Quick Guide to Diving Tubbataha Reefs in the Philippines
Why?
Tubbataha reefs is probably the best protected, most intact reef in the Philippines. The reefs are composed of two atolls and a separate third reef, and offer large fishes, schools of fishes, spectacular drop offs and sometimes megafauna (manta rays and whale sharks) not so often seen in the Indo-Pacific anymore. Here is some footage of the Tubbataha fish fauna I shot in 2024:
Where?
Tubbataha reefs are located almost in the middle between Borneo and the Philippine islands/island groups of Palawan, the Visayas and Mindanao. It’s right in the center of the Sulu Sea. Tubbataha is part of the Philippines.
How?
You typically have to fly to Puerto Princesa, the capital of the Philippine province of Palawan. Puerto Princesa is a pleasant, safe, small town with some surprisingly diverse and top dining choices. From there, you take a live-a-board dive boat to Tubbataha, and dive for a few days. You sleep and eat on the boat. The reef is too far to do day trips. The diving in Tubbataha is limited to spring/early summer, due to harsh weathers the rest of the year. The last trips generally run in late June. The area is very popular, try booking a year in advance if you want to dive Tubbataha. I had great experiences diving with the Infiniti liveaboard.
The Gypsy, run by Sea Explorers, is running Tubbataha trips from Negros Island, coming from the east.
Below is footage of oceanic triggerfish nesting, I have only ever seen this in Tubbataha.
What to Look For?
Tubbataha is known for sightings of marine megafauna, such as whale sharks and manta rays. Yes, you can see these, and other sharks, even tiger sharks, sometimes too. But these sightings are not guaranteed, and you do yourself a disfavor is you focus only on the very big fish. Tubbataha is a vibrant, healthy, biodiverse coral reef ecosystem, with schools of fish, and large individuals not often seen anymore in many other places in the Philippines. And there are small, “macro” critters too in Tubbataha. Enjoy! Below are the shots I took during our fish surveys in Tubbataha in 2023 and 2024:
Best Fishes,
Klaus
