Dive Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park, departing Puerto Princessa
February to June - 6 nights / 13 nights from 2450 Euros
Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993, in recognition of its outstanding universal value in terms of marine life species diversity and richness, Tubbataha Reef offers some truly amazing diving, only accesible by liveaboard. These reefs consist of vertical walls or near drop offs rising out of great depths where hammerheads, thresher sharks and whale sharks can be seen. The shallow reef tops are teeming with colourful reef fish whilst at many dive sites stingrays, spiny lobsters, immature manta rays and turtles are found.
Tubbataha Liveaboard Diving Itinerary
150km South East of Puerto Princessa, on Palawan Island, the Tubbataha reef system consists chiefly of two atolls (North and South) and the Jessie Beazley reefs. After an overnight cruise of approximately 14 hours we arrive at the Tubbataha Reef system to enjoy up to 4 dives per day over the course of our 6-night trip. The delicate reef system supports over 600 different fish species and over 300 coral species, whilst providing a haven for nesting hawksbill and green turtles along with numerous birds. A field station on the North atoll is manned by rangers year-round, during our trips we visit with the rangers to learn more about conservation and reef protection.
Dive sites include Washing Machine, where many shark species can be sighted in the speedy current, the Delsan Wreck - now home to a plethora of reef fish and white tip reeef sharks as well as Amos' Rock.
Seafan Alley is where huge sea fans adorn the reef walls whilst Staghorn Point boasts fields of staghorn corals. Divers can expect to see stunning corals, schools of jacks, numerous reef sharks, marble rays, blue spotted sting rays, turtles, unicorn and triggerfishes in schools. There are a wide variety of smaller creatures from sea cucumbers to coral crabs, ghost pipefish to sea stars, crinoids with cling fish and pygmy seahorses. After our final dive on day 6, the yacht will make the cruise back to Puerto Princesa where the trip will culminate.
The S/Y Philippine Siren also offers extended 13 night trips, which combine 5-6 days of diving at the Tubbataha reefs with the highlights of diving the Southern Visayas. These trips depart from Puerto Princessa or Cebu.
Tubbataha Dive Site Highlights
Delsan Wreck - South Atoll. Laying in of water, this wreckage attracts schools of snappers & sweetlips, as well as eagle rays and plenty of sharks. White tips, black tips and grey reef sharks can all be seen feeding here. Turtles are common visitors and there are plenty of molluscs and crustaceans to entertain macro lovers around the wreckage and along the wall. This si e is often dived twice as the marine life is simply fantastic.
Black Rock, Tubbataha Reef – There is so much to explore at this dive site that we will often spend the whole day diving here. Schools of surgeon fish, rainbow runners and sweetlips are a common sight, White tip and nurse sharks are found resting under huge table corals and scribbled filefish, box fish and leaf fish add to the colour and spectacle of the stunning reefs; a great site for spotting spiny lobster too!
Washing Machine - North Atoll. The reef slopes to 12m then drops into the abyss, not for the feint hearted, Washing machine is known for its strong and sometimes unpredictable currents, however with them come the sharks and manta rays. Grey reef and white tips are amongst the common sightings and the occasional hammerhead is know to cruise by and the mantas makediving in currents look easy and graceful! Expect also to see large Napoleon wrasse, pickhandle barracuda, jacks and dogtooth tuna.
Donato’s Wall, Tubbataha Reef – Adorned with stunning sea fans and colourful soft corals, Donato’s wall is super for wide-angle photography. Schools of bannerfish hove in the blue, turtles bimble along the wall and from the sandy bed garden eels and gobies emerge. Nurse sharks are also seen here and the hard coral formations are very impressive.
Malayan, Tubbataha Reef – A super site to focus on macro, numerous shrimps and crabs can be found amongst the corals, whilst many types of nudibranch and sea slug are also found on and around the wreckage. The reef wall is also stunning with colourful fans and corals andseveral species reef sharks can be seen during the dive. Ghost pipefish can be spotted hovering mysteriously above the bottom also.
Ginama-An, Negros A typical dark sand dive with small out-croppings in which to hunt for octopus, frog fish and scorpion fish, with the occasional turtle cruising by. Ceres provides a mix of marine life from schools of snapper, banner fish and fusiliers to tiny bubble coral shrimp and squat lobsters. An assortment of anemone fish can be seen including spine cheek and skunk varieties. Demon stingers and smashing mantis shrimp can be seen scurrying along the bottom and robust ghost pipefish can be spotted bobbing about.
Lighthouse - South Atoll. The shallow sloping reef with sea grass beds is the place to observe the numerous turtles as they feed on the grasses and soft corals. Also common here are spotted and ribbon tail stingrays, the reef is swarmed with butterfly, angel and banner fish - all happily feeding away. A gentle dive after the previous exhilarations.
Talisay Tree, Cabilao - Pygmy seahorses hang on the huge gorgonian fans that adorn the steep wall. In the shallow coral gardens robust ghost pipe fish attempt to blend in, whilst bubble head shrimps and orangutan crabs are often seen resting on bubble anemones.
South Point, Cabilao Island offers you the opportunity to look for white tip reef sharks that hang out in the caverns within the steep coral wall. Huge tube sponges support giant frogfish, whilst leaf fish and many scorpion fish can be found resting in the crevices.
Seafan Alley - North Atoll. As the site name suggests this reef wall is dotted with largegorgonian sea fans- take a closer look for pygmy seahorses and long nose hawkfish - though you won't find them in the same fan as the hungry hawkfish eat the seahorses! This site is also popular with red-toothed triggerfish and sweetlips, barracuda and tunas can be seen in the blue water where we also keep a look out for silvertip sharks.
