Gato Island, a 40-minute boat ride from Malapascua, is home to delicate seahorses, kaleidoscopic fish and multi-hued corals, as well as a labyrinth-like cave where whitetip sharks are often spotted sleeping duringtheday.
It is a tawdry, depressing and often confronting scene duringtheday, but at night the stretch has a raffish and oddly alluring charm, underpinned by neon lights, pumping music and crowds of suburban revellers who gawk and giggle their way between a huge number of bars, pubs and clubs, many of which are open 24 hours.