Dive Review of S/Y Philippine Siren in
Philippines/Tubbataha

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S/Y Philippine Siren: "Well run live aboard but diving a bit disappointing", Mar, 2024, by Ian Kennedy, CA, US ( Contributor 13 reports with 7 Helpful votes). Report 12922 has 4 Helpful votes.
Photos Submitted with this Report Click on an image to see an enlarged version and captions
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	The Siren is a wooden sailing boat, although the sails are rarely used. Being wooden, it tends to creak a lot, especially in rough seas. This can make it hard to sleep. We were given a thorough safety briefing and drill before we left port. Charging in unattended cabins is not allowed. It took about 12 hours to get to Tubbataha. It was quite rough and I was glad of my scopolamine patch. This is a well run operation. Wake up call is at 6am every morning followed by a light breakfast. First dive is at 7am. Everyone has their own station for gearing up with a drawer to keep stuff. Help from the staff is always available. Inflatables take you out to the dive site, usually not far from the mother ship. Dive are precisely 60 minutes long. The boat has several showers and toilets with hot water for rinsing in common areas. The cabins are comfortable with good A/C and shower, with adequate storage. The food is good with animal protein and tofu and vegetables, although there is a sameness after a week. The crew are always in high spirits and fun to be around. Most dives were along the wall, ending up on top of the reef. Many of us found the top of the reef to be more interesting. We sighted quite a few small reef sharks along the wall but nothing bigger. There were some good schools of reef fish. My group spotted just one turtle in our week; other groups had more luck. Larger animals were not present. There were very few small creatures. The corals were heathy. Overall, however, it seems that the reef has seen some decline in animal population, leading to questioning of the value of the long trip to get there.
Websites	S/Y Philippine Siren
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Indo-pacific; carribean; Australia; New Zealand; Fiji; Monterey CA, Southern CA; Florida
Closest Airport	Puerto Princesa	Getting There	Fly to Manila first then take AirAsia or Philippine Air to PPC
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny, dry	Seas	calm, choppy
Water Temp	82-°F / 28-°C	Wetsuit Thickness	3
Water Visibility	40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	Exactly 60 minutes following the guide
Liveaboard?	yes	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	1 or 2	Mantas	None
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	1 or 2	Whales	None
Ratings 1(worst) - 5 (best):
Corals		Tropical Fish
Small Critters		Large Fish
Large Pelagics
Underwater Photography 1 (worst) - 5 (best):
Subject Matter		Boat Facilities
Overall rating for UWP's		Shore Facilities	N/A
UW Photo Comments	[None]

Report currently has 4 Helpful votes

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Dive Review of S/Y Philippine Siren in Philippines/Tubbataha

S/Y Philippine Siren: "Well run live aboard but diving a bit disappointing", Mar, 2024,

Photos Submitted with this Report

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 S/Y Philippine Siren in
Philippines/Tubbataha