UNESCO
Nature Park
Tubbataha Reefs
Philippines
PhilippinesWhitetip Reef Shark · Hawksbill Turtle
See parkAn isolated coral reef in the open sea, reachable by boat for only a few months a year
Area
970 km²
Protection category
IUCN II/Ia
Parque nacional · Reserva natural estricta —
Designated in
1988
Declared a marine natural park in 1988, Tubbataha is a coral atoll in the middle of the Sulu Sea, more than 150 km from the nearest inhabited island and with no permanent human population. Its extreme isolation — reachable only by liveaboard boats during the good-weather window between March and June — has preserved one of the best-conserved coral reefs in the world, with over 600 species of fish and 360 of coral. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1993 and is a strict no-take zone, watched over by rangers who live for months at a stretch on a floating platform in the open ocean to prevent illegal fishing.
1 dive site within 300 km is also shown.
Ecosystems found in the Philippines, where Tubbataha lies.
Where can I dive near here?
7 km away
Which other parks are like this one?
Same country: Philippines
Same country: Philippines
Same country: Philippines
Same country: Philippines
Based on what we already know about this park.
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Region
South-East Asia (Sulu Sea)
Climate
Tropical
Route duration
5–7 days
Route difficulty
Hard
Threatened:,,,,
