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For a description of a dive spot click on the number or dive sign
Dive Sites Tubbataha
1, 7, 8 TUBBATAHA REEF - NORTH ISLET (NORTH FACE, Washing Machine, Seafan Alley, Terraces)
Location: The north face of Tubbataha Reef North Islet 98 nautical miles southeast of Puerto Princesa.
Conditions: Normally calm with some swell. Strong currents can take you in either direction or change. Visibility can reach 130 ft.
Average depth: 100 ft
Maximum depth: 200 ft plus
 This north end of the reef has a sandy slope with coral heads to 50 ft, then drops as a wall with caves and crevices to deeper than sports divers can dive. The coral cover on the reef-top is good with plenty of stony, leathery and whip corals, among which you find large Guitar Sharks, Leopard Sharks, immature Manta Rays, Blue spotted Lagoon Rays, Eagle Rays, flounders and turtles.
The wall, with its overhangs and crevices, has huge gorgonian sea fans, barrel sponges, black corals and soft corals, Grey Reef Sharks, Whitetip Reef Sharks, Blacktip Reef Sharks, snappers, Moorish Idols, sweetlips, jacks, trevallies, surgeonfish, squirrelfish, soldierfish and groupers. Large Manta Rays are common at the surface and pelagic visitors are possible at any time.
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2, TUBBATAHA REEF - NORTH ISLET, (EAST FACE, Shark Airport )
Location: The east face of Tubbataha Reef North Islet.
Conditions: Normally calm, with some swell and strong currents that can take you in either direction or change suddenly. A 3 ft swell is divable.
Visibility can reach 130 ft.
Average depth: 65 ft.
Maximum depth: 200 ft plus
 A rich slope of corals on sand to between 45 ft and 65 ft leads to a wall with overhangs, caves and crevices down to deeper than sports divers can dive.
This is a great site for a dusk dive, when there is lots of action as the fish are feeding, though the current can be a nuisance to photographers. Just about every possible Pacific reef fish is in evidence, including trumpet fish, cornet fish, anthias, damselfish, anemones with clownfish, angelfish, butterflyfish, lionfish, scorpionfish, boxfish, peacock groupers, Titan, Clown, Orange-striped and redtooth triggerfish, pufferfish, parrotfish, hawkfish, bird wrasse and female napoleon wrasse. Guitar sharks, sea stars, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, feather duster worms, garden eels, segmented worms and nudibranchs are on the sand, and crinoids are everywhere.
The wall is wonderfully rich in gorgonian sea fans and soft corals, both of which are very large below 100ft. Large fish patrol the wall, especially jacks, revalues, tuna, rainbow runners, barracuda, blacktip reef and whitetip reef sharks, snappers and various fusiliers, cardinalfish and emperors. Manta rays and turtles are common near the surface.
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3, 4 TUBBATAHA REEF - NORTH ISLET, (SOUTHWEST CORNER, South Rock, Gorgonian Channel)
Location: The southwest corner of Tubbataha Reef North Islet.
Conditions: Normally calm, with some swell and strong currents that can take you in either direction or change suddenly. A 1m swell is diveable.
Visibility can reach 130ft.
Average depth: 65 ft
Maximum depth: 200 ft plus
 A shallow reef slopes to between 33ft and 65 ft and then drops off as a wall to deeper than sports divers can go. The slope is very rich, with stony whip and leathery corals on sand, teeming with small reef fish and several Guitar Sharks. There are sightings of leopard (variegated) Shark here.
Huge gorgonian sea fans, barrel sponges (covered in Alabaster Sea Cucumbers) and Dendronephthya soft tree corals cover the wall together with shoals of most of the local reef fish. Among the angelfish are sixbanded angelfish and semicircle angelfish. There are schools of snappers, unicornfish, jacks, trevallies, barracuda and fusiliers.
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5, 6 TUBBATAHA REEF - NORTH ISLET (SOUTHEAST CORNER, Amos Rock, Wall Street, Malayan Wreck)
Location: The southeast corner of Tubbataha Reef North Islet.
Conditions: Normally calm with some swell. Strong currents can take you either direction or change. Visibility can reach 130 ft.
