Activities · Destination Guide
A seasonal liveaboard to UNESCO reef walls, with Palawan nature on shore
Updated Feb 13, 2026 • 12 sources
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Puerto Princesa is the practical gateway for diving Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a liveaboard-only reef system that opens for a short season each year. Think vertical walls, reef-top coral gardens, and constant motion: drift dives, blue-water entries, and big schools in clear water. The pay-off is a high chance of sharks on almost every day of the trip, with manta cleaning behavior at sites like Black Rock and occasional whale shark drive-bys. Plan this as a dedicated expedition. Most trips run 5 to 7 nights, and the park is far enough offshore that weather and permits dictate everything.
A remote, liveaboardonly reef terrace where multiple whitetip reef sharks are often seen together around {{ 20 | distance:m }}.
A manta ray cleaning station marked by a buoy near a rock at about {{ 8 | distance:m }}.
A steep wall with a colorful coral garden in the shallows around {{ 3 | distance:m }} to {{ 5 | distance:m }}, then a rapid drop to about {{ 60 | distance:m }}.
A wall drift where gorgonian fan corals feature prominently, with ledges that can hold nurse sharks and rays plus patrols of reef sharks.
Ranger Station - Tubbataha Reef
North Atoll walls with large schools and frequent pelagic activity.
Shallow reef top from about {{ 5 | distance:m }} that slopes to a wall near {{ 23 | distance:m }}, with a crevasse dropping to about {{ 40 | distance:m }} for shelter when current rips.
A wallandwreck style site with a shallow reef top around {{ 5 | distance:m }} and frequent manta sightings at a nearby cleaning station.
A very shallow wreck on the reef top around {{ 3 | distance:m }} to {{ 5 | distance:m }}, famous for easy earlymorning starts and photogenic fish schools.
Operator Checklist
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