Guidebooks will tell you about the thresher sharks and the white sand beach. Google will show you sunset photos. What nobody mentions is the stuff that actually shapes your experience once you’re there. Here are ten things worth knowing.
1. THE ISLAND IS TINY
You can walk from one end to the other in about 30 minutes. There are no cars. No taxis. No roads, really, just sandy paths and a couple of concrete lanes. You walk everywhere, or occasionally take a bicycle. Once you realise this, your shoulders drop about three inches and your holiday properly begins.
2. BRING CASH
There are ATMs on Malapascua, but they run out of money regularly, especially during peak season. Bring enough pesos to cover your stay, plus a buffer. We accept card payments at the dive shop, but many restaurants and all of the small local shops are cash only.
3. POWER CUTS HAPPEN
Malapascua gets its electricity from an undersea cable, and it’s not always reliable. Power outages happen occasionally, sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for a day. Most dive shops and accommodations have backup generators. It’s a minor inconvenience, not a crisis. Bring a small torch and a portable charger for your phone. (If it helps, we operated for years before the island even had 24-hour electricity. The diving doesn’t stop.)
4. THE SUNSETS ARE STUPID GOOD
Bounty Beach faces west. Every evening, the sky turns colours you didn’t know existed. People come out of their rooms, put down their phones (briefly), and just watch. It happens every day, and it never gets boring. The beach bars along Bounty Beach are the best seats in the house.
5. PACK LIGHT
You’re getting on a small boat to a small island where you’ll walk on sandy paths. A massive hard-shell suitcase is your enemy. Bring a backpack or soft bag. You need far less than you think: swimwear, a couple of shirts, shorts, a light layer for the boat ride, and that’s about it. Dive gear is available to rent, so unless you’re attached to your own equipment, leave it at home.
6. THE FOOD IS BETTER THAN YOU EXPECT
Malapascua has a surprising range of restaurants for a tiny island. Filipino food, Italian, seafood barbecue, even decent pizza. The local carinderias serve home-cooked Filipino dishes that are incredibly good value. Try the grilled squid and the kinilaw (Filipino ceviche). Don’t miss the mango shakes.
7. INTERNET EXISTS BUT DON’T RELY ON IT
Most places have WiFi. It works… sometimes. A local SIM card with data is a good backup. But honestly, the spotty internet is a feature, not a bug. You’re on a tiny tropical island to dive with sharks. The emails can wait.
8. THE COMMUNITY IS REAL
Malapascua has a small, friendly expat and dive professional community alongside the local Filipino population. After a couple of days, you’ll recognise faces, know which restaurant the instructors go to after work, and feel like a regular rather than a tourist. This is one of the things people love most about the island and the hardest thing to convey in a brochure.
9. YOU’LL WANT TO STAY LONGER
This is the universal Malapascua experience. People book three nights and extend to five. Or book five and extend to seven. Or come for a week and start asking about monthly accommodation rates. The island has a pull that’s hard to explain until you feel it. If you can, build some flexibility into your schedule.
10. THE SHARK DIVE IS WORTH IT
The thresher shark dive at Kimud Shoal is the signature experience. Since the sharks moved there in 2022, the encounters have been the best in our history: shallower, closer, and lasting longer into the day. Every single person who does this dive says the same thing: worth it.
There you go. Now you know more than most first-time visitors. Welcome to Malapascua.