About Us

Dik de Boer, a Dutch national, and his Filipino wife, Cora, established the first dive resort on Malapascua Island in 1997. Having travelled extensively throughout the Philippines, they came across an article in the Lonely Planet guide in 1996 describing a small island paradise in northern Cebu. During their first visit to Malapascua, they discovered that everything they had read was true — palm-fringed white sand beaches, crystal-clear turquoise waters, and a peaceful tropical atmosphere. It was easy to fall in love with this island paradise, and for experienced travellers like Dik and Cora, it seemed the perfect place to settle down. The only question remaining was: how good was the diving?

At that time, tourism on the island was still in its infancy. There were only a few beach cottages available for rent and no diving facilities. Curious about the surrounding waters, Dik and Cora spoke with local residents and were fascinated by stories of sharks and Japanese wartime shipwrecks. Inspired by these stories, they returned in 1997 with a portable compressor to explore the reefs around the island. It did not take long for them to realize Malapascua’s extraordinary potential as a diving destination, leading them to establish the island’s first dive resort.

It was also during this period that Dik, together with his friend Mikael Person, made one of the early dives with the thresher sharks at Monad Shoal — an encounter that would later make Malapascua famous around the world. Today, Monad Shoal is recognized as one of the few places on Earth where these magnificent sharks can be observed regularly and at close range in waters only about 25 meters deep.

Another project that Dik and Cora initiated was the development of Exotic’s House Reef in 2001. Over the years, they created an artificial reef by sinking jeeps, concrete thresher shark structures, and other man-made objects, providing a unique habitat where marine life could flourish. In recognition of these conservation efforts, Exotic received the Environmental Achievement Award from Project AWARE in 2008.

From its humble beginnings with only a few beach cottages in 1997, Malapascua Exotic has grown into a world-renowned PADI 5-Star IDC Resort. The dive center has expanded significantly and now operates a fleet of dive boats, modern compressor and Nitrox facilities, a multimedia classroom, and a dedicated team of experienced instructors and Divemasters — all committed to delivering exceptional diving experiences while preserving the relaxed and welcoming spirit that has defined Exotic from the very beginning.