Diving Guide to the Philippines 2015

(Barry) #1

D


esignated by UNESCO as
World Heritage Site, one of
three in the Philippines, this is a
superb destination for diving.
Despite its remote location from
Puerto Princesa City, Tubbataha has
become a popular site for the
liveaboard crowd.
It was proclaimed Tubbataha
National Marine Park in 1988 and is
a special series of sunken atolls and
sea mounts in the Sulu Sea
protected from local and foreign
poachers and dynamite fishermen.


That’s good news for divers as this is
one of the finest Indo-Pacific dive
destinations in the Coral Triangle.
The seasonal diving runs from
March into June when the seas are
normally flat and calm. There is
little weather protection for ships as
the few islands are just sand spits.
Liveaboard ships are normally
pretty full so it pays to book in
advance, although there can be
some good deals due to
last minute
cancellations. The ships
normally leave at night
from Puerto Princesa in
Palawan and arrive in
the morning. Trips
average five days.
Each visitor to
Tubbataha Reefs
Natural Park pays a
conservation fee and

Tubbataha White sand slopes
of Tubbataha

Liveaboard and Tubbataha sunset

South
Tubbataha

126

127

North
Tubbataha
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