Average depth: 65 ft
Maximum depth: 200 ft plus
 A gentle slope rich in mixed corals reach to 40 ft then a wall drops to deeper than sports divers can dive. The reef-top, which covers quite a large area here, has Giant Clams and octopuses, Leopardfish Sea Cucumbers and Bohadschia sea cucumbers. Sightings of Star Pufferfish with attendant remoras and guitar sharks.
Just over the wall, near the corner itself, is a cave that often contains resting a full-size Tawny Nurse Shark; other crevices contain Spiny lobsters, schools of snappers, sweetlips, Moorish idols, surgeonfish, fusiliers, angelfish and butterflyfish hang off the wall, which is rich in large gorgonian sea fans, barrel sponges, hydroids and soft corals. Whitetip, Blacktip and Grey Reef Sharks, groupers and Napoleon Wrasse can be seen in deeper water, while Manta Rays, Eagle Rays and turtles are frequently seen near the surface. A good dive for photographers
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1, 2, 6, TUBBATAHA REEF - SOUTH ISLET, (NORTH/NORTHEAST END, Black Rock, T-Wreck, Eiger Wall)
Location: The north and northeast end of Tubbataha Reef South Islet.
Conditions: Normally calm, with some swell and strong currents that can take you in either direction or change suddenly. A 3ft swell is diveable.
Visibility can reach 130 ft.
Average depth: 65 ft
Maximum depth: 200 ft plus
 A rich reef sloping to between 33 and 65 ft ends in an equally rich wall going down to deeper than sports divers may go. The wall has gorgonian sea fans and barrel sponges as good as those on the North Islet, and even better soft corals.
There are good schools of reef fish and seemingly more pelagic species then at Tubbataha Reef North Islet, including mackerel, barracuda and Rainbow Runners. The many caves and crevices contain Spiny Lobsters, squirrelfish, soldierfish and occasionally resting Whitetip Reef Sharks. Green and Hawksbill Turtles, Eagle Rays and Manta Rays have been seen here.
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3, 4, 5, TUBBATAHA REEF - SOUTH ISLET (SOUTH END, Delsan Wreck, Light house, Urs Drift)
Location: Drifting with the current either side of the Delsan wreck which is high and dry on top of the reef.
Conditions: Normally calm with some swell. Strong currents can take you in either direction or change. Visibility can reach 130 ft.
Average depth: 65 ft
Maximum depth: 200 ft plus
 This is much the same as the dive at the islet's north/northeast end, but with a far larger area of shallow reef-top. It is rich in the smaller reef-fish life, leathery corals, whip corals, sponges, and anemones with clownfish, other damselfish, chromis and anthias. Blue spotted Lagoon Rays, sea cucumbers and sea stars are common on the sandy patches. The shallow water near the lighthouse has sea grass, which is attractive to turtles.
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JESSIE BEAZLEY REEF
Location: 26 km (14 nautical miles) northwest of Tubbataha Reef North Islet, 9 hrs from Puerto Princesa.
Conditions: Normally calm with a swell, with medium to strong currents. The currents can be very strong at times of spring tides and can often reverse suddenly. Visibility can reach 130 ft. The currents can take you either way, east or west, along the drop-off. The reef is small enough to be covered in two dives.
Average depth: 92 ft; Maximum depth: 200 ft plus.
 Most striking are the many large schools of fish, some of which stay in one place, some of which follow you around. There are unusually large numbers of Sabre Squirrelfish and Bigeyes, Midnight Snappers, Black and White Snappers, jacks, Vlaming's Unicorn fish, Rainbow Runners, Emperors, pennantfish, batfish, Spotted Sweetlips and lined Sweetlips. Angelfish (especially Royal, Emperor and Yellowmask) and butterflyfish (especially Dusky, Longnose, Chevron, Blackback, lined and raccoon) flit around. All the possible triggerfish, including the clown triggerfish, groupers and hawkfish are here, and at the western end there are often Grey Reef Sharks resting on the sand at the base of the wall.
The southern end of the reef has more extensive reef-top, with good stony, whip and leathery corals plus very large table corals and with parrotfish, trumpertfish, cornetfish, rabbiftfish, hawkfish, anthias, boxfish and fire gobies among everything else. Every hole seems to be a home for Redtooth Triggerfish. Manta Rays and Eagle Rays are common, and pelagic visitors are possible anytime. This is tremendous diving and a great reef for photographers.
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