Dive Sites in Palawan: An Underwater Universe. The province of Palawan is famous all over the world for its many magnificent dive sites, where, if you’re lucky, in addition to the giant sea devil and sharks, you will be able to see incredibly rare sirens. In addition to the breathtaking Tubbataha Reef Marine Park,
located in the Sulu Sea about a 12-hour boat trip from Puerto Princesa, there are underwater gardens in the immediate vicinity of Palawan Island, whose variety of species is amazing. Well, for the pioneers and adventurers, the descents to the local wrecks, the wreckage of sunken ships – that’s it.
Dive sites of the Calamian Islands. In addition to beautiful beaches and virgin nature, the original archipelago in the north of Palawan boasts exciting and very diverse dive sites. This area owes its fame primarily to the numerous wrecks of sunken ships resting on the seabed off the coast of the island. Most of the wrecks are warships that fell in the battles of World War II. In front of one island of Taget, south of Buchuanga, there is a whole cemetery of twelve wrecks of Japanese Navy ships sunk here by the Americans in 1944. Around the islands of Coron and Calauit, a completely different atmosphere reigns, here the diversity and diversity of underwater flora and fauna make diving an exceptionally fun activity.
El Nido Marine Reserve. El Nido Marine Reserve is a paradise for beach lovers and Ed Dorado for divers. The remarkable coral reefs, with their prodigal abundance of species, are regularly visited by sharks and manta rays. Moreover, it is here that much more daring diving dreams materialize in the form of dugongs in their natural habitat. These increasingly rare marine mammals, the only ones that feed exclusively on plant foods, belong to the order of sirens, and, according to the ancient legends of sailors, they lured more than one or two boatswains into the depths of the sea with their singing. It is believed that the familiar portrait of a sea mermaid is a romanticized image of these animals. Just like mermaids, dugongs have a forked tail fin. In fairness, it should be noted that the latter also have a body shape resembling a torpedo,
Reefs of Tubbataha. The Tubbataha Reefs Marine Park covers 33,200 hectares, and in addition to two coral islands, its protected area includes two legendary atolls with extensive inland lagoons. At low tide, numerous sidewalls and reef chains come to the surface of the water. The park is located in the middle of the Sulu Sea and those who have the privilege of diving here call this place the best and most impressive dive site in the world! Due to the incredible density marine life and its importance as a habitat for seabirds and turtles in 1993, this place was listed by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage Site.
Arrival
Like all the main islands of the country, Palawan can be reached by air and water. From Manila and Cebu there are flights to Puerto Princesa; planes from Manila also fly to El Nido and Busuanga. Those with more time at their disposal prefer the boat trip from the various port cities to Palawan.
Weather
The province is part of two climatic zones separated by the mountain chain of the island of Palawan. The first of these determines the weather on the western and northern coasts and the outer islands located in the south. In these places, both seasons are pronounced – the drought period and the rainy season. For six months of the year, from June to November, it rains here, the other six months are dry. The second climatic zone extends along the east coast and the southern tip of the island. There is only a short, three-month dry period from March to May. Since rain showers are short and not very strong throughout the region, Palawan is the best tourist destination in the Philippines during the rainy season. In addition, the province lies outside the typhoon belt, so strong winds blow here only occasionally.
Accommodation
In Palawan, there are opportunities for accommodation of any category, from unusual six-star resorts to simple boarding houses – often right by the sea or on the shores of a romantic lagoon. No matter how comfortable and elegant the local hotels and resorts are, chic and luxury here are primarily created by nature.
Provincial movement
In Puerto Princesa, it is easy to get from point A to point B everywhere. There are especially many motorcycles with a side trailer – tricycles on the streets: they are the main means of transportation here. From Puerto Princesa, buses and jeepneys depart several times a day to all the sights of the island. In addition, many visitors to the island decide to use an outrigger canoe to get to their desired destination along the coast: this is often faster than by land and provides fantastic views of the coast. The easiest way, however, is to use the services of your hotel or resort and its transport when planning tours.
