The Philippines : Malapascua Island

From a sleepy island village
to one of the Philippines'
“must-dive” destinations,
Malapascua has come a
long way.

Malapascua Mania




Published Feb 2004 by ADVENTURE RUSH Magazine
Words and Images by Maria Luisa Roldan
Thresher shark photography by Jon-jon Rufino



“Six thresher sharks!” A shrill scream shatters the silent dawn, waking us all up in our hut. Within minutes, we are on our feet, hurriedly gearing up. “Thresher sharks are not aggressive unless provoked,” warns our divemaster. “With great bursts of speed, they use their large scythe-like tails as a powerful whip to stun their prey.” We listen in awe, wide-eyed and all psyched up for a close encounter with the elusive thresher.


Ten minutes into the dive, there it was. Imagine our exhilarating adrenalin rush upon seeing the approaching silhouette of this magnificent creature - enormous in the vastness of the deep! Its extraordinarily long tail, about the same length as its body, was a daunting sight. A shaft of sunlight revealed the sleek, metallic luster on its grayish-brown robust body, measuring almost 4meters from head to tail. As it came closer, its large round eyes made a sweeping glance at my fins. It swam in circles within a few meters from us, swishing its large tail from side-to-side. We remained motionless near the rocks, awe-struck in the presence of this stunningly massive shark.

Slowly, unobtrusively, we started our ascent. A school of multihued fairy-wrasse wriggled past when suddenly, a manta ray – with a mighty 3-meter wingspan - glid over gracefully like a giant bird! It was feeding on plankton with its mouth wide-open. Considering the manta ray’s migratory feeding pattern, this was a privileged moment.

Later that day, divers flocked to the floating bar for sunset cocktails and a dose of the day’s most fantastic tale. “A thresher leapt out of the water,” one gushed. “We saw hammerhead sharks,” claimed another. Such was the excitement that has drawn divers from all over the world to this little-known island off the northern tip of Cebu.

Thresher Treasure

From a humble fishing village to one of the country’s “must-dive” destinations, Malapascua has come a long way. A tiny speck in the Visayan Sea, it emerged as a dive “mecca” in early 2001 because of its thresher sharks. Although threshers are found in temperate and tropical oceans worldwide, experts claim that Malapascua is possibly the only known site in the region where divers can regularly experience a close encounter with them year-round. These timid sharks are sometimes seen around nearby Mactan and Cabilao, as well as Tacdogan Reef off Sorsogon, but sightings are not as regular as in Malapascua.

On a sea-mount called Monad Shoal, half-an-hour by boat from Malapascua, there are so-called “cleaning stations” where these deep-dwellers appear with clockwork consistency, presenting themselves to cleaner-fish that feed on parasites off their bodies. At Shark Point, threshers are seen almost every morning, swimming in circles at cleaning stations no deeper than 26meters.

Malapascua’s other treasures are spread far apart in over 20 dive sites – a superb mix of walls, caves, tunnels and sunken wrecks. Except where blast-fishing is prevalent, neighboring coral reefs remain relatively lush and vibrant. These healthy reefs support an astounding diversity of marine life, from enormous manta rays and various species of sharks, to seldom-seen tiny critters like the blue-ringed octopus, harlequin ghost-pipefish, seahorses and the rare Mandarin fish.

Eerie Tunnels, Spooky Wrecks

An hour by motorboat from Malapascua is Gato Island, a protected sea-snake sanctuary where hundreds of black-and-white banded sea-snakes swim freely around the islet. Below, underwater walls and caves are draped with intricate tapestries of magnificent corals and vibrant reef activity. While cuttlefish change colors before your eyes, lionfish hover past massive gorgonian sea-fans. White-tip reef sharks sleep as fairy-basslets bustle near swaying soft-corals in bright-yellow and tangerine.

For the more daring, there’s an 80m underwater tunnel that runs below Gato, starting at a depth of 5m and exits at 14m. A swim-through is not advisable during strong currents. More critters lurk inside – crabs, lobsters and gigantic moray eels as thick as your thighs! Eerily magnificent is the deepest hues of the azure blue water – shimmering against the sunlight, beckoning at the tunnel’s edge.


A popular wreck dive, the Doña Marilyn (90min-2hrs away) was a ferry that sunk during a typhoon in the early ‘80s. This enormous wreck supports a thriving coral growth festooned with various fish in stunning colors, from frogfish in bright hues of apple-green to angelfish in dazzling fluorescent-blue.

