Malapascua · Philippines · Reef
Lapus Lapus
Protected reef off a northern islet, 4 m down to 20 m
Area photo: Petter Lindgren · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lapus Lapus is the reef around the islet of the same name off the northern tip of Malapascua, and one of the marine protected areas Wikivoyage lists for the island. The shallow part starts at 4 to 5 metres and the reef crawls down to 18 or 20 on the deeper side, so a single dive can take in both the bright shallow coral and the deeper reef.
Where it is and how deep
11.3469° N, 124.1050° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
The dive works the shallow part of the Lapus-lapus islet, off the coast at the northern tip of Malapascua. The shallowest ground is at 4 to 5 metres, and from there the reef crawls down to the deeper side at 18 to 20 metres, so groups usually drop on the deep side first and give depth back gradually across the dive rather than yo-yoing between the two ends.
It is described as suiting beginner and advanced divers alike, and the reason is that the interest is the same at both ends: watching the marine life interaction on the reef rather than covering ground. The site is one of Malapascua's marine protected areas, and the dive is the reef contour followed at whatever depth suits the group. The shallow ground at 4 to 5 metres makes an easy safety stop with something to look at.
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 | 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.
Questions divers ask
How deep is Lapus Lapus?+
The shallowest part of the reef is at 4 to 5 metres and it slopes down to 18 to 20 metres on the deeper side, so most dives stay well within recreational limits.
Sources
- Lapus-Lapus - Scubago — Scubago/SSI
- Malapascua — Wikivoyage
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A 30 m swim-through tunnel at 10 m with sharks resting inside
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