Seatizens of Malapascua: An ethnographic study of Becoming with the Ocean in a Multispecies and Amphibious World

Abstract

In the ocean surrounding Malapascua Island, Philippines, the pelagic thresher shark roam freely. This unique presence is what draws numerous scuba tourists from all over the world to the small island. Malapascua is, for the time being, the only place on earth where these sharks can be encountered through scuba diving all year round. On that basis, this thesis seeks to explore how people on Malapascua Island relate to the ocean through scuba tourism, everyday practices and conservation efforts. This is achieved through ethnographic fieldwork involving conversations and interviews with scuba tourists, marine conservationists, local residents and fishermen. By approaching the island as an amphibious and multispecies place, this study examines how social life is shaped through their relation to the sea and its marine creatures, particularly sharks. Drawing on phenomenology, multispecies ethnography, and political ecology it considers how experiences, relations and illegality shape the ways in which people on Malapascua co-exist with the ocean. Additionally, this thesis argues that to understand social life on Malapascua, it is necessary to approach the island as both an underwater and terrestrial place, where humans and more-than-humans together shape the meanings, practices and experiences. With this, the thesis contributes to the fields of amphibious anthropology and multispecies ethnography by focusing on more-than-human relations and ways of living with the ocean – acknowledging the entanglements between species, place and practices.