Malapascua · Philippines · Wall · Reef
Lapus II
A small wall from 12 m onto black coral sand at 20 to 30 m
Area photo: Petter Lindgren · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lapus II lies right next to Lapus Lapus and is the deeper half of the same piece of coast. A sloping reef at 12 metres turns into a small wall, the bottom under it is at around 20 metres, and the sand below that carries black corals and sea fans as it slopes away to a maximum of 30 metres.
Where it is and how deep
11.3485° N, 124.1043° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Lapus II lies right next to Lapus Lapus, on the same northwest corner of the island. The dive starts on a sloping reef in 12 metres, which within a short distance turns into a small wall — not a sheer drop, but enough of a face to follow rather than search. Groups descend onto the slope, find the top of the wall, and then work along it with the reef on one shoulder and open water on the other.
The bottom at the foot of the wall is at around 20 metres, and the sandy ground there holds a lot of black corals and sea fans before sloping away to a maximum depth of 30 metres. That deeper sand is where most of the dive's bottom time goes if you let it, so it is worth agreeing a turn depth first and working back up onto the reef with gas in hand. The 12-metre slope is the natural place to end.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Malapascua: November–February northeast monsoon can delay or cancel the early crossing to Kimud Shoal, which is further out than the old Monad run.
Sources
- Lapus II - Scubago — Scubago/SSI
More dive sites in Malapascua
Reef
Reef, mini wall and coral garden from 12 m down to 30 m
Coral garden
A gentle coral slope from 5 to 20 m inside a protected area
Pinnacle
A 20 m-wide coral pinnacle topping out at 5 m
Pinnacle
A rocky pinnacle from 14 m to 34 m, dived on tide changes
Wreck
A 1988 ferry wreck lying on her starboard side at 33 m
A 5 to 13 m coral and seagrass slope off the resort beach
A 30 m swim-through tunnel at 10 m with sharks resting inside
Wreck
A wreck shallow enough to be someone's first ever dive
Similar dives elsewhere
Predators along the wall, and a crevasse to 40 m as current shelter
Giant, honeycomb and snowflake morays in one small islet's wall.
Coral outcrops one side of the village, a wall past 40 m on the other.
Sea fans and frogfish on a wall, a 150-year-old wreck below