Diving Gato Island, Malapascua: Hidden Caves & Sharks

Austin Tuwiner
PADI Divemaster · 500+ dives · 20 countries & states
November 6, 2026
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In September of 2026, I dove Gato Island with Devocean Divers, by boat out of Malapascua Island, Philippines.

Gato Island is known for its resident whitetip reef sharks, its underwater tunnel, and rich marine life.

The cave is closed.

I dove the site three times on this trip, and the specs below are from one of those dives.

Dive Log · Malapascua, Philippines

Gato Island

Dive Score4.1 / 5
Dive Data from my Garmin Descent MK3i
Max Depth
74ft / 22.6m
Avg Depth
39ft / 11.9m
Dive Time
51min
Water Temp
84.2°F / 29°C
Visibility
70ft / 21m
Entry
Boat
Recommended Certification
Advanced
Why it scored 4.1Tied #16 of 20 I've dived in Philippines
My take: Whitetip reef sharks and great small stuff in the overhangs. The famous tunnel is closed since the earthquake, but I still went back three times.
My satisfaction5/5
Marine life4/5
Reef or wreck4/5
Conditions4/5
Crowds5/5
Getting there2/5
My 6 ratings above, plus visibility, water temp, cost, season and ease from the dive data. 5 = calm, uncrowded and easy to reach. How the Dive Score works
Reef Asia Coordinates: 11.448329, 124.020687

The Dive

Divemaster Austin at the surface in front of the cave mouth at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
Dive tanks on the boat with Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines on the horizon

It's a boat ride out from Malapascua, and the island itself is a lump of limestone cliff with a cave mouth cut into one side.

I logged 74 ft (22.6 m) at the deepest, with an average of 39 ft (11.9 m) across 51 minutes.

The diving wraps around the rock, and most of what's worth seeing sits in the overhangs and on the rubble at the base rather than out in the open.

Going three times helped, because the small stuff is what this site is really carrying and you don't find it on one pass.

Light coming through the rock formations at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines

The Cave

Long banded animal crossing the rock at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines

The story I was told on the island is that the cave has been closed to divers since an earthquake.

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake hit offshore of northern Cebu on 30 September 2025, with the epicenter around 12 miles (19 km) northeast of Bogo City.

I can't confirm that the closure traces to that specific quake, and no dive shop I can find has published a notice about it either way.

Two small animals on the open sand at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines

So I didn't go through it, and I can't tell you what's in there.

If you dove the cave before it shut, tell me what it was like.

Black and white animal under a soft coral overhang at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
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What Marine Life I Saw

Large sponge with soft corals growing beneath it at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines

This is a macro site as much as anything else.

Striped fish resting on a brain coral dome at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines

Most of the good finds were on the rubble and tucked under the overhangs, not out in the water column.

School of fish stacked in the blue water over the reef at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
Tall dark fish with yellow fin edges over the sand at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
Giant clam wedged into the rock with long spined urchins at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
Cuttlefish on the sand beneath a plate of coral at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
Cuttlefish head on, mottled against the rubble at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
Dark leaf shaped fish flat on the sand at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
Overhang covered in soft corals and green disc corals at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
Pale ruffled animal on top of a red coral head at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
White animal with black spots stretched across the rubble at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
Divemaster Austin at the surface beside the Devocean Divers boat Dumagsa at Gato Island, Malapascua, Philippines
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Austin Tuwiner

Hey I'm Austin, a PADI Divemaster based in South Florida .

I initially got certified at 16 at a scuba camp in Kona, Hawaii, did my Advanced Open Water on Koh Tao, my deep and nitrox on Gili Trawangan, and my Rescue and Divemaster in Miami.

Since then I've logged 500+ dives across 20 countries and states. I write about the gear I dive with, the sites I've dived, and the trips I've taken.

Hear Austin's Story

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