Tapanee Beach Resort, Malapascua  (From their website) What we have done is a small resort composed by 6 independent cottages with double bed and one cottage of 4 rooms with a double bed and a single bed each, all leaning in front of the sea, built up with local materials like bamboo and stone, with roofs made by a particular kind of fine straw named Kogon, and equipped with all comfort: 24h electricity, hot water, fridge, safety box, spacious private veranda and free internet wi-fi connection. Tepanee stands on a small hill that rise up from a beach located at north-west and go down to another one located at south-west, from where it's possible to admire breathtaking sunsets and where we placed beach umbrellas, sunbeds and a gazebo for massages, in a secluded and suggestive area. The name “Tepanee” comes from the polinesian name of frangipane: a tropical tree that produce the flowers printed in these pages. On our small hill grow many and in different colours: during the flowering season their fragrance diffuses in the air making enchanted the atmosphere. We were open since december 2008: we will do our best to make your holiday pleasant and peaceful. We wait for  you! N.B. A Malapascua don't exist banks, ATMs, exchange bureau and post offices. Therefore it's not possible to get hold of cash and the nearest bank is in Bogo, a town that is about one hour by bus from Maya pier (that is about half hour by boat from Malapascua). Since in Tepanee we don't accept yet the credit card payment, and this is valid in many places here, we suggest you to reach Malapascua with enough Pesos, the local money, for your stay here.	Tapanee Beach Resort
Thresher Sharks of Malapascua Malapascua is the only place in the world where you can dive with the magnificent thresher sharks every day! About Thresher Sharks The thresher shark, or Alopias pelagicus is a type of mackerel shark or Lamniformes.They grow up to a length of 5-6 meters, about half of which is the huge scythe-like tail for which it is named. They have very small, sharp teeth and very big eyes to see in the dark.They eat squid and schooling fish such as herring and mackerel and they use their tails to "corral" the fish into denser schools. The tail may also be used to stun the fish.They will sometimes "breach" and can jump completely out of the water. Why are they here? Monad Shoal near Malapascua is a sunken island at 18-24m whose sides drop off to 230m. The thresher sharks live and hunt in this deep water for most of the day, but in the early morning, before it gets too light, they come up to the Shoal, attracted by its cleaning stations. Here they have a symbiotic (mutually beneficial) relationship with the small fish called cleaning wrasse which eat dead skin and bacteria from the shark's body, its gills, and even inside its mouth.  What time do we dive? The best time to dive with the sharks is anywhere between sunrise and 9am. Each dive shop has a daily schedule and the time we dive changes each day - either 5am, 5.30am, 6am or 6.30am. This means there are less divers on the site at any one time.  When is the best month? We see thresher sharks year round. It is rare to have a day when no sharks have been sighted at Monad. Traditionally the best months are July-October. Diving with Thresher Sharks on Malapascua The sharks are not dangerous to humans. Threshers like to circle, sometimes in twos and threes, so if we see a shark as it is swimming away, it is likely the shark(s) will soon come back into view. On our dives, we move slowly, and if we see a shark, we stop and wait. If we stay still and make no sudden movements, sometimes the sharks can come so close you could almost touch them. We never swim after the sharks or use camera strobes as this will scare them away. As Monad Shoal has a fairly deep, square profile, we recommend that you use NITROX and double your bottom time at Shark Point. If you double your bottom time, you double your chance of seeing sharks! Please note: camera strobes and flashes are not allowed as per marine sanctuary rules..	