Tubbataha Reef in Palawan lures more underwater lovers during diving season

More diving enthusiasts here in the country and abroad have visited Tubbataha Reef National Park (TRNP) lying in the middle Sulu Sea to experience the underwater wonders from March to June.

Diving tourists around the world have visited Tubbataha, the country’s only marine natural Park and a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1993.

Last year, a total of P4.1-million income was generated during the diving months from March to June last year, Angelique Songco reported.

Tubbataha Reef, located some 150 kilometers southeast from this city, can be visited strictly by live aboard and are best visited from March to June because of the clear skies, calm waters, and excellent visibility.

Luis Cuison, Philippine Ports Authority-Puerto Princesa manager, said that more boats have docked nowadays at the port of Puerto Princesa, which serves as usual jump-off point for visitors and dive boats going to Tubbataha.

Meanwhile, this coming April 24 to 29, 2009, The Frog Man, in conjunction with Donsol Ecotour, will be launching a special diving expedition to the Tubbataha Reef.

Tubbataha Reef was expanded from 33,000 hectares to 96,828 hectares by virtue of Proclamation No. 1126 signed by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo on Aug. 23, 2006.

The park is composed of two atolls with such rich marine life that this reef has become known across the world for the best diving that anyone can possibly experience.

The name Tubbataha is a Samal word for “long reef exposed at low tide”. Samals are seafaring people of the Sulu Sea.

The Tubbataha Reefs in the Sulu Sea are the largest reef atoll in the country and serve as sanctuary for the majority of wonderful marine life in the region.

Since the establishment of the Tubbataha Protected Area Management Board in 1998, divers and commercial boats are allowed to enter the reef after paying conservation fees.

The reef is home to 10,000 coral reefs, 483 species of fish, two nesting species of marine turtles and nine species of marine mammals.

The reef’s islets are among the last breeding strongholds of seabirds in Southeast Asia.