Each month, we bring together the latest industry news from the Asia-Pacific region, as well as all over our water planet. To find out the most up-to-date news and views, check out the website or follow us on our various social media @scubadivermag www.scubadivermag.com.au/news
THRESHER SHARK NUMBERS INCREASE AROUND MALAPASCUA
Thresher shark numbers have increased through lockdown – and the pandemic kickstarted a scholarship programme for local Divemasters
T
he tiny island of Malapascua in the Philippines is fringed with picture-perfect white sand beaches, palm trees and blue waters, but is most famous for its population of thresher sharks. Malapascua is the only place in the world where they can reliably be seen every day, and in normal times, divers flock from all around the world to dive with these majestic creatures. Of course, Covid put that all on hold, and the island once bustling with tourists has been deserted in recent times. Thresher Shark Divers (TSD) is the premier PADI Dive Centre on Malapascua and the only Career Development Centre. When TSD first opened nearly 20 years ago, they would see one or two sharks in the morning, with about a 50% chance. But now, they often see ten or more and they are much more reliable. It is wonderful in these days of shark over-fishing to hear stories of shark numbers increasing, rather than the opposite. TSD reopened as soon as it was allowed, to cater to the odd diver passing through. Ironically, but understandably, with few divers on the island, the shark dives have been incredible; with fewer divers in the water and less bubbles, they are less shy, and come in larger numbers and come much closer. For the last few months divers have even been granted visits from something we had only ever heard from fishermens’ tales - tiger sharks!
Toni Plaza is TSD’s Spanish PADI Course Director and he has been teaching for the last ten years all over the world until finally making his home in the Philippines. From a young age, he dreamed of becoming a scuba diver and remembers watching documentaries about sharks on TV and falling in love with them. He dreamed that one day he would dive and interact with them. So one of the reasons he choose to work with TSD was the opportunity to dive every day with these beautiful thresher sharks. Toni has now done many hundreds of dives on Monad Shoal with them - “Every time I see them it is like my first time, and the whoops and hollers and massive smiles of my divers seeing them for the first time is just an incredible feeling.” Toni stayed on the island throughout the pandemic. Although there was little work, he tried to make the most of his time there. During the pandemic, there was only a small amount of work available for TSD’s staff and most of them had to go out fishing every day to survive and feed their families.
WWW.SCUBADIVERMAG.COM.AU