February to June - 6 nights / 13 nights from 2450 Euros
Registered as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1993, in recognition of its outstanding universal value in terms of marine life species diversity and richness, Tubbataha Reef offers some truly amazing diving, only accesible by liveaboard. These reefs consist of vertical walls or near drop offs rising out of great depths where hammerheads, thresher sharks and whale sharks can be seen. The shallow reef tops are teeming with colourful reef fish whilst at many dive sites stingrays, spiny lobsters, immature manta rays and turtles are found.
Tubbataha Liveaboard Diving Itinerary
150km South East of Puerto Princessa, on Palawan Island, the Tubbataha reef system consists chiefly of two atolls (North and South) and the Jessie Beazley reefs. After an overnight cruise of approximately 14 hours we arrive at the Tubbataha Reef system to enjoy up to 4 dives per day over the course of our 6-night trip. The delicate reef system supports over 600 different fish species and over 300 coral species, whilst providing a haven for nesting hawksbill and green turtles along with numerous birds. A field station on the North atoll is manned by rangers year-round, during our trips we visit with the rangers to learn more about conservation and reef protection.
Dive sites include Washing Machine, where many shark species can be sighted in the speedy current, the Delsan Wreck - now home to a plethora of reef fish and white tip reeef sharks as well as Amos' Rock.
Seafan Alley is where huge sea fans adorn the reef walls whilst Staghorn Point boasts fields of staghorn corals. Divers can expect to see stunning corals, schools of jacks, numerous reef sharks, marble rays, blue spotted sting rays, turtles, unicorn and triggerfishes in schools. There are a wide variety of smaller creatures from sea cucumbers to coral crabs, ghost pipefish to sea stars, crinoids with cling fish and pygmy seahorses. After our final dive on day 6, the yacht will make the cruise back to Puerto Princesa where the trip will culminate.
The S/Y Philippine Siren also offers extended 13 night trips, which combine 5-6 days of diving at the Tubbataha reefs with the highlights of diving the Southern Visayas. These trips depart from Puerto Princessa or Cebu.
Tubbataha Dive Site Highlights
Delsan Wreck - South Atoll. Laying in of water, this wreckage attracts schools of snappers & sweetlips, as well as eagle rays and plenty of sharks. White tips, black tips and grey reef sharks can all be seen feeding here. Turtles are common visitors and there are plenty of molluscs and crustaceans to entertain macro lovers around the wreckage and along the wall. This si e is often dived twice as the marine life is simply fantastic.
Black Rock, Tubbataha Reef – There is so much to explore at this dive site that we will often spend the whole day diving here. Schools of surgeon fish, rainbow runners and sweetlips are a common sight, White tip and nurse sharks are found resting under huge table corals and scribbled filefish, box fish and leaf fish add to the colour and spectacle of the stunning reefs; a great site for spotting spiny lobster too!
Washing Machine - North Atoll. The reef slopes to 12m then drops into the abyss, not for the feint hearted, Washing machine is known for its strong and sometimes unpredictable currents, however with them come the sharks and manta rays. Grey reef and white tips are amongst the common sightings and the occasional hammerhead is know to cruise by and the mantas makediving in currents look easy and graceful! Expect also to see large Napoleon wrasse, pickhandle barracuda, jacks and dogtooth tuna.
Donato’s Wall, Tubbataha Reef – Adorned with stunning sea fans and colourful soft corals, Donato’s wall is super for wide-angle photography. Schools of bannerfish hove in the blue, turtles bimble along the wall and from the sandy bed garden eels and gobies emerge. Nurse sharks are also seen here and the hard coral formations are very impressive.
Malayan, Tubbataha Reef – A super site to focus on macro, numerous shrimps and crabs can be found amongst the corals, whilst many types of nudibranch and sea slug are also found on and around the wreckage. The reef wall is also stunning with colourful fans and corals andseveral species reef sharks can be seen during the dive. Ghost pipefish can be spotted hovering mysteriously above the bottom also.
Ginama-An, Negros A typical dark sand dive with small out-croppings in which to hunt for octopus, frog fish and scorpion fish, with the occasional turtle cruising by. Ceres provides a mix of marine life from schools of snapper, banner fish and fusiliers to tiny bubble coral shrimp and squat lobsters. An assortment of anemone fish can be seen including spine cheek and skunk varieties. Demon stingers and smashing mantis shrimp can be seen scurrying along the bottom and robust ghost pipefish can be spotted bobbing about.
Lighthouse - South Atoll. The shallow sloping reef with sea grass beds is the place to observe the numerous turtles as they feed on the grasses and soft corals. Also common here are spotted and ribbon tail stingrays, the reef is swarmed with butterfly, angel and banner fish - all happily feeding away. A gentle dive after the previous exhilarations.
Talisay Tree, Cabilao - Pygmy seahorses hang on the huge gorgonian fans that adorn the steep wall. In the shallow coral gardens robust ghost pipe fish attempt to blend in, whilst bubble head shrimps and orangutan crabs are often seen resting on bubble anemones.
South Point, Cabilao Island offers you the opportunity to look for white tip reef sharks that hang out in the caverns within the steep coral wall. Huge tube sponges support giant frogfish, whilst leaf fish and many scorpion fish can be found resting in the crevices.
Seafan Alley - North Atoll. As the site name suggests this reef wall is dotted with largegorgonian sea fans- take a closer look for pygmy seahorses and long nose hawkfish - though you won't find them in the same fan as the hungry hawkfish eat the seahorses! This site is also popular with red-toothed triggerfish and sweetlips, barracuda and tunas can be seen in the blue water where we also keep a look out for silvertip sharks.