Guimbitayan Beach is located on Malapascua Island, a small coral island measuring just 2.5 kilometers long and 1 kilometer wide, situated off the northern tip of Cebu Island in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines. The beach takes its name from the nearby Guimbitayan village in Logon barangay, Daanbantayan municipality, with 'guimbit' possibly deriving from local Cebuano dialect. Malapascua Island remained a quiet fishing community until the 1980s when divers discovered the island's unique attraction: regular sightings of pelagic thresher sharks at nearby Monad Shoal, a sunken island plateau where these rare sharks come to cleaning stations at dawn. This discovery transformed Malapascua into one of the world's premier dive destinations, though Guimbitayan Beach on the island's less-developed southern coast has retained a more secluded character compared to the busy Bounty Beach dive resort area on the western shore. During World War II, Japanese forces occupied Malapascua briefly, and a Japanese landing craft remains submerged offshore near Guimbitayan, now serving as an artificial reef attracting marine life and accessible to both divers and snorkelers. The beach's relatively difficult access—requiring either a boat ride or a winding walk through Guimbitayan village—has preserved its tranquil atmosphere despite the island's growing tourism industry.
The beach features a narrow strip of white coral sand backed by coconut palms and coastal vegetation, with crystalline turquoise waters revealing the sandy bottom and scattered coral formations visible from shore. Snorkeling directly from the beach rewards visitors with sightings of colorful reef fish including parrotfish, butterflyfish, angelfish, and damselfish, while the World War II-era Japanese landing craft wreck lies in shallow water accessible without scuba equipment. The beach's most famous attraction is cliff jumping from rock formations at the southern end, where daring visitors leap from heights of 12-18 meters depending on tide levels into deep water below—a thrilling activity requiring careful attention to safety and tide conditions. The trail from Logon Barangay Hall winds through the village before descending to the jumping cliff area, offering an authentic glimpse of local island life in traditional nipa huts and fishing communities. Swimming is excellent during calm conditions, though the exposed southern location can experience rougher seas during the northeast monsoon season (November-March) when waves break directly onto the shore. The beach's secluded nature makes it ideal for those seeking solitude, with few other visitors and opportunities for private beach picnics, though the recent expansion of Kandaya Resort has claimed portions of the beach area, potentially affecting public access. Local fishermen occasionally pull up their bancas (outrigger canoes) on the beach, and visitors can arrange boat rides to other secluded coves or to the main dive sites around Monad Shoal for those interested in viewing the famous thresher sharks.
Amihan Restaurant on Malapascua's Bounty Beach, accessible by 20-minute walk or short banca ride from Guimbitayan, serves grilled lapu-lapu (grouper) with garlic butter, calamari stuffed with tomatoes and onions, and sizzling tuna belly with soy-calamansi sauce. Ocean Vida Restaurant offers kinilaw (Filipino ceviche) with fresh tuna marinated in vinegar, calamansi, and chili, grilled prawns with mango salsa, and pancit canton (stir-fried noodles with seafood). Crabby Bill's specializes in crab prepared multiple ways including butter-garlic, chili crab, and traditional aligue (crab fat) sauce, alongside grilled squid stuffed with tomatoes and onions. Malapascua Exotic Bar & Restaurant features sinigang na hipon (sour shrimp soup with tamarind), adobong pusit (squid braised in vinegar and soy sauce), and ginataang alimango (crabs cooked in coconut milk with malunggay leaves).
