Whale sharks, school of juvenile sharks, gray shark and huge fans.
It was just our first day in Tubbataha.
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| We found a whale shark on our first dive. |
One of the reasons I learned how to dive was so that I could go to Tubbataha Reef Natural Park. It was the only landmark among those at the back of the Philippine Peso bills that I haven’t been to. After I got my Open Water Diver certification, I also obtained 3 more specialties: Deep Diving, Navigation and Enriched Air Nitrox. I still have to complete 1 more specialty to earn my Advanced Diver rating. Dive professionals from Scuba Academy Manila organized our trip and all we did was just book a flight to Puerto Princessa.
The Liveaboard.
In the afternoon of 24 May 2018, we went aboard M/Y Zamerdius and before the sun set, we left Puerto Princessa for an approximately 10-hour ride (150km) to Tubbataha. M/Y Zamerdius is one of the smaller boats that operates in Tubbataha. The size makes it perfects for small groups like us to charter the boat and have a personal SCUBA diving experience with friends. The rooms were tiny but comfortable and equipped with A/C which is a good relief on a hot and sticky summer day (which was everyday). The food was surprisingly good too. We were served with Lechon on our first day and each meal was different everyday.
Several times we would find school of jacks
Tubbataha
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is about 97,000 hectares of marine protected area. It is located in the Sulu Sea, part of the island Cagayancillo (about 130km away) in Palawan. The Philippines sits at the Coral Triangle, the epicenter for marine biodiversity, and Tubbataha is the Philippines most conserved coral reef. Typical diving in Tubbataha includes diving in the North and South atolls. Jessie Beazley Reef also has dive sites but we did not visit anymore.
Day 1
We started diving at the North Atoll at Washing Machine and on our very first dive, we sighted a whale shark. I bought a red filter a week before and it was my first time to use it on this dive. I learned that the red filter was too dark that you can’t capture anything with it. I ended up fumbling with my GoPro and filter while the whale shark swam past us. Lesson learned: Always test your new toys/gears.
Encounter with a whale shark
On our second dive at Shark Airport, we found a school of big fish from afar in front of us. As we continued diving and went nearer, I noticed that they were juvenile sharks and we were about to dive through them. In my experience, sharks would mind their own business (or even run away from us) but would I swim through them? I slowed down and let another diver swim through first. Haha!
After lunch, we went to Sea Fan Alley where we found a gray shark sleeping in a small cavern. But what was even more amazing were the huge fans along the walls. We returned to Shark Airport for our last dive for the day and voila, we saw another whale shark! Our friends on the other group (we were divided into 2 DMs: 4 divers) also saw a whale shark but instead of just swimming through, it played with their bubbles and they enjoyed the whale shark for a good 15 minutes.
Quite common to see a reef shark in our dive
Day 2
Our boat transferred to the South Atoll on the second day and we spent all day diving at Black Rock. Here, we found manta rays gracefully swimming in the ocean. On our last dive, we started the dive in the blue then swam towards the reef at around 18 meters for 8-10 minutes, in the hopes of finding a hammerhead. We didn’t find anything in the blue but on the reef, we found a nurse sharp sleeping in a cavern.
Finding a manta ray
Day 3
We went to the southern portion of the South Atoll and went diving at Triggerfish City, Delsan Wreck and Staghorn Point. Staghorn Point was amazing—it was acres of rolling hills of staghorn corals. We found several school of jacks and in one dive, we found around 10 turtles throughout the dive. I experienced a lot of thermoclines in Tubbataha, I particularly noted in Delsan where I can practically see the water change from warm to cold.
Turtle eating staghorn corals
Day 4
We went back to the North Atoll on our last day but on the southern side of the atoll. Our first dive was at the Malayan Wreck Wall. We started the dive on the reef then went to around 30m to the blue where we waited for around 10 minutes in the hopes of finding a hammerhead before we went back to the fall. During our safety stop, we found a flounder on the white sand. Next, we went to the Malayan Wreck which was full of marine life. The most interesting I noted was the blue-spotted sting ray inside the wreck and finally, we saw a hammerhead while we were chilling in the blue. Before our last dive, we visited the Ranger Station, the only time in our 4 days and 5 nights in Zamerdius that we stepped on land. The Park Rangers spend two months at a time in Tubbataha, patrolling and protecting the park. While we still found some trash in the sea, the rangers and the Tubbataha management have done a good job in protecting this underwater playground.
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| At the Ranger Station |
Diving in Tubbataha is expensive. But as a SCUBA diver, it’s something that shouldn’t be missed. The well-protected corals reef bursting with marine life is worth it and 16 dives over 4 days isn’t enough to see everything it offers.
