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Tubbataha Reef, Sulu Sea, Philippines
Tubbataha Reef is situated almost in the middle of The Sulu Sea with the islands of Palawan to the west and Panay, Negros and Mindanao to the east. The 33,200 hectare site was declared a National Marine Park in 1988 and a World Heritage Site in 1994.
Thanks to local efforts, illegal fishing and coral collection have been stamped out and the gradual destruction that was taking place before 1988 has been halted and the reef is now back in pristine condition. The diving here is considered some of the best in the world.
The reef lies 182 km southeast of Puerto Prinsesa, the capital of Palawan Island and it is only reachable by live-aboard boats which can be found in Puerto Princesa itself. Despite its inaccessability, the reef is now extremely popular with adventurous divers, so early booking of a live-aboard vessel is advised to avoid disappointment.
Tubbataha is made up of two reefs, simply referred to as the North and South Reefs or Islets, that are separated by 4 nautical miles of water with surrounding depths that descend to around 1,200 meters. The North Reef is 4-5 km wide and completely encloses a sandy lagoon. The reef is shallow and some of it is uncovered at low tide. The South Reef is 1-2 km wide and also encloses a lagoon. On the southern tip is a islet with a lighthouse. This is used as a rookery for birds and is frequented by turtles.
Over 1000 species inhabit in the reef; many are already considered as endangered. Animal species found include manta rays, lionfish and sharks.
Aside from being a marine sanctuary, Tubbataha is also renowned for being a bird sanctuary. A lighthouse islet, at the southern tip of the South Atoll, supports a large number of seabirds which nest there. Around the Tubbataha, there are tens of thousands of masked red-foot boobies, terns, and frigate birds resting during their annual migrations. To minimize any external intrusions, the Philippine Coast Guard maintains a small monitoring station on one of the many permanent sand bars.
Declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)in December 1993, it is under protective management by the Philippines Department of National Defense (DND). It is under technical supervision by the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) & the Department of Environment & Natural Resources (DENR). It is administered as part of Cagayancillo town on Palawan. It is also nominated in the new 7 wonders of nature.