The Philippines' Tubbataha Is One of the World's Best Scuba Diving Destinations

2022 was a promising year for Philippine tourism. Borders reopened following the global pandemic, airlines launched direct flights to domestic destinations, and our beaches and marine sanctuaries were recognized in international travel awards. (Sans the NAIA fiasco, of course.) And it's only been a few days, but the Philippines already got another mention in the New York-based travel magazine Travel + Leisure.

In an article by Florida-based scuba diver and writer Terry Ward, the Tubbataha Reef Marine Park (a.k.a. Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park) was mentioned as one of the "19 Beautiful Destinations With the Best Scuba Diving in the World." "At the center of the Coral Triangle, the waters of the Philippines harbor some of the best scuba diving in the world," wrote the author. She also recommended booking a dive trip with All-Star Infiniti, an all-in-one package that includes six-night accommodation in a 133-foot steel hull yacht with cabins and en-suite bathrooms, four dives per day, meals and beverage (alcohol included!), and the main deck with living and dining areas. All-Star Infiniti to Tubbataha costs U.S. $2,899 (roughly P 162,000).

More: 10 Picture-Perfect Dive Sites in the Philippines

The Tubbataha Reef Marine Park was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1993 and an ASEAN Heritage Park in 2015. It is located in the middle of the Sulu Sea and just 150 kilometers southeast of Puerto Princesa in Palawan. IN 2017, photographs of this underwater wonder graced the halls of the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco in a photo exhibition titled Tubbataha, the Philippines’ UNESCO Marine World Heritage Site.

From: SPOT.ph