Tubattaha Reef

Tubbataha on the southern part of Palawan is strictly 3 months live-aboard destination. The season start from mid-March to mid-June. It has the best diving in the country. Since this area is so remote may large fishes come into the area to feed. Its reefs serve as a breeding grounds, nurseries and bedrooms to hundreds of fish species.

CORAL reefs are home to an estimated one million species including 2,000 fish species and are considered the tropical rain forests of the oceans. They also happen to be the ecosystems most sensitive to changes in temperature and light.

Coral reefs are fragile geological marvels created by polyps, tiny animals which absorb calcium carbonate from sea water and excrete limestone, from which the reefs are made. The ornate, visually stunning structures are vital for the health of surrounding waters. They host microscopic organisms on which larger creatures feed and provide shelter for fish, lobsters, octopus, eels, turtles and other marine life.

Most of the coral reefs are found between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn in the Caribbean, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, Persian Gulf and around island nations in Southeast Asia and the South Pacific. Reefs are also found off Florida, Bermuda, southern Japan and Australia.

In recent years, healthy coral reefs are becoming harder to find. Even in the Philippines, where only 400 species remain of the 500 known. The country has 34,000 square kilometers of coral reefs. A report from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the environment department said Palawan has the highest concentration of reefs in the Philippines with 37.85 percent. It closely trailed by Sulu (27.81 percent), Visayas (21.70 percent), Northern Luzon (7.63 percent), Central and Southern Mindanao (3.2 percent), and the Turtle Islands (1.74 percent).