Thresher Shark Divers
Thresher Shark Divers
Thresher Shark Divers
4.5
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Full view
About
PADI 5 Star CDC Dive Center, located on Malapascua Island in the Philippines. Offering daily thresher shark dives, mantas, hammerheads, reefs and wrecks, macro and muck diving, mating mandarin fish, seahorses, frogfish and much more. Small groups with experienced Divemasters and Instructors. TSD offers all the local dives sites, a full range of PADI courses from beginner to Instructor, dive internships and technical diving. British owned and run, professional and safe, with 15 years experience on Malapascua.
Malapascua Island, Philippines
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Thresher Shark Divers
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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4.5
730 reviews
Excellent
574
Very good
88
Average
35
Poor
22
Terrible
11
Jon W
2 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
This place is amazing! The owners really care about the little things and are quick to solve any problems (even when in hospital, recovering from an emergency surgery) They went out of there way to help make this a fabulous experience (in addition to diving with literally dozens of Threshers). I can’t pause them enough, HIGHLY RECOMMEND! Thanks again.
Written 4 June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SonMonty
Forfar, UK64 contributions
Apr 2023 • Couples
We spent 12 days diving with Thresher Shark Divers, and it was a fantastic experience. They are very organised and efficient.
Upon arrival, we signed all relevant paperwork, and they explained clearly how things worked, where you kept your dive gear, where it was washed and cleaned post diving etc.
Each day you could add your name to whichever dives you wanted to do. We seemed have to request Gato Island and Kalanggaman Island. Loved every dive site, but Kimud was my fave. The threshers are stunning! We saw multiple sharks on every dive.
We were so lucky to have been allocated Marvin as a dive master for the duration. We connected very quickly and he was so warm, friendly and funny, so easy to get along with. He was the life and soul of the boat every time were out, singing, dancing and laughing. Everyone loved him!
When it came to briefings, this changed and we felt certain our safety was an always his priority. Underwater, he would continually check on those with less experience. He knew where everything was underwater and made our diving experience truly unforgettable. (Marvin, this dive company are so lucky to have you. You are truly an asset. You are a bundle of beautiful energy and you made our holiday everything it was!!)
Marvin also went above and beyond on the dive boat, checking everyone had a cup of tea, or lunch, checking everyone was comfortable.
Massive thank you to Cheryl behind the bar for all the glorious rums! Your smile after every dive was always warm and welcoming! You were a star.
Fabulous experience, superb diving, organised dive centre, but Marvin, you will always be remembered for your joyful approach and going above and beyond every time. It was a privilege to have you with us! ❤️
Upon arrival, we signed all relevant paperwork, and they explained clearly how things worked, where you kept your dive gear, where it was washed and cleaned post diving etc.
Each day you could add your name to whichever dives you wanted to do. We seemed have to request Gato Island and Kalanggaman Island. Loved every dive site, but Kimud was my fave. The threshers are stunning! We saw multiple sharks on every dive.
We were so lucky to have been allocated Marvin as a dive master for the duration. We connected very quickly and he was so warm, friendly and funny, so easy to get along with. He was the life and soul of the boat every time were out, singing, dancing and laughing. Everyone loved him!
When it came to briefings, this changed and we felt certain our safety was an always his priority. Underwater, he would continually check on those with less experience. He knew where everything was underwater and made our diving experience truly unforgettable. (Marvin, this dive company are so lucky to have you. You are truly an asset. You are a bundle of beautiful energy and you made our holiday everything it was!!)
Marvin also went above and beyond on the dive boat, checking everyone had a cup of tea, or lunch, checking everyone was comfortable.
Massive thank you to Cheryl behind the bar for all the glorious rums! Your smile after every dive was always warm and welcoming! You were a star.
Fabulous experience, superb diving, organised dive centre, but Marvin, you will always be remembered for your joyful approach and going above and beyond every time. It was a privilege to have you with us! ❤️
Written 7 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Markus N
16 contributions
May 2023 • Friends
The staff at TSD were great and generally, we had a great experience. Everyone was friendly, instructions provided was clear as well. The owner Andrea was very friendly as well, particularly in coordinating the dives and accommodations.
Thank you to the staff: Oskar (who guided us in our first few dives), Wilbert, Mark, Marvin and the counter staff!
Specifically, I’d like to give special praise and thanks to Mark who is a local divemaster. I am mentioning him because we had the most number of dives with and who gave us such an amazing experience. Mark was such an amazing divemaster who brought us on some of the best dives we have experienced. He is super friendly, kind and helpful. He also always emphasises safety whilst having fun and makes the extra effort to ensure we have a good experience. His instructions are crystal clear and he knows how to find spots to see what you want (e.g. we saw at least 10 instances of thresher sharks in one dive - of course, this is not guaranteed as the sharks are in their natural habitats but even the other macro wildlife and other animals were presented well by Mark). He accommodated to all levels (from some of us who were beginners to those more advanced - ensuring we all had a good time and felt safe.
