Coral reef Tubbataha Reef description and photos - Philippines: Palawan Island (Topic)

Coral reef Tubbataha Reef description and photos - Philippines: Palawan Island. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Tubbataha Reef.

Photo and description

The Tubbataha Coral Reef, located in the Sulu Sea, 150 km southeast of Palawan Island, is part of the 968 sq. m. Marine National Park of the same name. km. He is also listed in the "New Seven Wonders of Nature". The name of the reef comes from the two Samal words “tubba” and “takha”, which together mean “a long reef exposed at low tide”.

The reef consists of two coral atolls separated by a deep 8-kilometer strait. The small South Atoll is 5 km long and 3 km wide, while the North Atoll is 16 km long and 5 km wide. There is no permanent population on the reefs. Fishermen appear here only during fishing, settling on small islands.

But the most frequent visitors to the park are, of course, tourists, primarily divers. The peak tourist season is in March-June, when the sea is at its most calm. They get here by ships from the town of Puerto Princess, located on the island of Palawan. The journey takes about 12 hours. Tubbataha is considered the best dive site in the Philippine archipelago, and the tourist boats operating here, equipped with diving equipment, are booked a year in advance.

The popularity of the reef among divers has brought its "coral walls" - places where the reef unexpectedly steeply goes to great depth. These walls attract not only tourists, but also many marine life, primarily the colonies of tropical fish. Here you can see giant caracans, hammerhead sharks, barracudas, manta rays, Moorish idols, napoleon fish and moray eels. They say whale and tiger sharks sometimes appear in the waters of the marine reserve. It is also home to the endangered Bissa sea turtles. And on a small island at the southern tip of the South Atoll, various seabirds nest.

There are about 1000 species of various inhabitants on the reef, many of which are rare or vulnerable. Multicolored corals cover more than 2/3 of the park's territory, and the waters around the reef abound with marine creatures. In terms of biodiversity, Tubbataha can rival the famous Great Barrier Reef. In 1993, the reef was listed as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site.

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Topic: Coral reef Tubbataha Reef description and photos - Philippines: Palawan Island.