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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Tubbataha Reefs location page.
Overview
Isolated mushroom of reef rising from deep water in the Sulu Sea, roughly 20 km north of the main Tubbataha atolls. The reef cap sits at 7 to 12 m and is carpeted in Acropora and lettuce corals before plunging into a sheer wall that drops past recreational limits. Corner currents stack schooling jacks, barracuda and unicornfish against the wall, while whitetip and grey reef sharks rest on the sand at the base. Tuna, Napoleon wrasse and eagle rays pass through, and hammerheads occasionally cruise the blue in deeper water. Added to the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in 2006, it is dived only on calm days during the March through June liveaboard window.
Briefing note
Park is open only from mid March through mid June. A surface marker buoy and reel are mandatory; drift exits over deep water are standard. The reef sits outside the strict core protection zone but inside the expanded park boundary added by Proclamation 1126 in 2006.
What you'll see
10 species curated- year-roundWhitetip reef sharkPeak: Mar · Apr · May · Jun
- year-roundGrey reef sharkPeak: Mar · Apr · May · Jun
- year-roundBlacktip reef sharkPeak: Mar · Apr · May · Jun
- year-roundSchooling barracudaPeak: Mar · Apr · May · Jun
- year-roundBigeye trevallyPeak: Mar · Apr · May · Jun
- year-roundNapoleon wrassePeak: Mar · Apr · May · Jun
- seasonalYellowfin tunaPeak: Apr · May · Jun
- year-roundHawksbill turtlePeak: Mar · Apr · May · Jun
- rareScalloped hammerheadPeak: Apr · May · Jun
- rareManta rayPeak: Apr · May
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Feb | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
| Mar | 28–30 °C | 25–40 m | moderate |
| Apr | 28–30 °C | 30–40 m | moderate |
| May | 28–30 °C | 30–40 m | strong |
| Jun | 28–30 °C | 25–35 m | strong |
| Jul | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | strong |
| Aug | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | strong |
| Sep | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | strong |
| Oct | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Nov | 27–29 °C | 15–25 m | moderate |
| Dec | 27–29 °C | 10–20 m | moderate |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Next step
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