At night, we had dinner with Mark and Marvin too which was really nice to get to know them as friends as well - this made our overall experience better too.
We didn’t get to dive with Marvin but hope we would be able to next time. Nonetheless, we hope both their efforts at doing a superb job are recognised.
Thank you to the staff: Oskar (who guided us in our first few dives), Wilbert, Mark, Marvin and the counter staff!
Specifically, I’d like to give special praise and thanks to Mark who is a local divemaster. I am mentioning him because we had the most number of dives with and who gave us such an amazing experience. Mark was such an amazing divemaster who brought us on some of the best dives we have experienced. He is super friendly, kind and helpful. He also always emphasises safety whilst having fun and makes the extra effort to ensure we have a good experience. His instructions are crystal clear and he knows how to find spots to see what you want (e.g. we saw at least 10 instances of thresher sharks in one dive - of course, this is not guaranteed as the sharks are in their natural habitats but even the other macro wildlife and other animals were presented well by Mark). He accommodated to all levels (from some of us who were beginners to those more advanced - ensuring we all had a good time and felt safe.
At night, we had dinner with Mark and Marvin too which was really nice to get to know them as friends as well - this made our overall experience better too.
We didn’t get to dive with Marvin but hope we would be able to next time. Nonetheless, we hope both their efforts at doing a superb job are recognised.
Written 6 May 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Em B
Brisbane, Australia89 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
I was trying to organize my first diving trip with friends to the Philippines and honestly had some ideas of location but no idea of how to get to different places. We're at varying levels at 200/300 + dives and we liked a variety of things.
Let's talk coordination - Andrea was no short of amazing. She helped us with everything. Accommodation, different locations, transport, recommendations for flights etc. Nothing was too hard. When we had a few issues with one of our team having to go to hospital (not TSD fault, just stingers) they helped organise two sets of transport and coordination to meet us at the end.
Diving and Dive Centre - The weather was no ideal when we turned up, but our guide Junjie and Tony did the best the could to get us to different sites while being safe in their choices. We asked for some specific places and Tony helped to coordinate this as well. If we asked, they did their best to accommodate noting competing priorities with other divers.
While I haven't dived with other companies on the Island I honestly can't see a reason not to dive with these guys again. I really enjoyed my week with them and will hopefully be back soon!
Let's talk coordination - Andrea was no short of amazing. She helped us with everything. Accommodation, different locations, transport, recommendations for flights etc. Nothing was too hard. When we had a few issues with one of our team having to go to hospital (not TSD fault, just stingers) they helped organise two sets of transport and coordination to meet us at the end.
Diving and Dive Centre - The weather was no ideal when we turned up, but our guide Junjie and Tony did the best the could to get us to different sites while being safe in their choices. We asked for some specific places and Tony helped to coordinate this as well. If we asked, they did their best to accommodate noting competing priorities with other divers.
While I haven't dived with other companies on the Island I honestly can't see a reason not to dive with these guys again. I really enjoyed my week with them and will hopefully be back soon!
Written 27 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Aleki51
Perth, Australia23 contributions
Apr 2023 • Solo
Diving with thresher shark divers was nothing but a fabulous experience. I was supposed to dive only one day but ended up diving an extra morning before leaving Malapascua, allowing me to add 2 extra interactions with the thresher sharks. These being extremely rare, it’s needless to say that this time spent underwater was a real pleasure. I also had the chance to visit Kalanggaman Island which is nothing but a hidden paradise. In the evening, a nice little bar is there to enjoy some after dive drinks with the staff and people I met on the boat. A great experience overall. I particularly would like to thank Marion for her warm welcome, her professionalism and really good vibes during this stay. Also a big shout out to the amazing guide i dove with these two days. I will definitely come back during my next trip to the Philippines.
Written 25 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
macey k
7 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
Myself and my partner completed our AOW with Steven at TSD. The entire operation is incredibly professional, all of the gear was well maintained, lunch was delicious and the boat crew were very helpful.
