Malapascua · Philippines · Reef · Night · Muck & macro
Lighthouse
Mandarinfish mating in the coral at sunset
Area photo: Petter Lindgren · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lighthouse is a shallow reef off Malapascua dived at sunset for its mandarinfish, which perform their mating dance in the hard coral almost every evening. After the fish settle the dive carries on into the dark over the rest of the reef, and it makes a good first night dive.
Also known as Lighthouse Reef.
Where it is and how deep
11.3426° N, 124.1091° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
Divers go down onto the shallow reef as the light fades and settle by the hard coral where the mandarinfish live. The first 20 minutes or so are spent watching them come out to mate, within 10 m and usually with no current to fight.
Then the group moves on to explore the remainder of the reef in the dark. Seahorses of different shapes, colours and sizes sit among the hard coral branches, and flamboyant cuttlefish, blue-ringed octopus and a wide variety of crabs turn up along the way.
Marine life and season
- Mandarinfish
- Octopus & cuttlefish
- Macro critters
| 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.
Dive videos
Lighthouse diving spot, Malapascua, Philippines · San Jay Valk on YouTube
Questions divers ask
When is the mandarinfish dive at Lighthouse?+
At sunset. Divers spend the first 20 minutes or so watching the mandarinfish mate in the coral, then explore the rest of the reef as a night dive.
Sources
- Lighthouse dive site — PADI
- Lighthouse — Kokay's Malapascua Diving
- Malapascua diving: thresher sharks and marine diversity — Dive The World
More dive sites in Malapascua
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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
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