In early 2025, we (Jacob Guy and Luca Keller) spent several weeks with Evolution Diving on Malapascua Island in the Philippines, a place known worldwide for something rare in the diving world. At sunrise, pelagic thresher sharks rise from deep water to visit the cleaning stations at Monad and Kimud Shoal. It is one of the only places where divers can reliably meet them, and the experience shaped us and our work more than we expected.
Ephemeros – Fleeting Beings
Ephemeros is our most cinematic experience video on diving with thresher sharks so far. The film leans into a philosophical and almost mythical approach to the encounter. It treats the sharks like ancient beings rising from the deep for a brief moment before sinking back into the dark.
There is no heavy narration. Just a pure underwater experience built through slow pacing, the sound of breath, and a series of highlight visuals that show the beauty of these moments without exaggerating them. We attempt to capture how it feels to meet a thresher shark rather than simply document what it looks like.
Lost & Found: The Shark Ritual
Our second film from Malapascua is part of our Lost & Found series for Scuba.com. This episode takes a more informative approach, focusing on why Malapascua is one of the best places in the world to dive with thresher sharks. It looks at the behaviour behind the ritual. The cleaning stations. The relationship between the sharks and the cleaner fish. The ocean conditions that make Kimud Shoal so unique.
It is filmed in the same calm early light but leans more into explanation and context. It provides viewers with a clear picture of what makes shark diving in the Philippines so special, and why this delicate routine requires attention and care.
Why this matters
The thresher sharks of Malapascua depend on a delicate balance. Increased diving activity, boat traffic, and rising ocean temperatures all influence how often the sharks visit the cleaning stations. Spending time here made us more aware of how easily this ritual can be disrupted. Sharing these encounters with accuracy and respect has become part of our responsibility as filmmakers.
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Reach out. We’re always looking for meaningful ocean stories to document and share.
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