Revered Reefs: Tubbataha, Philippines

South Atoll, Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (taken with a drone while working under permit with LAMAVE)

I was very happy to contribute some thoughts to an article on Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Philippines by top photographer Henley Spiers. The article was published in the latest print version of Oceanographic magazine.

“The Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park is the pride and joy of the Philippines, a remote haven saved from the brink of destruction. It is a story of conservation action, grass roots pride, and effective and long-lasting ocean governance.”

You can read a pdf version here: Revered Reefs.

I’ve been lucky enough to visit Tubbataha several times for shark research with the Large Marine Vertebrates Research Institute, Philippines (LAMAVE). It’s one of my go-to examples of a well-managed marine protected area, and also one of my favourite places to dive. We’ve seen high densities of reef sharks during dive and video surveys, and lots of them were little bebe grey reefies which presumably means the adults are merrily shagging. There are quite a few whale sharks coming through too.

I’ve previously written up some notes on the shark science I’ve collaborated on at the Park here.

Gonzo Araujo (left) and friend

This is probably a good place to mention that I’ll be co-hosting a dive liveaboard trip to Tubbataha in March 2023 with Andrea for MMF, hope you can join us!