Steven was by far the best instructor we have ever had. He gave informative and in-depth dive briefings so we felt 100% comfortable. He was always very friendly and calm, we would highly recommend TSD, especially Steven to anybody considering 😊
Steven was by far the best instructor we have ever had. He gave informative and in-depth dive briefings so we felt 100% comfortable. He was always very friendly and calm, we would highly recommend TSD, especially Steven to anybody considering 😊
Written 31 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Raphaël J
1 contribution
Mar 2023 • Solo
First I'd like to start with what I liked in TSD:
- Marion was an absolutely great instructor, she was very nice, professional, friendly and available
- The divemasters and some of the DM trainees were really friendly and fun
- the bar of the dive center is a great place to chat and have a drink
Now the Bad part
I wouldn't Say it was a "Bad" expérience but it was nonetheless the least pleasant of all my dive experiences (I have > 20 dives over 5 dive centers)
1) the diving rental equipment looked quite old and not 100% safe (regulator making strange noise, small air leaks), on my last dive my BCD had a self-inflation problem, I couldn't empty it properly, and therefore couldn't dive
I Heard also about another diver in the club who had an equipment problem underwater but hadn't more information about it
Although these problems were "small" defects, it didn't feel totally ok to use their equipment
2) Divemasters weren't professional enough
- They never do any bodycheck before diving, I could have forgotten to open my bottle, nobody would have noticed
- I was teammate with a DM underwater and he kept swimming far from me, their was some drift, and I wouldn't have been able to reach him in case of problem
- My DM was quite in a hurry when he equiped me and gave me an oversized equipment (that was not a Big deal but definitely it wasn't nice)
3) Overall the staff wasn't cool
- This is a highly subjective point but sometimes I got the impression that some of the instructors prefered to drink beers with their buddies rather than answering my questions or chat with me, they weren't that much friendly
- Andrea the manager didn't answered much to my questions either on WhatsApp. I had precise questions about the trainings and certifications, she answered me sometimes with very short messages skipping half of my questions
It was "ok" to dive with TSD but overall I would recommend you to try another dive center
- Marion was an absolutely great instructor, she was very nice, professional, friendly and available
- The divemasters and some of the DM trainees were really friendly and fun
- the bar of the dive center is a great place to chat and have a drink
Now the Bad part
I wouldn't Say it was a "Bad" expérience but it was nonetheless the least pleasant of all my dive experiences (I have > 20 dives over 5 dive centers)
1) the diving rental equipment looked quite old and not 100% safe (regulator making strange noise, small air leaks), on my last dive my BCD had a self-inflation problem, I couldn't empty it properly, and therefore couldn't dive
I Heard also about another diver in the club who had an equipment problem underwater but hadn't more information about it
Although these problems were "small" defects, it didn't feel totally ok to use their equipment
2) Divemasters weren't professional enough
- They never do any bodycheck before diving, I could have forgotten to open my bottle, nobody would have noticed
- I was teammate with a DM underwater and he kept swimming far from me, their was some drift, and I wouldn't have been able to reach him in case of problem
- My DM was quite in a hurry when he equiped me and gave me an oversized equipment (that was not a Big deal but definitely it wasn't nice)
3) Overall the staff wasn't cool
- This is a highly subjective point but sometimes I got the impression that some of the instructors prefered to drink beers with their buddies rather than answering my questions or chat with me, they weren't that much friendly
- Andrea the manager didn't answered much to my questions either on WhatsApp. I had precise questions about the trainings and certifications, she answered me sometimes with very short messages skipping half of my questions
It was "ok" to dive with TSD but overall I would recommend you to try another dive center
Written 21 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Stuart Holt
8 contributions
Feb 2023
Thanks to Andrea, and all the staff at TSD.
My friend and I arrived in Truk to find our dive boat broken, so we decided on a plan B
I have been to TSD before, I emailed Andrea and explained the situation, and asked if she could accommodate us for Hotel and Diving.
She replied no problem and organized our pick-up at Cebu airport, transfers to the island, and everything.
what could have been a disaster turned out to be a great trip.
Highly recommend this Dive Shop
My friend and I arrived in Truk to find our dive boat broken, so we decided on a plan B
I have been to TSD before, I emailed Andrea and explained the situation, and asked if she could accommodate us for Hotel and Diving.
She replied no problem and organized our pick-up at Cebu airport, transfers to the island, and everything.
what could have been a disaster turned out to be a great trip.
Highly recommend this Dive Shop
Written 17 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
fscsingapore
17 contributions
Feb 2023
I had a fantastic experience with Thresher Shark Divers. Andrea, the owner, helped me arrange my whole Philippines trip including transport from Cebu to Malapascua, as well as arranging my trip to Moalboal. The pricing was still affordable and all the hassle saved was truly worth it. Thanks to Andrea and the receptionist staff at TSD for accommodating all my last minute requests to change things round.
Written 6 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rob
Phuket, Thailand27 contributions
Oct 2022 • Solo
I completed my DMT (divemaster training) with TSD. From the start, the experience was very professional. You have to keep in mind that dive shops operate on shoestring budgets and deal with mostly last-minute bookings. I definitely didn’t know how good TSD or Malapascua was until I traveled around a bit.
Andrea, the owner, chatted directly with me and answered my questions before booking. She was much more responsive and helpful than most other shops. And their website is loaded with helpful info. It was an easy decision to book with TSD after finding it difficult to communicate with, get prices, timeframes, and help with accommodations from other DMT programs.
