Why the Tubbataha Reefs National Park is a mecca of Philippine diving

Exploring the beauty of the UNESCO World Heritage Site

- By JENNA SY

If there is one thing to be proud of about the Philippines, it is definitely the Tubbataha Reefs National Park, our rainforest of the sea. It was declared a United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site in 1993. No wonder that the Philippines' highest denomination of banknotes, the P1,000 polymer banknote, shows an image of the Tubbataha and the most lovable pawikan (sea turtle). For local divers, Tubbataha is a mecca of Philippine diving. Foreign divers have it on their bucket list as well. But what, a Filipino non-diver may ask, is all the fuss about diving in Tubbataha? I had no idea until I experienced it myself.

After some meticulous planning, I found myself at the port in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, one morning, poised to embark on my Tubbataha trip. Along with other divers, I boarded a boat on a trip that took six hours before we reached the nearest Tubbataha atoll, the Jessie Beazley. Having rested on the boat and waking up in the Sulu Sea, we started the series of dives for the week, which took place all around the three atolls of Tubbataha — Jessie Beazley, the South Atoll, and the North Atoll.