Shark
Pelagic thresher shark
Alopias pelagicus
The smallest thresher, unmistakable for a scythe-like upper tail lobe nearly as long as its body and large eyes. It uses the tail to stun schooling fish. At Malapascua it visits seamount cleaning stations at dawn, where cleaner wrasse remove parasites — the behaviour that makes near-daily sightings possible. Skittish and no-touch.
- Max size
- Up to ~3.7m total length
- Habitat
- Open ocean; visits seamount cleaning stations
Best places to dive with Pelagic thresher shark
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Effectively resident year-round at dawn at Kimud Shoal (since September 2022, formerly Monad). Reliability is a function of the dawn dive rather than season; visibility is best March–May. Commonly seen, not guaranteed.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | not seen |
| February | not seen |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | rare |
Reported riding cold upwelling in the September-November pelagic season, often at the same cool, deep sites as mola; not a reliable target.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Pelagic threshers use three cleaning stations in the Derawan Islands, with roughly 70% observation success on the survey dives that targeted them. These are early, deeper, current-dependent dives rather than part of a standard day's schedule, and not every operator runs them.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Recorded at Manta Bowl on LAMAVE research video and listed among the pelagics of Ticao Pass. Encounters are occasional and not something to plan a trip around; requires the Manta Bowl dive.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Pelagic threshers visit cleaning stations year-round, with most diver observations from September to March. Remote cameras also recorded high occurrence from March to August 2022. Many cleaning stations lie at 40–88m, so recreational sightings are not assured.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | occasional |
Reported at Sinandigan Wall mainly December to March, but sightings are unreliable — Malapascua, not Puerto Galera, is the Philippines' dependable thresher site.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | occasional |
| February | occasional |
| March | occasional |
| April | occasional |
| May | occasional |
| June | occasional |
| July | occasional |
| August | occasional |
| September | occasional |
| October | occasional |
| November | occasional |
| December | occasional |
Possible in suitable habitat; no unsupported monthly peak is applied.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | rare |
Reported occasionally at shallow cleaning stations or passing in the depths off the wall. No documented aggregation site here, unlike Malapascua across the border in the Philippines — treat any sighting as luck.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | rare |
Only very occasionally reported off Moalboal's deeper offshore sites; the reliable thresher-shark diving in Cebu is at Malapascua (Monad Shoal), not here.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | rare |
| February | rare |
| March | rare |
| April | rare |
| May | rare |
| June | rare |
| July | rare |
| August | rare |
| September | rare |
| October | rare |
| November | rare |
| December | rare |
Pelagic thresher has been recorded on baited remote underwater video around Nusa Penida, but this is a survey record, not a diver-reliable encounter. Malapascua remains the destination if threshers are the goal.
Sources & last checked
Checked July 2026
Research is source-backed, but conditions and fees should still be confirmed locally.
View 2 sources and checking notes
- Thresher Sharks of Malapascua, Thresher Shark Divers
- Best Time to Dive in Malapascua, LiveAboard.com