The municipality Tabango on the Philippine island Leyte wants to develop Kimud Shoal more strongly as its own diving destination. According to Philippine News Agency, the underwater mountain known for encounters with Pacific thresher sharks is to become a fixed part of Tabango’s tourist identity.
So far, Kimud Shoal is primarily visited by dive centers in Malapascua in Cebu. Mayor Ma. Corazon Remandaban therefore wants to correct the perception that the dive site primarily belongs to Malapascua from a tourist perspective. According to her statement, local providers have benefited for years from the dive trips, while environmental fees previously flowed entirely to the municipality of Daanbantayan.
Municipal ordinance connects protected area and tourism
The legal basis was already prepared in 2025. In a meeting agenda of the provincial council of Leyte, Municipal Ordinance 2025-07 is listed. It declares Kimud Shoal as a marine protected area as well as a designated water and eco-tourism area, designates it as a sanctuary for thresher sharks, and provides rules for management, conservation, sustainable use, tourism operations, and fees.
According to PNA, the protected area was formally established on February 6, 2026. Tabango also created its own Kimud Shoal Operations Unit, which is supposed to monitor tourism, regulate activities, and control the area. For patrols, a motorized outrigger canoe, an inflatable boat, and a speedboat were acquired.
With this, the community combines two goals that must support each other: revenue from dive tourism should reach the local area more substantially, while binding rules protect the ecologically sensitive site. A designation on paper is not enough for this. What is crucial are transparent fees, effective controls, and clear limits for operations in the water.
Why hammerhead sharks come after Kimud Shoal
Kimud Shoal is a cleaning station for the Pacific fox shark (Alopias pelagicus). The pelagic sharks rise from deeper water to the shallower reef crest. There, small cleaner fish remove parasites and dead tissue from skin and gills. This recurring behavior makes observations at recreational diving depth possible.
It is precisely this predictability that makes the animals economically valuable and ecologically vulnerable at the same time. A previously published study on the population in the Central Visayas Sea concluded that even an annual fishing mortality of 5.3 percent could trigger a sharp decline. According to the model, the loss of only 15 to 18 females per year would initiate a downward trend.
More access means more responsibility
Tabango does not only want to change the marketing, but also the access. The municipality is seeking support from the Philippine Ports Authority for better port facilities. Larger tourist ships should be able to dock directly in Tabango in the future. However, the report does not yet mention any concrete commitments, construction times, or financing.
A more direct access from Leyte can generate revenue for the community and clarify responsibilities. At the same time, more boats and divers could increase pressure on the cleaning station. The available sources do not mention specific visitor limits, diving windows, or fee rates. These details will determine whether the protection status and tourism strategy are compatible in practice.
Kimud Shoal is neither geographically relocated by the initiative nor does Malapascua automatically lose its role as an established starting point. What is new is the claim of Tabango to consolidate protection, control, fees, and tourism value creation more strongly under its own responsibility. Whether this results in a sustainably viable Fuchshai diving destination therefore depends primarily on the implementation of the protection rules.
