Kimud Shoal
Conditions & tides
Scored by DiveConnect's site-physics model
Marine forecast via Copernicus Marine. Score is a rule-based guide from swell/wind vs. the site's exposure — always dive your own assessment.
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About this site
Kimud Shoal is an underwater plateau located off Malapascua Island in the Philippines, now designated as a marine protected area. The site features a wide, shallow reef platform that drops away into a significant drop-off, with the reef itself reaching as shallow as 15–20 m (49–65 ft) where thresher sharks are most commonly seen. Sea fans and soft corals decorate the plateau, and the relatively compact size of the site works in divers' favour during lower-visibility conditions.
Kimud Shoal is best known for its cleaning station, where thresher sharks can be spotted year-round with a high degree of reliability. Devil rays and hammerhead sharks also appear, rising from the depths at the drop-off. On the reef itself, octopus and reef fish are common finds among the sea fans and soft corals.
The site is reached by boat, with the crossing taking around 45 minutes from Malapascua. Diving at Kimud is always a two-dive trip. Boats that depart at first light arrive ahead of the later crowd, allowing at least one dive in quieter conditions. No training dives, freediving, or snorkelling are permitted at the site.
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As a marine protected area, Kimud Shoal has specific entry requirements: Open Water divers with fewer than 50 logged dives must be accompanied by an instructor or divemaster, and a mandatory buoyancy workshop applies to both OW and AOW divers below that threshold. Water temperature ranges from 26–30 °C, dropping toward the lower end in the winter months. Visibility can vary, particularly outside the January–May period when conditions are generally at their best; April and May are noted as the prime months for hammerhead sightings.
Marine life here
Confirmed by our research team, reported by independent divers, or observed nearby via iNaturalist — each entry is labelled with its source.
Thresher sharkThresher sharkConfirmed present · 5 independent sources
NudibranchNudibranchConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
SquidSquidReported here · unconfirmed
Manta rayManta rayConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Pelagic Thresher SharkAlopias pelagicusReported here · unconfirmed
FrogfishFrogfishReported here · unconfirmed
TunaTunaReported here · unconfirmed
OctopusOctopusConfirmed present · 2 independent sources
Hammerhead sharkHammerhead sharkConfirmed present · 4 independent sources
Clark's AnemonefishAmphiprion clarkiiObserved near here · iNaturalist
MandarinfishSynchiropus splendidusObserved near here · iNaturalist
Spiny SeahorseHippocampus histrixObserved near here · iNaturalist
Chocolate Chip Sea StarProtoreaster nodosusObserved near here · iNaturalist
Durable tips from divers — access, hazards, marine life, facilities. For day-of conditions, use the report tool in the conditions card above.
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