Dive Review of Explorer fleet/Apo Explorer in
Philippines/Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea

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Explorer fleet/Apo Explorer, Apr, 2009, by Kay, CA, USA ( Reviewer 6 reports with 4 Helpful votes). Report 4953.
No photos available at this time
Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Accommodations		Food
Service and Attitude		Environmental Sensitivity
Dive Operation		Shore Diving	N/A
Snorkeling	N/A
Overall Rating
Value for $$
Beginners
Advanced
Comments	Tubbataha is a remote uninhabited area, a world heritage site, and an 11 hour boat overnight boat ride from Puerta Princess on the Palawan Islands of the Philippines. It is accessible for diving 3 months of the year due to weather. We were blessed with calm weather and dove all the sites, but the previous week's group could only dive two sites due to rough weather. Water temp. was lovely and viz. mostly very good. Current and drift diving were the norm, divemaster deployed a surface sausage on the safety stop and the tender picked us up. Since I use less air than the divemaster, he and I sometimes stayed down long longer. Walls and sloping reefs. Reefs fairly healthy with good regeneration of staghorn coral. Marine life would put this in the world class league, white tips resting or swimming on most dives, also grey sharks, tuna, schools of baracuda and swirling Jacks, lobsters, turtles, eals, lionfish, four species of anemone fish, marble rays, unicorn fish, guineafowl puffers, pipefish. Safety stops on top of the reef were magical with tons of colorful small and large varieties. Saw very few nudibranch and night dives were not very productive given the profusion during the day. The crew were very nice and helful but the ship is probably due for a retrofit and had ongoing problems with the airconditioners in the cabins, lounge/diningarea is snug. Food was good and plentyful, lots of seafood, fresh vegetables and delicious fruits including sublime mangos. No tipping pressure, just smiles. Back on Palawan for 24 hours before flying back to Manila, we visited a subterranean river, the longest navigable one in the world and another UNESCO site, and incompetition for inclusion in the seven natural wonders of the world. Well worth a vist but go early and it is a three hour drive. On this trip I also went to Donsol Bay where the whalesharks come to feed from March to May every year. Snorkeling with this fish, the largest in the ocean is truly breathtaking. On the second day we had twelve encounters a few lasting 5-20 minutes. Unfortunately, the word is out and the pressure of boats and poor compliance with the rules is spoiling the experience and harrasing the fish.
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	251-500 dives
Where else diving	Seychelles, Africa, Caribbean, Solomons, Sipadan, Indonesia, Maldives
Closest Airport		Getting There
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm, currents
Water Temp	80-83°F / 27-28°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	60-100 Ft/ 18-30 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	yes
Enforced diving restrictions	Very remote area, with intermittently strong current, crew safety conscious, Group dive 6-8/divemaster, max depth 90', four-five dives/day.
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	N/A
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	None
Dolphins	1 or 2	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish	N/A
Large Pelagics	N/A
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter	N/A	Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's	N/A	Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	Many of the divers were photographers and they seemed happy. Cameras and equipment is much simpler now.

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Dive Review of Explorer fleet/Apo Explorer in Philippines/Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea

Explorer fleet/Apo Explorer, Apr, 2009,

Ratings and Overall Comments 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Overall Rating

Reporter and Travel

Dive Conditions

Dive Policy

What I Saw

Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):

Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):

Dive Review of Explorer fleet/Apo Explorer in
Philippines/Tubbataha Reef in the Sulu Sea