Monad Shoal
A plateau where thresher sharks rise at dawn to visit cleaning stations.
- Advanced
- Pinnacle
- Bull sharks
Advanced≤30 m
Doña Marilyn Wreck
Dive site in Malapascua, Philippines
Inter-island ferry lost in a 1988 storm, lying on its starboard side at up to 32 m; partly broken up by salvagers in 2018.
- Max depth
- 40 m
- Level
- Advanced
- Best months
- Dec–May
- Entry
- By boat
- Current
- Moderate
The story
The passenger ship Doña Marilyn capsized on 24 October 1988 in strong winds and giant waves from Typhoon Ruby (Unsang), with approximately 400 dead or missing. The wreck lies off Malapascua, where it has been made into a diving attraction.
Source: en.wikipedia.org
The dive
A wreck dive from a boat. Known for whitetip reef sharks and stingrays.
Who it's for
Advanced≤30 mSource: divein.com
Recommended minimum: Advanced (PADI Advanced Open Water, N2).
- DepthThe usual dive goes deeper than lower certifications allow.
- The site goes deeper than 30 m: Advanced divers stay above 30 m.
Conditions
- Dive type
- Wreck
- Current
- Moderate
- Estimated
- Environment
- Open water
- Water
- Sea water
What you might see
- Whitetip reef sharks
- Stingrays
Why divers come
- History
Season in Malapascua
- J
- F
- M
- A
- M
- J
- J
- A
- S
- O
- N
- D
- Best
- Good
- Possible
- Closed
- Not documented yet
Best months: Dec–May.
Source: zubludiving.comWhere is Malapascua?
The point shows the Malapascua area, not the exact dive site.
More dives in Malapascua
Kalanggaman Island
Sandbar island with drop-offs where turtles patrol the walls and a thresher shark occasionally appears.
- Advanced
- Wall
- Thresher sharks
Capitancillo Island
- Advanced
- Wall
Macro
down to 20 m
Chocolate Island Malapascua
Shallow soft-coral site in the 5-12 m range, a photographers' favourite by day or night.
- Open Water
- Frogfish
Pinnacle
down to 34 m
Deep Rock Malapascua
Rocky pinnacle from 14 m to 34 m north of the port, where tide changes bring intermediate to strong current.
- Experienced
- Blue-ringed octopus
Pinnacle
down to 40 m
Kimud Shoal
Since 2022 the main thresher shark cleaning station, with a plateau at 12 m and cleaning from 12 to 22 m.
- Advanced
- Manta rays
About this page
Values marked “Estimated” come from our original catalogue and are being checked against published sources one by one. Sourced values link to where they come from. Conditions change with the season, the weather and the tide: confirm with a local dive centre before you dive.
Photo credits
- Monad Shoal dive site, Malapascua, Jun V Lao, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Kalanggaman Island sandbar, Gcabig2024, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Capitancillo Islet and its lighthouse, tacit requiem (joanneQEscober ) from Marikina City, Philippines, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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