Wreck Diving in Malapascua Malapascua has a wreck for all levels of diver! If you've heard that Coron is the only place in the Philippines with good wreck diving, think again! Lighthouse Wreck    5m / 15ft The wreck at Lighthouse was a Japanese World War II landing craft. It was bombed just before landing with a large shipment of cement destined for a gun emplacement. The wreck is in very shallow water - 3m average - and is broken up with the hull in two pieces. The rocks that you will see are actually bags of cement! Life that you can see around the wreck include yellow-tailed barracuda, hermit crabs, octopus, pipefish, juvenile harlequin sweetlips, and banded sea snakes. This wreck is perfect for practicing reel use and running a line in preparation for wreck penetration into the Dona Marilyn Wreck.. Nearby is Lighthouse West - easily reached from the wreck to see abundant mandarinfish and seahorses. Dona Marilyn Wreck    18m-32m / 60ft-110ft The Dona Marilyn was a Cebu-Manila passenger ferry that sank in a typhoon over 20 years ago. It was a huge disaster and many people lost their lives. The wreck is around 100m long, and now lying on its starboard side, amazingly still all in one piece. Long lost fishing nets encrusted in coral are draped all over it, giving it quite a spooky feel! Marble rays, blue-spotted rays and whitetip sharks live under the bow and eagle rays and devil rays sometimes pass through. The wreck is covered in a healthy growth of soft coral, and the fish that live there grow to a large size. Several varieties of sweetlips grow bigger here than at any of our other dive sites and the juveniles are often seen. Large cuttlefish and scorpionfish are common as well as nudibranchs and flatworms. A giant moray eel is living in the wreck. You can also see many of the beautiful purple fire sea urchins, accompanied by their resident zebra crabs and Coleman's shrimp. Penetration is possible for qualified divers. There is lots to see inside as it has remained unsalvaged.                Tapilon Wreck    22m-28m / 70ft-90ft The 'Taplion' Wreck, is an unidentified World War II Japanese cargo carrier, named for the nearby town on the mainland. The boat was hit by torpedoes and although it lies in several sections, it is still recognizable as a vessel. There is an abundance of life on this wreck and it is covered in beautiful black coral, some bushes containing hundreds of almost invisible shrimp jumping around. There are also many species of flat worms and nudibranchs, as well as moray eels, cuttlefish, squid, and scorpion fish. Huge marble rays are sometimes seen; also the fire sea urchin and its accompanying zebra crabs, squat lobsters and Coleman's shrimp. Sometimes we have several ornate ghost pipefish and frogfish in residence and if you are lucky you will see a flamboyant cuttlefish. A recent attempt to salvage the wreck uncovered bullets and bones so this is not a dive for the faint-hearted!
Marine Life on Malapascua Situated near to the epicenter of marine life origin on the planet, Malapascua has an incredible diversity of life.  Below are lists of only some of the amazing creatures see regularly. Anything less common or seasonal is noted.  Sharks: Thresher, Whitetip, Bamboo, Cat, Hammerheads (Jan-Apr) Rays: Mantas, devil, marble, fantail, blue spotted, eagle Seahorses and pipefish: Common, Moluccen, thorny, pygmy and Denise seahorses. Schultz', banded, orange banded, white mushroom coral, bent stick, straight stick, whiskered, ghost (seasonal), robust ghost Cephalopods: Broadclub cuttlefish often seen mating, flamboyant cuttlefish, squid, bobtail squid, starry sky octopus, blue-ringed octopus Moray eels: White-eyed, snowflake/clouded,  bar-tailed, giant morays, spot-faced, snake eels. Shrimp: Coleman's, banded boxer, anemone & commensal shrimp of all varieties, smashing mantis, feather star, and harlequin shrimp Crabs: Box crabs, decorator crabs, hermit crabs, porcelain anemone crabs, xenon crabs Fish: Frogfish of varying kinds, mandarin fish, seamoths (Pegasus), batfish (including the juvenile), scorpionfish (including stingers), lionfish (common, dwarf), flying gurnard, clown triggerfish, titan trigger, flutemouth, schooling bannerfish, moorish idols, barracuda, shrimpfish, tuna, jacks, big-mouthed mackerel, angelfish, fingered dragonet, flounder, striped eel catfish, various sweetlips, filefish... Nudibranchs: 100's of types! Dolphins: On the surface Some of the cool, new & unusual things we have seen recently: Denise Pygmy Seahorse! This is the smallest known seahorse in the world, and was only classified in 2003. Picture of the female Hippocampus denise is below.	