Shark Airport
A shallow plateau on the North Atoll where whitetip sharks rest and a busy cleaning station draws grey reef, nurse and silky sharks, turtles and eagle rays. Usually dived as a drift because of the current.
Facts
- Region: Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park – Philippines
- Area: North Atoll
- Depth: 5–30 m
- Level: advanced
- Current: moderate
- Type: wall, drift, reef
- Coordinates: 8.9533, 119.8675 (approximate)
- Highlights: whitetip sharks, grey reef shark, nurse shark, silky shark, turtles, eagle rays, triggerfish
- Permit: Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park can only be entered with a TMO permit: the vessel needs a Vessel Entry Permit and every visitor a Visitor Entry Permit, paid before entry. Per the TMO permits page (checked 2026-10-27): Visitor Entry Permit PHP 5,000 per person, divemasters PHP 500, children 12 and under exempt from the conservation fee; vessel permit PHP 5,500 to 11,000 by gross tonnage. In practice the liveaboard applies for the permits and collects the fee on board: Master Liveaboards and Atlantis quote USD 120 per person (fee changes without notice). Guests complete a Visitor Entry Permit form and attend a mandatory TMO briefing in Puerto Princesa before sailing. Drones need a separate permit.
- Issuer / contact: Tubbataha Management Office (TMO), Manalo Extension, Puerto Princesa, Palawan
- Phone: (048) 716-1631; mobile +63 917 553 0909
- Email: tmo@tubbatahareefs.org
- Unverified: Exact dive-site positions are not published by the sources; the coordinates are only the approximate centre of the park (Wikipedia: 8°57′12″N 119°52′3″E).
- Tips: Triggerfish guard nests on the plateau: do not hover over the sand. Dives are drift dives or in strong, changing currents; stay close to the guide.