Once I arrived, not only did they introduce me to the manager of Blanco resort who gave me a good price, but they also introduced me to the owner of Angelina’s restaurant who rented me a flat for one month at a great price. They even arranged for me to share transport from Cebu airport to Maya port/Malapascua with another person, which saved me about $30.
The training at TSD is top notch, and you will particularly enjoy the Rescue course if you have the chance to take it with them! Be prepared for last minute changes and “fun dives” to occasionally take precedence over “training dives”. But, as I’ve learned, this is not unique to TSD and very commonplace in the industry.
Looking for fun dives? What you will love most about diving with TSD is the Filipino employees. From the banka captain (who did an impressive free dive to rescue my camera lens haha) to the equipment specialist and the dive guides, you will always be surrounded by a positive energy and feel like they are your friends and family!
Malapascua is an AMAZING place to dive, and you will not be disappointed by the Thresher Shark dives! If you have a bad experience at TSD it will likely only be because they are understaffed (like most dive shops at high season), are doing boat maintenance, or you just aren’t speaking up to be clear about what you want. They can get quite busy, so be sure to be loud and be clear about what you want from them. They’ll bend over backwards to accommodate your wants if you speak up!
Andrea, the owner, chatted directly with me and answered my questions before booking. She was much more responsive and helpful than most other shops. And their website is loaded with helpful info. It was an easy decision to book with TSD after finding it difficult to communicate with, get prices, timeframes, and help with accommodations from other DMT programs.
Once I arrived, not only did they introduce me to the manager of Blanco resort who gave me a good price, but they also introduced me to the owner of Angelina’s restaurant who rented me a flat for one month at a great price. They even arranged for me to share transport from Cebu airport to Maya port/Malapascua with another person, which saved me about $30.
The training at TSD is top notch, and you will particularly enjoy the Rescue course if you have the chance to take it with them! Be prepared for last minute changes and “fun dives” to occasionally take precedence over “training dives”. But, as I’ve learned, this is not unique to TSD and very commonplace in the industry.
Looking for fun dives? What you will love most about diving with TSD is the Filipino employees. From the banka captain (who did an impressive free dive to rescue my camera lens haha) to the equipment specialist and the dive guides, you will always be surrounded by a positive energy and feel like they are your friends and family!
Malapascua is an AMAZING place to dive, and you will not be disappointed by the Thresher Shark dives! If you have a bad experience at TSD it will likely only be because they are understaffed (like most dive shops at high season), are doing boat maintenance, or you just aren’t speaking up to be clear about what you want. They can get quite busy, so be sure to be loud and be clear about what you want from them. They’ll bend over backwards to accommodate your wants if you speak up!
Written 7 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
jasminee987
7 contributions
Hi there!which are the nearest resorts to your dive centre? Any recommendations?
Maria S
Paralimni, Cyprus3 contributions
Hi, we have booked a hotel/dive package and not sure which dive center we will be diving with.
Do the dive centers offering a dive insurance per each dive or do I need to make a special dive insurance for the 10 days we are there, before I arrive?
If yes how much is the insurance per dive?
scbrdvr
England3 contributions
Hi, insurance is usually up to you to provide. You can buy annual DAN insurance. Or you can buy a few days through
a link on our site, I can't post links here, bu you can email us for more info.
AnnieeMeowww
Beijing, China5 contributions
Hi, I have some questions for ow and aow course details. Could you please offer an email address?
Thanks and best regards,
Anniee Wong
scbrdvr
England3 contributions
Hi there, Tripadvisor won't allow us to post actual email addresses, but it's dive at thresherdivers if you can work that out, look forward to hearing from you!
Qiaz H
Singapore, Singapore36 contributions
Hi all! It seems like many reviewed that TSD can be a lil pricey albeit worth it and I’d like to know
1. How much would doing AOW cost
2. Which resort should I stay
3. Will I have a chance to see the Thresher Sharks while doing AOW
4. Should going on a public holiday be really avoided as I’m planning to visit on the Good Friday weekend
Sorry for the many questions and really appreciate any help I can get!
scbrdvr
England3 contributions
Hi there! ~Thanks for your enquiry. There is quite a lot of info to send you so if it's possible to email that would be great (sorry, TA won't allow email addresses in this answer). But basically, AOW is P16,000 and there are many resort options. And yes, you see the sharks on the AOW :) However you are correct, holiday weekend are very busy, and so if you can come another time that would be better :)
124supriyad
London, UK31 contributions
hi guys..im confused between doing the owd at alona beach with balicasag or malapscua..the diving at balicasag seems amazing but at alona seems so so..how was your experience at tsd..im thinking of 5 days for the owd with the thresher shark deep dive,a night dive and kalmmangan..then off to bohol and balicasag
scbrdvr
England3 contributions
HI there, thanks for your question. I think you have my email by now? Best regards Andrea