Dating back to World War II, Pioneer Wreck (15min away) is a Japanese vessel teeming with marine life, including schools of barracuda glittering in the sunlight. A long wreck with an intact hull, this dive is not for the faint-hearted. Another Japanese vessel, Tapilon Wreck (30min away), was heavily torpedoed into pieces, sunken at depths between 18–30meters. Amidst scattered debris, black-coral and multicolored nudibranchs catch the eye, so do tiny anemone-shrimps in transparent neon-purple.


Almost Idyllic

Legend has it that Spanish conquistadors wound up spending a stormy Christmas on the island. In memory of that one unfortunate Christmas, the name “mala pascua” stuck. Luckily for us, it was nothing like a stormy day. A beautiful white palm-fringed beach unfolded before our eyes as we docked on the southern coast, enticing turquoise waters lapping gently on the sandy shore. How long before unsightly litter and loud disco-bars totally take over? A greater threat, however, is happening underwater.

“Dynamite fishing occurs, not far from the marine sanctuary of Gato,” a local dive-guide explains, “these fishermen are from distant towns, not from Malapascua.” Despite community-based efforts of government and private sectors to protect these reefs, overfishing and destructive fishing methods using dynamite or sodium-cyanide, are still being practiced illegally. Threshers and mantas are hunted down voraciously for their highly-priced fins and meat. Divers used to encounter a dozen threshers on Monad Shoal; the following year sightings dropped by 50%.

Inevitably, irresponsible reef-tourism further disturbs aquatic ecosystems. Merely approaching marine creatures can disrupt the natural rhythm of their lives. When a diver gets in the way of threshers, this may cause them to alter their behavioral patterns. The good news is that environmental consciousness is gradually spreading and more dive operators are aware. They limit group size when visiting sharks and brief divers on how to observe them with the least possible disturbance.

As I watched a smaller thresher swim harmlessly around us, I was struck by mixed emotions of reverence and sadness, reminded that Nature has its bounds. Chances are, diving with threshers will soon become a dreamful tale once heard of…….. but never again experienced.

HOW TO GET THERE

The tiny island of Malapascua lies 8km northeast of Cebu and 25km west of Leyte in central Philippines. Upon arrival at Mactan Cebu International Airport, head for Maya on the northernmost coast of Cebu. It’s a scenic 3-hour drive along the coast, through the mountains and sugarcane plantations. From Maya’s wharf, outrigger boats ferry passengers to Malapascua. You can hire your own boat for P500. Within half-an-hour, you will reach Malapascua’s southern coast called Bounty Beach, where balconied single-room cottages & dive operators are just a stone’s throw away from the turquoise-blue waters. A leisure-walk around the island takes about 3hours.

Ask your resort or dive operator to handle ALL transfer arrangements from Mactan International Airport to Malapascua Island. But if you want to be more adventurous:
Take the BUS from Cebu City
Expect a rough 4-hour bus ride. Catch D’Rough Riders or Cebu Autobus at the Northern Bus Terminal near Makro and SM in Cebu City. Buses leave every hour in the morning. Take the bus that goes direct to “Maya Bagay.”
Or get a TAXI from Mactan International Airport
Negotiate with a taxi driver to drop you off at Maya’s wharf, starting from P1500.
Or rent a CAR (Book at least 3 hours in advance)
Hire a car and driver from P2000-2500 or a van for P4000-5000
Fast Transit Corp (032) 3400982 / 3402983, Friends Rent A Car (032) 340 5729, Dollar Rent A Car * (032) 254 8255 Or contact the Mactan Cebu Airport at (032) 3402486.


WHEN TO GO

High season in Malapascua is November-May. Although threshers are seen year-round, the best time to go is during low season when there are fewer divers at the sites – the more likely you’ll see the shy threshers. Avoid the typhoon season from late June-August. Best time to see manta rays is between July-December. If you must go during the peak season (Christmas & Easter weeks), book well in advance!



