Snorkling på Malapascua i Filippinerna - en härlig tur

Writer: Helena Bergström

Now we've tried snorkelling on Malapascua in the Philippines, we can see why this island is popular with divers and snorkellers alike. The water is crystal clear and there is a fantastic variety of wildlife below the surface.

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Departure in the morning - with Malapascua Budget Tour

If you follow us on FREEDOMtravel, you'll know that we've been hanging out on the island of Malapascua for a while, and that through our friends Micke and Julia we got to know a Filipino family. Their son Hildem runs "Malapascua Budget Tour", an activity involving boat trips and snorkelling tours for tourists.

A few days ago, when Hildem had no other group booked, we booked ourselves on his most popular tour - a three-hour boat trip with snorkelling in several places around Malapascua.

Malapascua Budget Tour — Hildem shows off its stylish life jackets, which are available on board.

At 8:30 am Hildem and his colleague picked us up with the boat Dotche II (the family's smaller boat) at the beach. Bounty Beach on Malapascua. Then it was time to head out to the first snorkelling site.

Snorkelling on Malapascua

We had fantastic luck with the weather and the sun was shining on the crystal clear and green-blue water. It was hot in the air (around 28 degrees), and with sun protection on the boat and a little breeze on the sea, it was fantastically nice. In addition, the water temperature is lovely, so you can stay in for a long time without having to worry about freezing.

It was just a matter of changing into swimwear and putting on a cyclops and snorkel. Micke and Julia brought their own equipment, but we forgot ours in Sweden, so it was good that Hildem has equipment for hire. In addition, we had of course brought equipment to be able to photograph underwater.

Peter uses his regular mobile phone, but with a waterproof shell around it. This allowed him to photograph the boat from a distance and the fish (or snorkelling friends!) below the surface.

The Japanese shipwreck

One of the stops on the tour is the 'Japanese Shipwreck'. Located on the northwest side of Malapascua, not far from the island's lighthouse, this is the wreck of a Japanese ship that was sunk by the Americans during World War II. Exciting to check out!

Coral Garden

The stop that we found the most beautiful was the one called "Coral Garden". This is an area of coral reefs located on the eastern side of Malapascua. Here the water was even clearer, if possible, and we saw lots of fish.

You can see both small and large fish, in all shapes and colours, and sometimes in large schools. For example, you can see clownfish (like Nemo in 'Finding Nemo') and lots of other colourful fish that we can't name.

At one of the snorkelling sites it is also possible to see smaller blackfin reef sharks (which are not aggressive) and at certain times of the year (from July onwards) jellyfish can be seen.

We snorkelled a lot of course, but we also relaxed a lot on the boat and just enjoyed being on the lake. Really lovely!

A great snorkelling trip in Malapascua!

All in all, it was a really nice day of snorkelling on Malapascua. We came back to Bounty Beach just in time for lunch.

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

There is of course more to see and Things to do in Malapascuain addition to snorkelling. You can sunbathe and swim, dive and hang out in cosy restaurants. On the larger island of Cebu, you can visit Bogo City and Cebu City. By clicking on the image below you will find all our articles on the Philippines.

Have you tried snorkelling in Malapascua or elsewhere in Asia?

Have you tried snorkelling in Malapascua or elsewhere in Asia? How was your experience? What did you see under the surface?

Facts about snorkelling in Malapascua - with Malapascua Budget Tour

Location: Malapascua, Philippines
More info and booking: Malapascua Budget Tour on Facebook.
In bad weather: If the weather is too bad, tours are cancelled.

3 hour snorkelling trip

Starting point: Bounty Beach or the harbour of Malapascua
The tour goes to: Several snorkelling sites around Malapascua, including the Japanese Shipwreck and Coral Garden.
Price: 450 PHP/person (about 85 SEK) if there are at least 4 people on the tour or 550 PHP/person (about 105 SEK) if there are 3 people or less. (2023)

Other tours with Malapascua Budget Tour

Turer: Choose between Kalangamann island and Carnaza island + La Manok island.
Length: Both tours are full-day tours, starting at around 8:30 in the morning.
Price: 1500 PHP/person (approx. 285 SEK) 2023. Please note that a minimum of 10 people are required for the tour to take place.
Included in the price: Lunch is included in the price, as is the tax for visiting the islands.

What to bring when snorkelling in Malapascua

Swimwear
Snorkel, cyclops and possibly flippers (if you don't have a snorkel and cyclops, you can rent from Malapascua Budget Tour for 150 PHP/person (about 30 SEK), 2023).
Possibly bathing shoes
Sun hat, sunglasses and sunscreen
Towel or sarong
Water and snacks
Mobile phone/camera and preferably underwater camera

6 Comments

Add yours →

Anette says:

How lovely you have it, wonderful snorkelling pictures.
Here at home there is a white blanket and the wind is stingy and cold. Not without making me jealous of you 😀.

25 February 2023 - 8:34

Amanda (Swedish Passport) says:

But oh how amazing this looks! 😀

25 February 2023 - 15:27

BP says:

Absolutely wonderful to enjoy your pictures when it is two degrees below zero and snow outside the window. Oh how affordable it is to go on a tour in the Philippines.

25 February 2023 - 18:03

Lena - gott för själen says:

Soooo lovely you have it! Wonderful pictures! I love snoring, even though it's only happened twice so far. The first time was in Hawaii in the 80s and then in Thailand in the 90s. It's high time to do it again I realise 😉 The underwater world is really something I went for. Very special feeling.

Hug Lena

28 February 2023 - 13:20

Ditte says:

Lovely and so nice snorkelling - Truly an experience. Would love to try it here. Fantastic pictures.
I have snorkelled a lot before and the most amazing was probably on the Great Barrier Reef during our Round the World trip in 2005 and in the Maldives - both memorable.

28 February 2023 - 20:02

Per Aspenberg says:

Hi! Nice report. My tip for snorkelling pictures (amateur as I am) is to have a camera attached to your hand. The fish don't want to be photo models, they like to show their arse, you have to look for them. So you have to swim like crazy to get a reasonably good picture and then you need both arms to take a half-bad picture. Greetings from Firstmorning.se

11 March 2023 - 22:08

Snorkelling at Malapascua in the Philippines - a wonderful trip

Writer: Helena Bergström

Departure in the morning - with Malapascua Budget Tour

Snorkelling on Malapascua

The Japanese shipwreck

Coral Garden

A great snorkelling trip in Malapascua!

More to see and do in the neighbourhood

Have you tried snorkelling in Malapascua or elsewhere in Asia?

Facts about snorkelling in Malapascua - with Malapascua Budget Tour

3 hour snorkelling trip

Other tours with Malapascua Budget Tour

What to bring when snorkelling in Malapascua

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6 Comments

Anette says:

Amanda (Swedish Passport) says:

BP says:

Lena - gott för själen says:

Ditte says:

Per Aspenberg says:

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