It seems that more and more places in the Philippines are gaining international recognition. With Boracay just recently accorded the title of 2012 World’s Best Island Getaway and Puerto Princesa Underground River landing as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, there are other sites declared by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites like Vigan, Banaue Rice Terraces, Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, to name some of them.
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, located in Palawan, almost in the middle of the Sulu Sea, has Palawan Island on the west, and Panay, Negros and Mindanao to the east. The site was declared National Marine Park in 1988 and a World Heritage Site in 1994. There are 130,028 hectares covering the North and South Reefs which forms a unique example of an atoll reef with rich marine life and aquatic resources.
Tubbataha Reefs is a perfect example of a pristine coral reef with an amazing 100 meter perpendicular wall, lagoons and two coral islands. It is home to some of the world’s most beautiful coral reefs. The magnificent atolls include an amazing vast variety of marine and aquatic resources.
The North Reef serves as a nesting place for marine turtles and birds. It is 4 -5 km wide which completely encloses a sandy lagoon. The reef is shallow and part of it shows during low tide. The South Reef on the other hand is 1 – 2 km wide and encloses a lagoon. On the southern tip lies an islet with a lighthouse which is used as a rookery for birds and a nesting place for turtles.
The park is an underwater sanctuary where unparalleled variety of marine creatures abounds. There are colourful reef fish crowd corals growing in the shallows while sharks – lots of them, and pelagic fish dominate down under.
World’s Eight Best Dive Site
Another recognition given by CNN’s travel news puts the Tubbataha Reefs in world class standing in terms of the conditions of the water and the quality of marine life found in the Reefs. Described as a reef that offers inner lagoons with overhangs, crevices and slopes and caves with more than 300 different coral types and 379 species of fish, the Reefs became more popular than ever, with an endless flow of tourists from March until June.
Any diver would float in sheer amazement and admiration of the exotic discoveries and beauty that has been preserved and will make a good rival to the Great Barrier Reef in terms of assortment of fish species and marine life.
Where other areas boast of exciting water sports, Tubbataha Reefs can only offer being so close to nature’s creatures beneath the waters where one is free to marvel at the wonders one don’t usually see elsewhere. Being merely in the presence of nature offers a whole new perception of a different world – so unexploited, preserved and respected. Swimming with the jacks and the sharks couldn’t get any better in Tubbataha Reefs and that is a thousand times better than jet skiing or parasailing or mountain climbing.
The best experience with Mother Nature is exploring the depths of the Tubbataha Reefs, in all its splendour and glory.
