Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park – Philippines

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Sulu Sea is a UNESCO World Heritage site (inscribed 1993, extended 2009) made up of the North Atoll, the South Atoll and the separate Jessie Beazley Reef about 20 km to the north. The park covers roughly 97,000 ha, has no facilities and is reached only on a liveaboard from Puerto Princesa, a 10–16 hour crossing. Diving is possible only in the calm season of about mid-March to mid-June. Most sites are walls and drifts with sharks, turtles, rays and big schools, and the TMO controls all entry by permit.

Facts

• Best season: Roughly mid-March to mid-June; sources differ slightly (March–June, mid-March to early June). Calmest seas April to June
• Water temperature: About 26–30 °C (Master Liveaboards 26–29 °C, Dive the World 27–30 °C)
• Visibility: Usually 20–40 m; Wikipedia gives about 30–45 m
• Currents: Moderate to very strong and changeable, strongest around new and full moon; many sites are dived as drifts with surge
• Getting there: Fly to Puerto Princesa (via Manila or Cebu); liveaboards leave from the Puerto Princesa pier and cross 10–16 hours to the park. Arrive at least a day early
• Permit & fees: TMO Visitor Entry Permit: PHP 5,000 per person (TMO page, checked 2026-10-27); operators quote USD 120 per person paid on board. The liveaboard arranges it; mandatory TMO briefing before sailing
• Training level: Advanced Open Water minimum (TMO); Master Liveaboards also requires 50 logged dives, Atlantis 25; current experience expected
• Hazards: Strong currents, surge, deep walls, remote location: nearest chamber is in Puerto Princesa, evacuation is costly. Dive insurance with evacuation is mandatory; max 60 min per dive

Season

• Best months: Apr, May, Jun
• Acceptable: Mar
• Poor: Jan, Feb, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec
• Water temperature: 26–30 °C

The park is visited only from about mid-March to mid-June, when the Sulu Sea is calmest; outside that window typhoons and heavy seas make trips impractical. Sources differ slightly on the edges (March–June; Atlantis says mid-March to early June). April to June is the calmest.

Dive sites (11)

North Atoll

• Amos Rock – 5–30 m, advanced
• Malayan Wreck – 10–40 m, advanced
• Seafan Alley – 10–40 m, advanced
• Shark Airport – 5–30 m, advanced
• Wall Street – 5–40 m, advanced
• Washing Machine – 5–30 m, advanced

South Atoll

• Black Rock – 5–40 m, advanced
• Delsan Wreck – 5–40 m, advanced
• Staghorn Point – 5–30 m, advanced
• Triggerfish City – 5–30 m, advanced

Jessie Beazley Reef

• Jessie Beazley Reef – 7–50 m, advanced

Operators (2)

• Philippine Siren (Master Liveaboards) – liveaboard, Puerto Princesa, Palawan (Baywalk Pier)
• Atlantis Adventurer / Azores (Atlantis Dive Resorts) – liveaboard, Puerto Princesa, Palawan

Routes (3)

• Tubbataha 6 nights (Philippine Siren)
• Tubbataha and More 13 nights (Philippine Siren)
• Tubbataha 7 nights (Atlantis Adventurer)

Verify permit rules, fees and season with the Tubbataha Management Office and your operator. No individual dive-site coordinates are published by the sources used: positions on the map are approximate (park centre). Sources disagree on which atoll some sites belong to.