Monad Shoal is about a 15-20 minute boat ride from Malapascua Island. Malapascua Island is found off the northern end of the island of Cebu in the Philippines. It is accessed by ferry from the town of Maya. Monad Shoal is one of the few areas where you can routinely sight Thresher Sharks. It's not a 100% and there can be dry spells. I sighted Threshers in 3 out of 4 dives when made at the right time of day. In late October, early November, that means being in the water around 6 AM. I made a couple of dives later in the morning. No Threshers, but did see a nice octopus on one dive and some nice nudibranchs including a Neon Slug on the other. I made two afternoon dives there. On the first we had a nice Manta Ray sighting. It swooped in over us and just kept circling out and back in. My buddy with the video camera got 18 minutes of footage! On the other afternoon dive I made we didn't see Manta's that day, but I did see a couple of nice stonefish. It's in an exposed are and there can be a current, so something to be aware of. Visibility on a good day can be 60 ft+.... the average is closer to 30 ft. Lots of small fish life... cleaner wrasse, some anemone's and clownfish, saw some nice size batfish on one dive. All in all definitely worth the trip!
Facts about Malapascua Island/Cebu![](http://www.underwaterphotography.com/upload/up/Competition/33100.jpg)
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Juerg ZieglerEye to Eye with Devilfish !
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Juerg Zieglerlatest bike-fashion on Malapascua:
74 Year old snorkeling Grandma
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Juerg ZieglerCrab during night dive
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Juerg ZieglerMantis Hammer Shrimp with eggs!
Hopy you all like this rare shot...
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Juerg ZieglerHi - doyou want to join me in this beautiful anemoune ?
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Juerg Zieglerbeautiful but deadly...
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Daniel StrubShot taken during the early morning dive, 6:30 am - and i woke up Mitch :-) - at Monad Shoal, while waiting for the Threshers ... who by the way were also seen :-)) whata great spot, i LOVE it
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Jörg MengeZEBRA
Zebra Crab (Urchin Crab) - Zebrida adamsii - Zebrakrabbe
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Jörg MengeTresher Shark
Fuchshai
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Afflitti Gianlucanudibranchia
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Nadya KulaginaCrowned...
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Brian LawTaken on my last dive in Malapascua Los Bamboos
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Seania Wingclose up of a crown of thorn seastar
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Jonathan SalaChromodoris Coi, Malapasqua Island
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Jonathan SalaPhyllidia Ocellata, Malapasqua Island
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Lance TeoPortrait Frog Fish
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Lance TeoBlack and Red
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Lance TeoNom Nom Feeding time!
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Lance TeoCat food!
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Lance TeoShrimp on Feather Star
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Mona DienhartTAIL
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Babula Mikulovasepia
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Henrik Gram RasmussenFrog Face
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Jonathan Salalovely
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Elly JeurissenAnemone hermit crab (Dardanus pedunculatus) @ Malapascua, Philippines 2014
Canon G12 in Canon WP-DC34 UW-housing, Inon UCL-165 macro lens, single strobe Sea&Sea YS-01.
F8; 1/250 sec.; ISO 80
Only slightly cropped in the upper right corner
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Tommi KokkolaThreadfin hawkfish at Malapascua, Philippines.
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Tolga BalogluLittle one on the soft coral
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Taotao Yanghermit crab
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Taotao YangCat Face
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Jan MortonSmiley Happy Nudibranch in a Colourful Dream
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Marc DamantSometimes at the end of a dive you just have to look up! Finishing with the Thresher Sharks of Malapasqua we started our assent back to the surface and the life above water!
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Tanakit SuwanyangyaunGoing back to reality....
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Irwin AngD U A L
Soft croal porcelain crab (Lissoporcellana nakasonei)
Malapascua Island, Philippines. December 2014
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Jan MortonTwo pregnant Saw Blade Shrimp on Whip Coral
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Stephen Tan3 Clowns and an anemone.
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Hansruedi WuerstenBlack Frogfish
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Hansruedi WuerstenPhanerobranch Dorids
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Hansruedi WuerstenLemon Nudibranch
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Hansruedi WuerstenNudibranch Nembrotha milleri
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Hansruedi WuerstenSquat Shrimp (Anemone Shrimp) - Thor amboinensis on Tube Anemone
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Hansruedi WuerstenHoneycomb Sea Star - Pentaceraster alveolatus
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Hansruedi WuerstenHoneycomb Sea Star - Pentaceraster alveolatus
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Hansruedi WuerstenNetwork Lamellaria / Black Velutinid - with litte Brittle Star on the top
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Hansruedi WuerstenVelvety Sea Star - Leiaster speciosus
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Hansruedi WuerstenBroadclub cuttlefish - Sepia latimanus
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Hansruedi WuerstenBanded Boxer Shrimp - Stenopus hispidus
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Hansruedi WuerstenJuvenile Oriental Flying Gurnard
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Hansruedi WuerstenSpider Squat Lobster - Chirostylus sandyi (also known as Ch. dolichopus)
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Hansruedi WuerstenUnknow
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Hansruedi WuerstenSpiral Coral - Stichopathes sp
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Hansruedi WuerstenTube Anemone - Cerianthus filiformis
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Hansruedi WuerstenOriental Flying Gurnard - Dactyloptena orientalis
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Hansruedi WuerstenChamberlain's Nembrotha - Nembrotha chamberlaini (before Nembrotha rutilans and Nembrotha purpureolineata)
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Yuping ChenThe Orange Beauty
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Morgan Estevez PorrasCheck out this epic shot I snagged of a Thresher Shark in Malapascua! It was one of those heart-pounding moments where you just feel lucky to be there. Watching it glide through the water was like witnessing a living legend in action.