Malapascua · Philippines · Wall · Reef
Kalanggaman Island
A thresher shark now and then off a sandbar island's wall
Photo: Sodacan · CC BY-SA 4.0
Kalanggaman Island is a sandbar island reached from Malapascua on a full day trip and often paired with Nunez Shoal. The diving is a shallow reef on top of a steep wall that drops to 40 m and more, where reef fish and turtles work the face and a thresher shark sometimes comes in from the blue.
Also known as Kalanggaman, Calanggaman Island.
Where it is and how deep
11.1161° N, 124.2484° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The dive starts on the shallow reef at the island's edge and drops onto a steep wall that runs past 40 m. Reef fish patrol the wall face, turtles are seen along it, and from time to time a curious thresher shark comes in from the blue.
Marine life and season
- Thresher sharks
- Sea turtles
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Malapascua: Threshers visit Kimud Shoal all year. March to May is calmest and clearest; October to January brings rough seas, green water and the most cancelled crossings.
Photos from Kalanggaman Island
Gcabig2024 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dive videos
Scuba diving in the Philippines : Daytrip to Kalanggaman from Malapascua · World Adventure Divers on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is Kalanggaman Island dived as a day trip from Malapascua?+
Yes. Boats take about 90 minutes from Malapascua, the island's wall is often paired with Nunez Shoal, and lunch is taken on the island between dives.
Sources
- Kalanggaman — ScubaGo
- Malapascua Dive Sites — Thresher Shark Divers
- Malapascua Dive Sites — Evolution Diving Resort
- Malapascua diving: thresher sharks and marine diversity — Dive The World
Photo credits
- A single bright blue five-armed sea star lies on a bed of green seagrass over pale sand underwater by Sodacan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Aerial view of a small palm-covered island with a thatched hut and a white sandbar running into clear turquoise water by Gcabig2024, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Similar dives elsewhere
Coral outcrops one side of the village, a wall past 40 m on the other.
A reef so long one dive doesn't cover it
A drift from schooling fish on the point to macro on the slope
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Sea fans and frogfish on a wall, a 150-year-old wreck below