Discovery Adventure

Discovery Adventure Liveaboard Dive Trips

Discovery Adventure offers liveaboard dive trips to Tubbataha during the limited season of mid-March to mid-June each year. Tubbataha is considered the Mecca of Philippine diving and recognized as the only marine UNESCO WORLD heritage site in Asia. 

The park is under the strict protection of  rangers all year round to preserve the beauty of this underwater world. As a result, visitors have the privilege of seeing the spectacular reefs and marine life like manta rays, turtles, schools of fish, and whale sharks.

Sponges bigger than you’ve seen anywhere else, giant sea fans, and beautiful soft corals make the walls look like underwater gardens. 

Exploring Shark Airport is one of the most exciting highlights of this cruise. This reef edge contains coral bommies and sandy patches where white tip sharks are usually found lying on the sand, resembling parked airplanes at an airport. Schools of snappers and surgeonfish can also be spotted in the reef top.

 

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Tubbataha Reef Itinerary

Tubbataha Reef is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and only accessible by liveaboard three months out of the year. These pristine reefs, located 100 miles offshore in the Sula Sea, are protected by rangers year round and made up of North and South Atolls and Jessie Beazley Reef. Divers can experience wonderful visibility and some of the best diving the Philippines has to offer from March until June each year.

Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is home to no less than 573 species of fish, 373 species of corals, 11 species of sharks, 12 species of dolphins and whales, nestling hawksbill and green sea turtles.

 

Daily dive schedule:

 
Day 1 – Embarkation in Puerto Princesa Port between 2 – 4pm
 
Day 2 – 4 dives in TRNP (Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park) (no night dive) South of North Atoll (Ranger Station, Amos Rock, Wall Street)
 
Day 3 – 4 dives in TRNP – South of South Atoll (no night dive) (Delsan Wreck, Southwest wall, Triggerfish City)
 
Day 4 – 4 dives in TRNP – North of South Atoll (no night dive) (Black Rock, T Wreck, Ko-ok)
 
Day 5 – 4 dives in TRNP – North of North Atoll (no night dive) (Shark Airport, Seafan Alley, Washing Machine)
 
Day 6 – 3 dives (no night dive) in TRNP (Malayan Wreck of North Atoll and Jessie Beazley)
 
Day 7 – Disembarkation in Puerto Princesa Port after breakfast, 8am onwards
 
Deck Plans

Vessel Specifications
Name: Discovery Adventure
Length overall: 154 Feet
Width overall: 28 feet
Draft: 12 Feet
Tonnage: 395 tons
Maximum cruising speed: 10 knots
Electricity: 220 V
Class Registry: Filipino Vessels Classification System Assn. Inc.
 
Diving
Tanks 80cu and 100cu, compressors
Tenders:
Nitrox: Available
Medical oxygen onboard
Complete rental equipment
Satellite Phone: Thuraya XT – Lite
 
Cabins:13 
2 cabins with 1 queen bed,
1 cabin with 1 full size bed and 1 single bed,
3 cabins with 2 full size beds, 1 cabin with 1 full size bed
4 upper deck cabins with 3 single beds
2 VIP cabins with 2 single beds
All cabins with personal climate control.
Air conditioned salon / camera room, sundeck, 1 shaded dining deck
Maximum number of guests: 26 – 30 divers
Number of crew: 20 – 32
Discovery Adventure
Philippines

popular Dives sites

Delsan wreck

The Delsan Wreck located on the southeast end features a deep crack in the coral that extends out like an elbow from the wall, known as “The Cut.” Currents usually sweep through the V-shaped plateau, bringing along species like tuna, jacks, schools of barracuda, hammerheads, tiger sharks, and whale sharks that divers who come to Tubbataha look forward to seeing.

Black Rock

Black Rock, located at the northeast corner of Tubbataha is a long, gently sloping drop off where divers are likely to encounter eye-catching and playful species of fish called Sweetlips. This dive site is also known for sightings of emperor fish, snappers, bluefin trevally, giant trevally, and chevron barracudas. There are also multiple manta cleaning stations found in the area.

