Tubbataha, Philippines liveaboard

[roolins]

Hi,

My partner and I are traveling to the Philippines and I would love to dive the Tubbataha reef but understand you can only do a minimum 5 day liveaboard.

She is not PADI certified and I was interested to know if she can do her PADI open water on the liveaboard, or whether the snorkelling is good etc for her to come out too, or is there other facilities set up for these situations? Is there introductory dives available because she would really like to experience more diving

I don't want to miss out on the diving experience of a lifetime but 5 days is a while if there is nothing for her to do on the liveaboard.

Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

 

[h2odragon1]

Best bet would be to have her get her OW first. Snorkeling on a liveaboard is expensive!
Home - Liveaboard Scuba Diving in the Philippines and Palau
I belive is owned by Scubaworld in The Philippines. Dive Philippines - Scuba Diving School and Dive Shop - Offers PADI Scuba Diving Courses, Scuba Diving Equipment, PADI Instructor Course, Scuba Diving for Kids They are a chain of scuba shops, and may provide someone if she needs to have her OW dives endorsed, (lessons closer to home, then the OW qualifying dives elsewere).
You could e-mail Scuba world first for details.

Good Luck with your choice, and the dives!

 

[shugar]

from what i heard is tubbataha is a fairly advanced series of dives - your wife taking her OW on-board may not give her much of a "confined water" environment to get comfy with her skills...

and it's a very expensive way to get an OW cert...

might i suggest you guys spend a week in anilao or puerto galera (or puerto princesa since that's where the liveaboards depart from) and get the OW cert there, put a few fun dives in then enjoy tubba to your hearts' content

have fun!

Jag

 

[U/Wdiva]

Though I myself have not yet dived Tubbataha (will do so coming April) I have friends who did, from what I hear diving there is not for the inexperienced. If your wife is to enjoy and make the most of this expensive trip she would have to be certifed and have a few post-course dives done.
How about doing the course back home, come to the PI do some diving and get into `diving mode` and then do the Tubbataha trip?

 

[rab1412000]

tubataha are drift dives in shifting currents and walls. not for the inexperienced indeed/.

 

[tarzana]

Can you dive this area and stay on land?

 

[Karl_H]

Hi Tarzana,

Sadly Tubbataha is about as far away from land as you can be in the Philippines !!!

The nearest land mass is Palawan, most liveaboards dock there at Puerto Princessa - but this is a still 12+ hour trip to Tubbataha.

There's plenty of great diving close to land elsewhere in the Philippines, although I'd say none on-par with the Tubbataha Reefs....

 

[tarzana]

Karl_H I will check out the liveaboards posted in this thread but do you have a recommendation for one that goes out for about 4 days?

 

[Rogersea]

Roolins, you dont say when your trip to Tubbataha is. If you have time where ever you are currently located, for her to get her certification and few dives under her belt that would be the most ideal situation. Doing an OW course on a liveaboard is an incredible waste of time and money(IMHO).... However, completing an Advanced course onboard or some specialty course which might help make up for her lack of experience while onboard would be a decent use of resources and time.. Just my two cents... One other thing I have found that most experienced divers on liveaboards will go out of their way to try to help inexperienced divers feel comfortable..

 

[World Wide Diver]

Good luck with the changing weather. I hope you have nice conditions.