Tubbataha Reef in Palawan, Philippines

Tubbataha Reef in Palawan, Philippines

Tubbataha Reef is a coral atoll located in the Sulu Sea in the Philippines. This is a marine sanctuary protected as Tubbataha Reef Marine National Park. This is a nomination in the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Tubbataha is located in the Sulu Sea, 98 nautical miles (181 km) southeast of Puerto Princesa City in Palawan Province. Coral is composed of two coral atolls divided by eight kilometers (5 miles) wide channel. South Atoll, the smaller of the two is five miles long and three miles wide, while the North Atoll, the larger of the two is 16 kilometers (10 miles) long and five kilometers (3 miles) wide (Knipp 22.) coral Each has single small island protruding from the water. The atolls are separated by miles 8 channel in (5 miles) wide.

There are no permanent inhabitants of the islands or reefs. Fishermen visit the area seasonally, establishing shelters on the island. The park is visited by tourists, especially divers. Travel to Tubbattaha from mid-March until mid-June all the ship-based, garden about twelve hours by boat from Puerto Princesa City. Tubbataha is considered as the best dive sites in the Philippines and especially the submarines that operate during the "Tubbataha Season" are usually booked a year earlier mainly on Asian holidays of Easter and the "Golden Week".

Tubbataha has become a popular site for experienced sports divers because of coral "walls" where the shallow coral reef abruptly ends giving way to great depths. This "wall" is not only a beautiful place to dive, but they are also wonderful habitats for many colonies of fish. There are giant jacks, hammerhead sharks, barracuda, manta rays, palm sized Moorish idols, [parrot fish], and eels that live in the sanctuary. Tubbataha even home to the hawksbill turtles (Eretmochelys imbricata) are endangered. (Knipp 24).