Tubbataha: Divers’ paradise
June 11, 2004 | 12:00am
When I think I’ve seen the most beautiful sights that Mother Nature has to offer, she surprises me yet again with visions I never dreamed possible. I suppose that perhaps by now I should know better. The beauty of our natural world, full of mystery and majesty, is constantly changing.
I have always loved nature. The environment and anything to do with the earth has ever fascinated and intrigued me, stirring my spirit in ways that nothing else can. Ever since high school, nature trips, earth-centered environmental programs and trekking trips have always been one of my favorite ways to spend the weekend. I love the view from the mountaintops, and on the opposite end I love the view from below the sea.
As a matter of fact, within the last year, I have been blessed with the most wonderful opportunities to satiate the diver in me. I finally procured all my scuba gear and better honed my diving skills, which I continue to practice in every dive I do. With a spanking new Halcyon (from Adventure Bound Dive Shop) I have been enjoying dive sites all over Puerto Galera – from Sabang Wrecks, to Monkey Beach, to Hole in the Wall, to my personal favorite Canyons – almost every other weekend.
I’m constantly amazed by the wonderful things that live underwater – from beautiful corals to multi-colored schools of fish. And just when I thought diving couldn’t get any better, I found myself, yet again, in another underwater wonderland I could barely believe actually existed when I signed up for the annual Tubbataha dive trip with Adventure Bound Inc.
Adventure Bound, located in Alfaro Place, is owned and operated by some of the best and most highly-trained divers in the Philippines and is the distributor of Halcyon Dive Systems. They sell the best in dive equipment as well as conduct classes in both recreational and technical diving applying basic skills from the Professional Association of Dive Instructors (PADI) and technical dive training by Global Underwater Explorers (GUE) renowned for its safety and holistic approach to scuba dubbed the Doing it Right (DIR) method of diving.
Additionally, the shop also boasts of the Adventure Bound Exploration Group (ABx), which is a group of highly trained individuals committed to the exploration of sea and freshwater environments in the Philippines. From cave systems to deep reefs and wrecks they strive to make undeveloped dive sites more accessible to the diving community. One such means of doing this is organizing trips to various hotspots in the Philippines, promoting tourism while instilling a sense of environmental awareness in their diving guests. From the nearby havens of Anilao and Puerto Galera to the recently booming site of Ticao in Bicol to the far off but well-worth-the-trip dive heavens of Apo Reef and Tubbataha, Adventure Bound has the insight on the latest dive spots as well as the up-to-date techniques and equipment.
This year the first Adventure Bound dive trip to Tubbataha Reefs, just off Palawan in the middle of the Sulu Sea, kicked off recently in Puerto Princessa. The trip, which takes place on the live-aboard boat M/Y Vasco, is five days of pure diving pleasure with up to five dives a day in one the Philippines’ world famous dive locations. This was my first time to Tubbataha so you can imagine my excitement when our plane landed in Puerto Princesa and we boarded the vessel that would be our home for the next six days.
Without a doubt the M/Y Vasco is a wonderful ship. Initially I was worried that my seasickness would be a major problem but surprisingly enough I felt at home in the Vasco right away and even claimed "my spot" on the boat early on in the trip. The Vasco comfortably houses 16 divers and has a wonderful crew of trained men who run the boat like clockwork. The boatmen and dive crew expertly filled our tanks and took care of our equipment while running the chase boats that took us to and from the main vessel to the dive spots. At the same time the kitchen staff supplied us with wonderful and delicious meals and snacks that kept our bellies happy in between all our dives. Above all this, the boat was clean and neat as a pin.
From day one it was an experience to remember. It began with our dive master and boat manager for the trip Doran Sordo, along with Conz Paz, both from Adventure Bound, briefing the motley crew of divers assembled
These included a doctor, a Spanish vet, a couple of British blokes, an American lass and a plethora of Filipino dive lovers. That’s another thing I love about diving; it’s an activity that brings together people from all over the world with a single simple goal: enjoying underwater sights and preserving our beautiful environment.
After the briefing, we settled in and spent the night traveling out to the remote Reefs in the middle of the Sulu Sea to begin the underwater adventure that would take my breath away. Dives began at the crack of dawn and continued throughout the day culminating in a night dive for the divers who chose to enjoy the sea under a sky full of stars. It was amazing! I have never seen anything so beautiful and majestic in my entire life.
Tubbataha Reefs abound with astounding multi-colored corals of all shapes and sizes. And the fish… I have never seen so many fish! All shapes, colors and sizes. You name it – it’s there. From Jessie Beazley to North Islet to South Islet there were all sorts of pelagic fish, clown fish, blue tangs, surgeon fish, marble rays, manta rays, blue-spotted sting rays, octopuses, triggerfish, puffer fish, parrot fish, sweet lips (I love these!!!), jacks, barracudas and thousands of other fish whose names I can no longer remember. And among the throngs of fish were large and various types of sharks such as white tips, black tips, grey reefs, and hidden further below and slightly away from the reef, the nurse sharks, threshers and the wonderful albeit elusive hammerheads. In addition to these are those well loved sea creatures such as dolphins (whose voices we kept hearing on our third and fourth dive days) and turtles, turtles, turtles everywhere!
There are no words to describe the amazing feeling of being a part of this underwater wonderland. During one dive the current swept us right into the middle of a school of around 30 baby sharks and over 30 shiny silver barracudas all swimming in the same area. Another dive brought us to a large school of 50 or more Jacks swimming in perfect unison surrounding us, circling us, and then eventually swimming straight up at us from below. My eyes could barely believe what they were seeing. I even caught an adorable little octopus I found by accident, which blended in perfectly with its surroundings; a turtle that allowed me to swim with him and hold his bright shiny shell (I kept thinking about dude Crush!); and all sorts of underwater life that words just can’t even begin to describe.
Making the experience even better was that all our dives were well planned, executed and perfectly safe. I was lucky enough to be with a group of highly experienced divers. Indeed, nothing helps you enjoy underwater expeditions more than knowing that you’re in the hands of experts and that you’re absolutely safe.
It doesn’t stop there. As if the sights and sounds of the sea weren’t enough, Tubbataha also houses of a large colony of bird life as well. A small area in the North Islet is dubbed Bird Island and is the home of thousands and thousands of boobies, the favorite bird of our dive group’s hilarious Spanish fly. Red-footed boobies and brown boobies flew through the skies above us throughout the journey.
I don’t think I can express how much I enjoyed myself. The environmentalist in me was also happy to see that Tubbataha is being vigilantly protected by the proper agencies. During our trip, the Tubbataha rangers – dedicated men who look after the park for a 60-day tenure each throughout the year – invited us for barbeque on ranger island. It was very educational dining with the seven men who knew quite a bit about the reefs and who explained the various environmental programs to protect the park. Hopefully this will continue to grow and progress in the future with the help of divers all over the world.
In conclusion, the entire vacation was a dream come true. As the Vasco sailed home, all the divers on board gazed into the sunset and at the large majestic booby perched on our bow and thought about the fantastic memories we’d all enjoy until we boarded the Vasco next year to do it all over again.
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