Seafan alley

Diving along the wall of Seafan Valley gives divers, especially underwater photographers a wonderful view of sea fan colonies. These sea fans make the perfect underwater subjects because of their amazing branching structures and vibrant colors.

malayan wreck

Multicolored sweetlips, bumphead parrotfish, and batfish roam the remnants of a log carrier in 15 feet of clear water. If you want to encounter the elusive hammerhead sharks, it’s best to schedule your dive early in the morning. When your dive is nearing the end and you’re on the shallow reef top gassing off your nitrogen, there’s a good chance to spot a school of bumphead parrotfish feeding on the coral heads. 

kO-oK

The name Ko-ok is inspired by the brown-footed booby that lives in Bird Island. This dive site is usually designated as the last dive because when the sun goes down, it unveils terraces filled with stunning white soft coral scattered among huge barrel sponges.

A wide array of fish species flock to Ko-ok especially on the reef top and during the new moon, the usually solitary enigmatic sailfin snapper gather here in groups. The largest shoal of bumphead parrotfish can also be found in these waters. The presence of a huge area of cloudy water in the distance is indicative of schools of fish with the remains of coral waste causing the blurry water.

Tubbataha FAQ

Most frequent questions and answers
Tubbataha Reefs is located in the center of the Sulu Sea between the Island of Palawan and the Visayan islands. The jump off point is the city of Puerto Princesa, Palawan. This city is accessible by daily flights from Manila and flights from Cebu City every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
 
The best time to go to Tubbataha Reefs is during the Philippine Summer season from mid-March to mid-June.
Days are hot and dry and sea conditions are at their calmest and clearest.
Embarkation is between 2 – 4 pm in Puerto Princesa Port. Arriving guests are picked up at the airport and transferred to the ship, assigned a dive crate and checked into their rooms.
They have the whole afternoon at leisure to take in the city attractions, go last minute shopping for toiletries.
A pre-departure briefing will be done during the evening of arrival when guests will be asked to fill out forms and sign waivers, be given boat assignments and informed of dive schedules as well as ship/park safety regulations and procedures.
On the day of arrival, the ship is usually in port by 6 am and guests are disembarked after breakfast . 8 am is the usual disembarkation time but guests who have later flights are free to remain on board until airport transfer time.
Puerto Princesa Airport/ship transfers are included in your package.
Accommodations onboard, 4 dives per day (except on the last day in Tubbataha), tanks, weights, weight belt, boat, services of a dive professional, roundtrip transfers from Puerto Princesa airport to boat, all meals, and complimentary tea, coffee, juice.
Guests can arrive anytime before 4 pm.
The taxes/fees that are not included in the package are the Tubbataha Reefs Conservation Fees which is USD105/person, airport terminal fees in Manila and Puerto Princesa, gear rentals, courses, soda/alcoholic drinks and souvenir items on board.
Upon arrival in the Puerto Princesa Airport please look for members of our Staff holding a Discovery Fleet banner.
 
The Philippines is a tropical country with an average temperature of 32°C (80°F). March to June is hot and dry (36°C); rains and typhoons abound from July to October; November to February is pleasantly cool ( around 23°C) and dry. In mountainous regions, temperatures dip to about 15°C.
Yes, all of our dives are conducted in small groups from tender boats ensuring quick entry and exit from the water.
Not necessarily. All dives begin with a back-roll onto the reef top which is usually around 15 meters. After everyone has trimmed their buoyancy and is comfortable, the dive leader will then bring the group to the drop off and down the wall. Current is usually present in Tubbataha and thus drift diving is the norm. Divers go with the flow of the current and a chase boat will be ready to pick them up when they surface.
No night diving.
The check-out time in the vessel is 0800am on the last day.
The weather is quite warm during the trip because it is the summer season. A rash guard or 3mm suit is more than adequate.
The nearest Recompression chamber is in Cebu City.

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Call us today at (800) 737-3483 to book your trip on Discovery Adventure. Or simply reserve your vacation online by clicking below.

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