Kimud Shoal Thresher Sharks: Why Leyte’s Seamount Matters

So what is new? Leyte is promoting Kimud Shoal as a dive destination where divers may observe pelagic threshers at a cleaning station. The Philippine News Agency reported this local tourism push in September 2026.

But the bigger story is this. Kimud is not simply a shark photo spot. It is a seamount used by an endangered species for a behaviour that scientists are still working to understand.

Why the threshers come to the shoal

Monad and Kimud are two underwater seamounts southeast of Malapascua, in the central Visayan Sea. The Important Shark and Ray Areas initiative describes their plateaus as lying around 15 to 25 metres deep, dropping into much deeper water. The site is recognised for pelagic threshers and their cleaning behaviour.

At cleaning stations, small cleaner fishes remove parasites and dead skin from larger fish. Researchers have documented pelagic threshers interacting with cleaner wrasses at Monad. The same behaviour has also been recorded at Kimud. Think of an underwater service station, where the customers arrive with spectacular tails.

Why the conservation story matters

A 2025 peer-reviewed study used remote stereo video to study pelagic thresher sharks in the Central Visayan Sea. Its demographic model suggested that the population would be vulnerable under a hypothetical fishing mortality of 5.3% a year. The model projected that removing 15 to 18 females could lead to population decline.

These are model outputs. They are not a count of current losses at Kimud.

The study’s point is sobering. Long-lived sharks that produce few young can be sensitive to added mortality. And fishing data remain incomplete.

A good dive keeps the shark in charge

Kimud and Monad are both protected areas. Their combined region is an Important Shark and Ray Area. Ask the local operator about current permits, conditions and site rules. Rules can change, so check locally before you go.

Follow the briefing. Keep clear of the cleaning area. Never touch, chase or block a shark. Wildlife encounters are unpredictable. Diving with thresher sharks should always follow local regulations and experienced professional guidance.

For the wider picture of ocean life in the country, explore our Philippines ocean guide. You can also read about thresher sharks and the Kimud dawn dive.

Threshers are an extraordinary encounter when it happens. But no wild-animal sighting should be sold as certain. A thresher’s tail makes the photograph. The cleaning station, the shark’s freedom to leave and the people protecting the site are the story behind it.

Questions people ask

Wildlife encounters are never guaranteed and never forced. Ocean Calling works only with vetted, ethical local operators, and every animal is free to approach, or not, entirely on its own terms.