Diving Asia

diving asia

Palawan, Philippines

A UNESCO World Heritage site, Tubbataha Reef Marine Park is in the middle of the Sulu Sea. It has a very high density of marine species. The site comprises pristine coral reef with perpendicular walls, extensive lagoons and two coral atolls. It is reached by liveaboard from March to June (the nearest inhabited islands are 128 km away). Sea temperatures are from 25-27 oC. Currents can be very strong.

Getting There

Liveaboards visit Tubbataha from Manila and Cebu City. Dive operators include Dive and Let Live and Expeditionfleet Liveaboards.

“Almost in the middle of the large body of water that separates the island of Palawan from the rest of the Visayan Islands lies the Tubbataha Marine Park. Hands down, this is the best diving the Philippines has to offer. Marine biologists believe that this area is a major nursery for the underwater inhabitants of the Philippine waters. So important is this Sanctuary that it was declared a world heritage site by the UNESCO.

It’s distance from any large body of land means no runoffs of silt so visibility can be in excess of 50 meters. The fact that the diving season here, done exclusively from liveaboards, is only during the dry months from March to early June also contribute to the clarity of the water.

Several small islands and their surrounding reefs make up this marine Park. North Tubbataha and South Tubbataha have rich sloping reefs that drop abruptly off into the deep blue and the walls are a banquet of colorful sponges, huge basket corals and a myriad of sea fans and gorgonians.

When it comes to fish life, think BIG. Big schools of jacks and barracudas, turtles and sharks are quite common. Time your visit around the new or full moon and Manta rays are almost a given. Hammerheads, Leopard and Guitar sharks and White tips sleeping in the cracks and crevices as well as huge tunas patrol the walls. Basterra is infamous for the dreaded El Presidente, a downward current that washes off the reef top . ”
Yvette Lee Expeditionfleet 2007
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“Only diveable between the months of March to early June. Mostly wall drift dives. Lots of pelagics such as tunas, schools of jacks, baracudas, whale sharks and reef sharks, hammerhead and grey reefs. Manta and eagle rays, turtles and reef is very colourful. ”
Aquashik

“Lots of Pellagics, schools of hammerheads, barracudas, mantas and a whole lot more … Great Vis! ”
Shank

” Breathtakingly beautiful with an array of different corals and sea creatures which some can only be found there.”
Paul C. Pelicano

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