Apologies for being late to this thread.
Having worked for several years on malapascua I can confirm that Evolution as a company are condescending and patronising to both their guests and fellow professionals in the island. This all flows from the top as one of their owners is one of the most arrogant individuals I've come across in my years within the industry. Unsurprisingly, the instructors working there just replicate this unfortunate attitude toward others which is a shame as I believe the cause they're promoting is an important one. There are better and less alienating ways of doing it.
The 'no pointer or gloves' rule is a good one I believe. My next statement will prove unpopular among many, but in my experience in Malapascua, the vast majority of terrible divers to visit were from China and Korea. Most of them would appear to barely be able to swim and their attitude toward the environment and aquatic life was that it was there to touch. They showed little to no concern for the environment at all. Yes there are poor divers from all across the globe but in experience on Malapascua, this demographic were easily the worst and their numbers grow every year.
The point here is that most of them like to use pointers to compensate for bad buoyancy skills as well as wear gloves and if you didn't allow them to wear gloves they were much less likely to touch anything. My company did allow pointers and on numerous occasions I would look back to see a diver using a pointer to reposition a nudibranch/frogfish/seahorse etc. to the preferred angle for their camera. Not always Chinese but most of the time this was the case.
One previous poster suggested pointers or gloves should be taken away from divers on a case by case basis. The idea is that it deters divers from contacting the bottom in the first place. Also, most DM's on the island are Filipinos who were often reluctant to mention bad behaviour of their divers for fear of losing valuable tips. The right attitude perhaps not, but a reality of local life there.
As for the suggestion of a staggered schedule to reduce overcrowding of dive sites, this would be difficult to achieve especially with there being an optimal time of day to witness both the Thresher sharks in the morning and the mandarin fish in the evening. I believe the only way to avoid crowding on these sights is to restrict numbers via a permit system such as Sipadan. Chances of this happening in the Philippines. Sadly, low.
Overall I enjoyed the diving around Malapascua. I thought the macro was of a good standard although having a high quality guide was essential. Always make sure it's a local guide who was extensive experience. Foreigners like myself are not in their league. Gato is one of the best sights I've ever been to. Visually, you think it's so so and if I guided you your opinion wouldn't improve but with a quality guide it's simply amazing. Sea horses, frog fish, countless varieties of nudibranch and shrimp. White tip reef sharks etc. A great site.
The local sites around the island were also good but again it depends on the quality of your guide as so much of the stuff is hard to find. If you want loads of colour and fish I'd recommend Bohol. But for a Thresher/macro combination Malapascua is excellent. Great visibility, go to Thailand. It all depends on what floats your boat.
Enjoy it while you can as divers are slowly destroying it. Evolution are taking a much needed lead in a campaign to try and protect this wonderful diving landscape. I admire their intentions but detest their attitude and methods. It's difficult to change the behaviour of divers and indeed other dive centres when treating them with utter contempt. This is a shame and I hope they see this and adapt accordingly.
Having worked for several years on malapascua I can confirm that Evolution as a company are condescending and patronising to both their guests and fellow professionals in the island. This all flows from the top as one of their owners is one of the most arrogant individuals I've come across in my years within the industry. Unsurprisingly, the instructors working there just replicate this unfortunate attitude toward others which is a shame as I believe the cause they're promoting is an important one. There are better and less alienating ways of doing it.
The 'no pointer or gloves' rule is a good one I believe. My next statement will prove unpopular among many, but in my experience in Malapascua, the vast majority of terrible divers to visit were from China and Korea. Most of them would appear to barely be able to swim and their attitude toward the environment and aquatic life was that it was there to touch. They showed little to no concern for the environment at all. Yes there are poor divers from all across the globe but in experience on Malapascua, this demographic were easily the worst and their numbers grow every year.
The point here is that most of them like to use pointers to compensate for bad buoyancy skills as well as wear gloves and if you didn't allow them to wear gloves they were much less likely to touch anything. My company did allow pointers and on numerous occasions I would look back to see a diver using a pointer to reposition a nudibranch/frogfish/seahorse etc. to the preferred angle for their camera. Not always Chinese but most of the time this was the case.
One previous poster suggested pointers or gloves should be taken away from divers on a case by case basis. The idea is that it deters divers from contacting the bottom in the first place. Also, most DM's on the island are Filipinos who were often reluctant to mention bad behaviour of their divers for fear of losing valuable tips. The right attitude perhaps not, but a reality of local life there.
As for the suggestion of a staggered schedule to reduce overcrowding of dive sites, this would be difficult to achieve especially with there being an optimal time of day to witness both the Thresher sharks in the morning and the mandarin fish in the evening. I believe the only way to avoid crowding on these sights is to restrict numbers via a permit system such as Sipadan. Chances of this happening in the Philippines. Sadly, low.
Overall I enjoyed the diving around Malapascua. I thought the macro was of a good standard although having a high quality guide was essential. Always make sure it's a local guide who was extensive experience. Foreigners like myself are not in their league. Gato is one of the best sights I've ever been to. Visually, you think it's so so and if I guided you your opinion wouldn't improve but with a quality guide it's simply amazing. Sea horses, frog fish, countless varieties of nudibranch and shrimp. White tip reef sharks etc. A great site.
The local sites around the island were also good but again it depends on the quality of your guide as so much of the stuff is hard to find. If you want loads of colour and fish I'd recommend Bohol. But for a Thresher/macro combination Malapascua is excellent. Great visibility, go to Thailand. It all depends on what floats your boat.
Enjoy it while you can as divers are slowly destroying it. Evolution are taking a much needed lead in a campaign to try and protect this wonderful diving landscape. I admire their intentions but detest their attitude and methods. It's difficult to change the behaviour of divers and indeed other dive centres when treating them with utter contempt. This is a shame and I hope they see this and adapt accordingly.
