Basic HTML Version
61
{ }
scientists and film crews who have
come from all over the world to study
the threshers.
Cora speaks with great pride when
she talks about Exotic, which has
grown by leaps and bounds since
its beginnings as just a few beach
huts. Today it is a world-renowned
resort with a 5* PADI IDC dive shop,
along with many amenities you
wouldn’t normally expect in remote
Malapascua. “[One of the things I
am most proud of is that] when you
say ‘Malapascua Exotic,’ it [brings
to mind] the pioneers of the thresher
shark encounters and the best diving
experience on the island.” They have
also been adamant about and active
at promoting environmental initiatives,
very important in self-contained
Malapascua. The staff at Exotic are
trained to practice proper segregation
and disposal of waste material, and
lately have also begun to practice
vermicomposting. Recently, too, Exotic
helped organize local fishermen to
gather and bury the venomous crown-
of-thorns sea star that destroys corals.
The business has had its ups and
downs, but on the whole, the entire
experience has helped Cora and Dik
grow in many ways as individuals.
“Running the resort has been very
challenging for the both of us,” says
Cora. “It wasn’t easy in the beginning,
but through the years we have
become much wiser and
better individuals with
the good and bad
experiences we’ve had
along the way.”
Cebu Pacific flies
across the network
from Cebu.
www.
cebupacificair.com
Malapascua
Exotic IslandDive
Resort
Dive sites:
house reef and other
Malapascua sites, Monad Shoal,
Kemod Shoal, Doña Marilyn wreck,
Gato Island, Calanggaman and
Nuñez Islands, Chocolate Island.
Tel: +63 (32) 406 5428;
www.malapascua.net
PHOTOS
CIO DATAN
A pioneering specialty dive resort,
Malapascua Exotic is now an
institution among divers. Below:
the de Boers are firm believers
in green habits such as
garbage segregation.
09LKH Smile
Ser 4
054-061 Feature 2 - So Inn Love.indd 61
1/1