About the Writer

“The astounding biodiversity of our seas is mind-blowing, making every dive an exhilarating discovery,” says marine enthusiast Maria Luisa Roldan. As a freelance photojournalist and an avid student of life, she pursues the raw, the real, and the more intense. With less than 200 logged dives as a PADI-certified recreational diver, she already has a wealth of diving experiences in distinguished reefs such as the Maldives and the Tubbataha Reefs. From Coron, Pamalican, Apo Reef, Maricaban, Verde, Puerto Galera, and Anilao, down to the Visayas - Boracay, Apo Island, Bohol, Moalboal, Malapascua, and Leyte. She has earned recognition from the Australian College of Journalism for her travel writing, and has since received accreditation with the Australian News Syndicate. Her recent articles and images appear in a wide variety of publications, from Cosmopolitan to Budhi, plus a coffee-table book.

online articles by CHINQUI ROLDAN

published by FIVE MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
Canada-based Organization on Human Rights and International Affairs













POSTCARDS FROM THE BIG BLUE
words and images by Maria Luisa Roldan

Welcome to Mother Nature's richest and most fascinating realm – life under the sea. The astounding biodiversity of our seas is mind-blowing! From great pelagic creatures to multi-hued critters and a legion of microscopic organisms, the variety of species actually exceeds one's imagination. Nowhere else on the planet can one find a more vibrant and diverse community harbouring a magnificent interplay between plant and animal kingdoms, living and dead, both past and present.




click on the following link to view Roldan's underwater photography and article published by FIVE MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT

http://www.11-55.org/issues3/issue.php?iss=43&art=43.6










CHILDREN OF THE CORDILLERA
words and images by Maria Luisa Roldan

Tucked away in the sleepy little villages of the Cordillera, these children are resilient survivors of geographical isolation. They are the future of small towns such as Lacub and Tobo, which have not awakened from a long slumber due to lack of infrastructure and government funding. Without paved roads and regular transport that would make travel and communication trouble-free, these children remain isolated by distance and inclement weather causing mud slides that make roads and rivers impenetrable. Health and education, the two most basic rights which we often take for granted, come as a difficult struggle for these children. This is their day to day reality.

To view photos and read full article click here:

http://www.11-55.org/issues2/issue.php?iss=38&art=38.8

Northern Philippines: Sagada

This Igorot boy was my quiet seatmate during our bumpy 7-hour bus ride from Baguio to Sagada. My brother O, my friend Kikoy and I were trying to sleep as soundly as he was, but the shaking bus on the zigzag roads made us sway all over the place.

We had scheduled our arrival to fall on the first day of November in order to witness Sagada's unique All Soul's day tradition. Instead of lighting candles for their beloved departed, they light bonfires next to every newly-painted tomb. Imagine the unusual sight that greeted us as we approached the cemetery on a hill where countless bonfires were kept burning amidst the white tombs.

These boys were either escaping the fumes or simply enjoying the scenery of bonfire. They're probably smoking the weed, too, but Sagadans do not appreciate visitors' misconception that marijuana is widely used here. So no, the locals did not take us to the plantations.

Meanwhile on another mountain not far away, a friend of mine also went trekking somewhere in the neighboring province of Kalinga (still part of Cordillera)... They ended up camping right on a huge marijuana plantation! On their trip back to Manila, some of their backpacks were inspected at the checkpoint. Luckily, she was with "experienced" mountaineers, so none of them got caught with the weed!

SPELUNKING IN SAGADA!
That's me and my brother exploring the cavernous halls and subterranean channels of vast Sumaguing Cave. It was an interesting caving experience which allowed us to literally "interact" with the cave! We got to climb the rocks, slide on them, crouch under, wade on high water and swim through passageways.

The best part was squeezing through incredibly narrow rock crevices, holes so tight that our guide had to instruct us which body part to slide first - the feet or the head! We also climbed with a rope at one point, crawl with our bare hands, experiencing the various textures of the underground rocks.

When we dared to swim in one of the subterranean pools, I forgot to prepare myself for the freezing water temperature and just took the plunge. After I got out of the water sooner than planned, I stood next to a gigantic rock, felt it with my bare hands and I swear I felt a thud, I felt something! I sensed a vibration, more like life energy ........ the cave was alive!



UP NEXT........ BANAUE RICE TERRACES AND THE IFUGAOS.

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On May 13, 2006, I joined 68 volunteers (Ayala Mountaineers) to help bring school supplies for these school children. They're from Lacub, an isolated village in Abra, another province in the Cordillera Region.

After a 9-hour bus ride from Manila, followed by a bumpy jeepney ride for 4 hours on rough and dusty roads, we immediately started our trek on the expansive slopes of Lacub’s verdant mountains. Bathing in the river at sunset after our 6-hour climb was my exhausting day's reward!