I cannot speak to going from Alona to Malapascua but I was just at Malapascua in April 2019. I flew into Cebu. If you are going from Alona to Cebu then the Cebu to Malapascua trip will probably be similar to mine.
I went with Thresher Shark Divers (TSD). They had a private transfer to Maya. From Maya a dive boat took me over to the island. I think it was around 3 hours from Cebu to Maya plus a stop for food and water. The ride over to Malapascua wasn't too long. When my ride reached Maya, some guides from TSD were waiting for me. It was kind of valet service. All the TSD staff grabbed my gear and luggage, brought it onto the boat and helped me onto the boat as well. I'd say the whole trip was around 3.5 to 4 hours.
For money, I arrived in Manila, stayed for one day then flew to Cebu. Before I left home, I sent myself money via Western Union. During that one day in Manila I went to a Western Union and picked up the money I sent myself. I used my passport for id. I gave them Canadian money in Canada and picked up Philippines Pesos in Manila.
You are diving with TSD. So you can use a credit card. I was charged 3% extra because I used my credit card. When I went on dives with a sanctuary fee, it was included in the price of the dive trip. So I could pay TSD and they paid the sanctuary fees.
When you are booking your dives with TSD be warned that they have two categories of dives. There will be a clipboard with the basic dives, no extra fees. These will be dives to things like the Thresher sharks or the night dive to the lighthouse. Then there will be another clipboard with dives to things like Gato Island or Kalanggaman Island. These are further from the resort. So it will be an all day trip. They will provide lunch but it will cost more than the other type of dive. You are paying for the extra gasoline, lunch and sanctuary fees. The food is okay but some of the diving is great.
I would highly recommend going to Gato Island. If you know a day when Ted is your guide, he is great at spotting macro life. All the guides were good but Marvin and Ted were above and beyond.
Everyone is saying go to Monad Shoal. This is were you will see the Thresher sharks. TSD has two types of trip there. One is REALLY early in the morning and has two tank dive. The other is just a one tank dive at Monad Shoal and a second tank somewhere else. The two dives at Monad Shoal is good because the first dive is before everyone else shows up. But the separate anchor makes even the later dive good. I actually had my best shark experience on the one tank at Monad Shoal and one else were.
Staying at Tepanee, you'll have a choice of two restaurants to eat at. One is inside the resort on the private beach. It is okay but I liked going to Amihan which is beside the report. It is up on the hill and has a great view of the harbour. I really liked sitting there and looking down on the bay.
It is a bit of a walk to the dive shop and a lot of the island life. But it can be good if you want to get away from the nightlife.
Oscar's restaurant (above TSD) is a really nice restaurant too. So you should check them out a few times.
If you have our own equipment, it might be good to bring it. I know one person I was diving with was saying how she had equipment failure 3 times (nothing major) and on her fourth dive with me, we found a pin hole in the diaphragm if her second stage (she just switched to her octo and it was fine). She was using rental equipment.
