Malapascua · Philippines · Wall · Pelagic & blue water
Nunez Shoal
Garden eel colonies in the sand before the wall
Area photo: Petter Lindgren · CC BY-SA 3.0
Nunez Shoal is an offshore wall near Kalanggaman Island, often dived on the same long day trip from Malapascua. Sand patches lead to a wall hung with giant sea fans and sponges, where moray eels, lionfish and scorpionfish live on the face and rays and sharks pass in the open water.
Where it is and how deep
11.0946° N, 124.2173° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The approach to the wall crosses sandy areas where groups of garden eels rise from the bottom. The wall itself drops to 40 m (131 ft), covered in giant sea fans and sponges, with moray eels, lionfish, scorpionfish and nudibranchs along the face. Rays and sharks are seen off the wall in the blue, and the water is usually calm and clear.
Marine life and season
- Nudibranchs
| 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.
Sources
- Nunez Shoal dive site — PADI
- Malapascua Dive Sites — Thresher Shark Divers
- Malapascua diving: thresher sharks and marine diversity — Dive The World
More dive sites in Malapascua
Reef
Reef, mini wall and coral garden from 12 m down to 30 m
Reef
Blue-ringed octopus and frogfish among coral boulders
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
Similar dives elsewhere
A long northern wall with hammerheads in the current below
The Togians' best odds on schooling scalloped hammerheads
A vertical face into 2,000 m, with pygmy seahorses in the fans
Sheer drop-off at the island's northern tip, 15 m to 40 m