Dive Review of Solitude One in
Philippines/Tubbataha

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Solitude One: "Great boat and crew in Tubbataha!", May, 2024, by Marcia Pedersen, WA, US ( Contributor 16 reports with 6 Helpful votes). Report 12971 has 1 Helpful vote.
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	Tubbataha is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is 90 miles from the island of Palawan and is made up of two large atolls and a small island. There is a lighthouse, a bird islet, and a ranger station. We visited the ranger station one evening at low tide. We made four dives most days for a total of 18 dives for the week. We had assigned dive groups of about six with the same dive master the entire week. Rotation of group entries was a little random and spaced too close together resulting in a crowd under water on a few dives. Briefings were good; there was always someone available to answer a question, help us on and off the skiff, assist with gear, etc. The boat has a huge dive deck (so no bumping into others) with a change room and bathroom. Separate rinse bins for suits and cameras. There were dry tables, towels, water, and six showers too. There were plenty of hangars and rail hooks to hang clothes. Back roll off skiffs was nice, good ladder to climb out, and we had the option of doffing BC in the water instead of climbing out with gear. Gear stayed on skiffs all week and was rinsed and covered at night. There was a big camera room with lots of outlets and stools. I enjoyed the variety of reef life including the colorful coral, large sponges, colorful fans, and abundant reef fish. Saw sweetlips, scorpion fish, lion fish, puffers, triggers, unicornfish, lobster, clams, octopus, clownfish, Napolean wrasse, bumphead parrotfish, angel fish, blue spotted ray, bannerfish, eels, and big schools of cornetfish, trevally, barracuda, batfish, and more. I was disappointed with the lack of big critters—we saw one nice manta, a couple rays, and another group interacted with a whale shark. There were small sharks and turtles on just about every dive, but we were expecting more mantas and whale sharks. We only had one dive with a strong current, and the water temperature was 85-88 degrees at depth! I only wore a rash guard, but some people wore wet suits (1mm to 5mm). Although it made for easy, warm dives; it wasn't ideal conditions for big pelagics. Our cabin had a queen bed, couch, desk, lots of storage, safe, big bathroom, and good AC. I did a tour of other rooms that weren’t as big; but they were nice, roomy, and there was a good variety including one quad and one true single. The meals were good, fridges stocked with a variety of beverages, and snacks always available. May is super hot and humid; there was very little breeze, so I didn’t spend much time on the sun deck. The dining deck is open air, so I didn’t hang out long after meals either. The lounge was roomy and good for briefings but could be cozier. The boat is 220 volt, so bring a converter. Orientation emphasized no battery charging in cabins. The crew was a great team with everyone pitching in. They were friendly and just excited as guests when pods of dolphins cruised by the boat. The boat is old but in good shape. I would dive on this boat with this crew again. The Solitude One also goes to Palau. They have another boat in Indonesia, and have a new boat going to Palau soon. We flew from Vancouver, Canada, to Manila, and then to Puerto Princesa. We also added a trip to El Nido and dove with Tabanka Divers before getting on the boat (separate report). Tubbataha was not what I expected, but I think that was mostly due to lack of current and water temperature. [whc.unesco.org link] [solitude.world link]
Websites	Solitude One
Reporter and Travel
Dive Experience	501-1000 dives
Where else diving	Puget Sound, San Juan Islands, Vancouver Island, Hawaii, Thailand, Australia, Mexico, Honduras, Bonaire, Dominica, Turkey, Caymans, Bimini, Socorro, Belize, Philippines.
Closest Airport	Puerta Princesa	Getting There	Vancouver, Canada, to Manila and then Puerta Princesa. Flew Philippine Airlines and got our bid to business class from YVR to MNL. Lots of security checkpoints in Manila on the return trip--even one at the gate where they sequester everyone.
Dive Conditions
Weather	sunny	Seas	calm
Water Temp	85-88°F / 29-31°C	Wetsuit Thickness	1
Water Visibility	40-80 Ft/ 12-24 M
Dive Policy
Dive own profile	no
Enforced diving restrictions	60 minutes or 750 psi; group stayed together
Liveaboard?	no	Nitrox Available?	yes
What I Saw
Sharks	Lots	Mantas	1 or 2
Dolphins	None	Whale Sharks	None
Turtles	> 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	Crew handled cameras carefully. Large camera rinse bin, dry tables, and air pressure on the dive deck. Large camera room with plenty of outlets, tables, and stools.

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Dive Review of Solitude One in Philippines/Tubbataha

Solitude One: "Great boat and crew in Tubbataha!", May, 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 Solitude One in
Philippines/Tubbataha