Malapascua Island, Cebu Malapascua Island is just off the north tip of Cebu. About 2km by 0.5km, you can walk around it in 1-2 hours. It has a population of around 4000, most of whom live off tourism, fishing, boat building or coconuts. Malapascua means 'Bad Christmas' in Cebuano. Legend has it that it was so named because the Spanish first landed here one stormy Christmas Day in the 1500's. There is some debate about the name because although 'mal' definitely means 'bad,' 'pasco' means Christmas in the local language of Cebuano but 'pascua' in Spanish means Easter. So perhaps it was a stormy Easter after all. Malapascua was first 'discovered' by present-day foreigners over 25 years ago, when Freddy of Cocobana Resort.bought land. Ten years later he opened the island's very first resort. Today, Malapascua remains a beautiful, sleepy island, as yet unspoiled by tourism, with white sandy beaches, lush green palm trees and surrounded by clear blue waters. There are no cars on the island and most buildings are only one floor high. The locals are friendly and like to say hello and chat. They may even invite you to their homes for dinner, or at least to sit down, join them singing songs and playing guitar, and toast each other with a rum and coke. Bounty Beach and Thresher Shark Divers are located on the south of the island, on the long beach you can see on the lower end of the photo above. Local events on Malapascua Fiestas: There are many fiestas throughout the year with beauty pageants, discos, booths, food and drink. Westerners are always welcome. Basketball is the national obsession and games are played at courts all over the island. You may even be here at the right time to cheer on the Thresher Shark Divers team. Cockfighting comes second after basketball, and you will see the proud birds (and prouder owners) all over the island. For the less squeamish, you can find a fight most Sundays. You're welcome to watch and place a bet! Malapascua is suitable for families, with a swimming pool at Kuan Ba and beautiful beaches. Massage ladies soothe away stress with a coconut oil massage for less than the price of a beer. The island is small and the main attractions are the beaches, the snorkeling and the diving. Many people enjoy walking around the island to see the local villages, and the local children will clamor for you to take their photos. There is a lighthouse open to the public, and the cemetery is worth a visit. It has a certain interest, despite the skulls and bones that can sometimes be seen! Malapascua Dining Malapascua has some excellent restaurants. Many are Western owned and run and have set a high standard for the island. Food is of excellent quality, and is a mix of Filipino and European dishes. German, English and Italian cuisines rank high. There are excellent curries and Mexican food!  "Oscar's" is the island's newest restaurant and once you try it! It has a daily-changing menu, serving a mix of high quality reasonably priced international dishes made from the freshest ingredients. Malapascua's Bars A favourite is the Pub Upstairs, an open air bar, above Thresher Shark Divers (TSD). It's surrounded by palm trees with a view over the sea. With a wide selection of imported liquor as well as imported beers and an extensive cocktail list, you are sure to find a tipple to suit you. It's a popular choice for divers, comparing how many sharks they saw that morning. Happy Hour runs from 4-7pm.  Booze Cruise is a TSD Special and is not to be missed! Cruise around the island in the late afternoon, with a plentiful supply of alcohol on board! Stopping for snorkeling at the Lighthouse wreck, and take a turn at driving the boat. It's always lot of fun and great for photos. Free mind-blowing sunset! The Weather in Malapascua We are very fortunate with the weather on Malapascua. The Philippines has two seasons: "rainy season" (July-December) and "dry season" (January to June). Luckily, it doesn't mean that it always rains in rainy season - in fact we can go for months in rainy season with very little rain. As Malapascua is away from the mountains we experience much less rainfall that Cebu City. We are rarely affected by typhoons, which tend to pass near to Luzon in the north of the Philippines. Diving and the weather: We lose very few days diving out of every year. There is almost always a protected area on the island that we can dive. It is very difficult for us to say how the weather will be at a certain time of year and of course the weather is hard to predict far in advance. The few storms we have are spread out fairly evenly through rainy season with a few more in November and December. This can change from year to year.