Tubbataha queenanne liveaboard

[pakman]

Nice Kev... that's good to hear... guess it's too late in the season now for Tubba... Will look into this for next year...

 

[tboxcar]

Kev, good to hear you say that! As mentioned I was on the Oceanic Explorer last season, and just about every dive got 'better and better' sharks on all dives, turtles, rays you name it. I would certainly now like to try Palau and compare the two, as I have always heard Palau is better.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Surprisingly, the surface & weather conditions were very mild two weeks ago during my charter. I was told that typically, it gets very rough around this time. . .

George Ang Dy Pay of Boardwalk Scuba offered me the last minute discount aboard the Eco Explorer, and of course I couldn't turn down the opportunity & extended my vacation by a week. Anyway, he's planning another trip next year --possibly a deep reef mixed gas exploration at Tubbataha, or a longer customized transition itinerary through Coron, Verde Island, PG etc.

 

[iris_ice]

Dived with this cheap operator to Tubbataha in May 2007. The atolls have good coral and worthwhile diving from what we saw, however be wary about the true cost of saving pennies. Our operator refused to move to different sites, making us dive the same site 5 times+ and we weren't given any option to go the northern end of the north atoll. Standard of the boat and food were average, the hospitality of the owner awful. Others recommended Moonshadow, given my time again I would have taken a more expensive boat.

sad to hear about your experience with queenanne...

the waves to the north of north atoll was pretty nasty when we went there. our rubber boat almost turned over. but there are other wonderful sites there and they have no excuse to have made you dive the same site 5 or more times.

 

[f3nikon]

I'd say that Tubbataha is probably what Big Drop-off in Palau looked like twenty years ago. Only Blue Corner has a greater concentration of Reef Sharks.

Saw Mantas & Eagle Rays just about every other dive; huge Yellowfin Tuna that made me hungry just looking at them ; large swirling schools of Jacks, Trevallys, Barracuda, Snappers & Coral Groupers; Hawksbill Turtles; a "minefield" of nasty nesting Titan Triggerfish; school after colorful school of anthias & butterfly fish; and a cornucopia of the healthiest & widest variety of hard/soft corals I've seen. (Another group earlier spotted a Whale Shark) --Truly impressive and a best kept secret (so far!) of Philippines' Scuba Diving. . .

Thats nice to hear that Tubbataha remains unspoiled. Our group was on the Tristar diving Tubbataha North and South islets and Basterra Island about 18 years ago and it was as you described. Tubbataha's North islet I would rate the best overall, the walls, overhangs and undercuts were just overflowing with marine life.

When looking at those reefs from Google earth it is easy to see why that area is so diverse and abundant with marine life, being in the middle of the Sulu Sea and feed by currents from two great oceans. Sometimes I wish it was kept a secret.

 

[manhattandiver]

I would certainly now like to try Palau and compare the two, as I have always heard Palau is better.

I just got back from Palau a couple of weeks ago and thought that it blew Tubbataha out of the water. I suppose everyone has different experiences though. While in Palau I did all of my diving from Peleliu island (towards the Southern end of the chain). We were able to dive sites like Peleliu Corner and Blue Corner nearly every day and the big fish action was tremendous. I easily saw ten times the number of sharks in Palau that I saw in Tubbataha, while doing the same number of dives. I also saw dozens of huge schools of barracuda, travally and snapper that I didn't see in Tubbataha. There were, however, far more turtles in Tubbataha than in Palau, so if that's your thing Tubbataha is the place to go.

 

[Kevrumbo]

For combination Wreck, Drift & Wall Diving and the nice topside scenery of the Rock Islands --Palau/Peleliu can't be beat. For healthier and abundant Marine & Coral Life with great visibility, Wall Diving in Tubbataha is economically the better deal for the US Dollar (roughly 30% cheaper for me because of the last minute offer on the Eco Explorer). I've been to Palau six times and I can honestly say --aside from visiting divemaster friends-- I really don't care to dive or spend my money there anymore.

For 47php to the dollar; less expensive Dive Ops and Technical Support (i.e. Helium & mixed gas diving); and free lodging (i.g. staying with relatives! ), I'd rather go to the Philippines. . .:14:

 

[pakman]

What's next Kev, Manila Bay or Pasig River? :joke:

 

[Kevrumbo]

Heh-Heh Pakman . . .(that's strictly the domain of the other's here on PPD! ).

Next will be the Coron Liveaboard with Techasia (2nd Itinerary added late November), back-to-back-to-back with a week of Wreck Diving up at Subic Bay, and finally with a week in early December at Chuuk on the Truk Odyssey:14:

 

[pakman]

You should join one of their Davao trips... looks interesting.

Well it looks like Dave has started to lined up tech trips and courses to match up with HK and Singaporean holidays.