater, CAGAYANCILLO ISLANDS 60m deep wall with bumphead parrot fish passing overhead.

  6. Day 6: Cagayan Islands – Pelagic Encounters

    Continuing in the Cagayan Islands, this day focuses on deep wall dives and untouched reefs, offering chances for pelagic encounters in the blue. The clear waters are ideal for spotting hammerhead sharks in deeper areas and observing schools of barracudas and jackfish along the walls.

    Dive sites: CAGAYANCILLO ISLANDS Untouched reef., CAGAYANCILLO ISLANDS Deep wall with colored corals., CAGAYANCILLO ISLANDS Untouched reef.

  7. Day 7: Cagayan Islands – Hammerhead Haven

    Today's dives in the Cagayan Islands continue to explore clearwater sites and deep walls, particularly targeting areas known for hammerhead shark sightings. These dives often feature strong currents, attracting large schools of barracudas and jackfish, enhancing the pelagic experience.

    Dive sites: CAGAYANCILLO ISLANDS Clearwater, untouched corals, CAGAYANCILLO ISLANDS Very deep wall with its schools of jackfish., CAGAYANCILLO ISLANDS It is a straight wall with an overhang in the wall done by sea erosion, totally covered by giant sea fans.

  8. Day 8: Negros – Critter and Current Dives

    Returning to Negros, divers will experience current-driven dives abundant with schools of animated fish. The coral reef slopes lead to a wall, showcasing vibrant marine life including ghost pipefish and frogfish. Another highlight is a healthy, untouched hard coral garden, offering a rich environment for critter spotting and a variety of reef fish.

    Dive sites: NEGOS Drift dive with strong currents where are schools of jacks., NEGOS A very colored dive with its schools of fish animated by strong currents., NEGOS It is a straight wall with an overhang in the wall done by sea erosion, totally covered by giant sea fans.

  9. Day 9: Bohol – Whale Sharks and Black Forest

    Diving around Bohol provides opportunities for encounters with whale sharks, often seen in the bay. Sites like Black Forest feature 45m deep walls adorned with sea fans, corals, and schools of barracudas and jackfish. Heaven for divers is also explored, known for its pristine corals and large populations of green turtles, making for a truly memorable day of diving.

    Dive sites: CEBU Dive with Whale sharks., BOHOL Black Forest Wall 45 m deep with sea fans, corals, barracudas, uncountable turtles, and schools of jackfishes., BOHOL Heaven for divers because of its nice corals and its large quantity of green turtles.

  10. Day 10: Bohol – Macro and Pelagic Diversity

    The final full day of diving in Bohol offers a mix of deep wall explorations and macro photography opportunities. Very deep walls are known for schools of barracuda, whitetip reef sharks, and hammerheads, especially during specific seasons. More relaxed dives along the plateau are perfect for discovering varied macro life and tiny critters.

    Dive sites: BOHOL Very deep wall (~80m), BOHOL Quite dives along the plateau

  11. Day 11: Disembarkation – Cebu

    Guests will return to Cebu Yacht Club for disembarkation between 8 AM and 11 AM. Transfers will be provided to the airport or their hotel in Cebu City, concluding the liveaboard journey.

Upcoming departures

  • 2026-10-26 – 2026-11-05from 3,772.95 USDBook
  • 2027-11-10 – 2027-11-20from 3,852.5 USDBook

All routes of this liveaboard

About the vessel

SeadoorsSeadoorsPhilippines
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