20 cabins: 16 Standard double/twin cabins on the lower deck (13 twins, 2 with Queen bed, and 1 with 1 double and 2 single beds) plus 4 Upper deck double/twin bed cabins.
Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (7 Days / 6 Nights - 19 Dives)
Trip highlights: shark action, great macro life/ marine diversity, schooling fish & big pelagics
Diving environment: advanced divers, drift diving, healthy reefs, off the beaten track, wall diving
Dive sites and activities: Tubbataha: Ranger Station, Amos Rock, Wall Street, Delsan Wreck, Southwest Wall, Triggerfish City, Black Rock, T Wreck, Shark Airport, Seafan Alley, Washing Machine, Malayan Wreck, Jessie Beazley Reef
Day 1
You will be met at Puerto Princesa Airport (PPS) upon arrival on the day departure and transferred to the MY Discovery Palawan, where snacks and drinks will be served. Boarding is between 2-4 pm, when the cruise director will greet you with a welcome drink. He will assign your cabin to you, give a boat safety briefing, crew introductions, and explain the plans for the week ahead. You will have time to complete the necessary dive paperwork, familiarise yourself with the vessel and settle in. Dinner will be served as you depart from the port for the 10 hour crossing. After a good night's sleep, the diving will commence the next day.
Days 2-6
The Tubbataha Reefs National Park is an UNESCO World Heritage site lying in the Sulu Sea in the heart of the Coral Triangle. There are 370 types of coral, 600 species of fish, 12 species of cetacean. The walls are adorned with beautiful soft corals, barrel sponges and lots of cleaning stations. The shallows are made up of hard coral gardens. Due to their isolation, the atolls are a great area for shark action with species such as guitar, blacktips, white tips, grey reef sharks, silkies, hammerheads and whale sharks. Although the macro life is fantastic here, it take a back stage to the big marine life action, such as dogtooth tuna, giant trevally, barracuda, turtles and manta rays. All dives are day dives.
Buffet-style meals are served each day with a mix of international and local cuisine. In addition to breakfast lunch and dinner, snacks are available throughout the day to keep the diving hunger pangs at bay. Drinking water, juice, soft drins, tea and coffee are available free of charge throughout the day while alcoholic drinks are available after scuba diving.
After 3 morning dives at Jessie Beazley Reef on the final full day of the trip, Discovery Palawan returns to port.
Day 7
After breakfast, you will disembark at 8 am and be transferred back to the local airport or local hotel.
[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].
MORE TRIP DETAILS
Notes: Children must be accompanied by at least 1 parent or legal guardian at all times. DFC accepts no responsibility for the care of the child and does not provide baby care or nanny facilities. Children under the age of 12 are entitled to 40% off the published rates. Children up to 5 years of age are free as long as they share parents bed/room.
Dive experience: Tubbataha only: Divers must have at least 50 logged dives due to safety reasons. No refund will be given and the operator will prevent guests from diving if it finds out that the guest had less than the required logged dives.
Cruise price per person includes: Cabin accommodation with air-conditioning, breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks, water, juice and hot drinks, local airport and hotel transfers (except for Batangas departures), dives (as detailed in the cruises above), 4 experienced English-speaking divemasters per full boat (8 divers per guide), tanks, weights and weightbelts, all taxes.
Cruise price per person excludes (mandatory, unless customer provides own): Scuba equipment (US$ 30 per day), dive computer (US$ 8 per day), dive insurance, port/park fees from US$ 80 to US$ 135 (to be paid in advance). Fuel surcharge US$ 150 (to be paid in advance). Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival (cash or credit card).
Optional extras: Soft drinks, alcoholic drinks, nitrox fills for enriched air certified divers (US$ 12 per tank), torch, 15 liter tanks ( US$ 6 per dive), transfers from Manila to Batangas, non-diving/diving plus wellness packages (massage/yoga) to be paid in advance. Unless otherwise stated, all the listed items need to be paid on arrival. Note: prices of items purchased onboard are subject to change.
How to get there: MY Discovery Palawan uses 3 ports:
Puerto Princesa: This port is used for cruises to Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park and some transit tripsto Coron. The local airport is Puerto Princesa Airport (PPS). There are direct flights from Cebu City and Manila, as well as from Hong Kong, Taiwan and South Korea. Return transfers from the local airport to the boat are provided. Boarding will be from 2-4 pm. Disembark 8 am onwards.
Cebu City: This port is used for Visayas cruises. The local airport is Mactan Cebu International Airport (CEB). There are direct flights from Manila and some other Filipino cities, as well as from Hong Kong, South Korea, Singapore, Dubai, Taiwan and China. Return transfers from the local airport to the boat are provided. Boarding will be from 2-4 pm. Disembark 8 am onwards.
Batangas: Bauan in Batangas is the port used for Apo Reef & Coron trips. It is a 3 hour drive south from Manila International Airport. Manila is the capital city and is well connected with direct flights to much of Asia, Australasia, North America and the Middle East. The national carrier is Philippine Airlines, but there are countless other major airlines that operate flights to Ninoy Aquino International Airport (MNL).
Transfers from the local airports to the boat are not provided. Boarding will be from 1-3 pm. Disembark 11 am onwards.
Busuanga: Coron is sometimes the port where Apo Reef & Coron trips end. There are flights to Manila from Busuanga airport (USU) with Cebu Pacific Air, Zest Air or PAL Express. Busuanga airport is 1 hour by road from Coron Port. Disembark 11 am onwards.
The last dive of the trip will be at lunch time on the penultimate day. Disembarkation and local airport/hotel transfers will be at 8 am. Please wait at least 18 hours before flying after diving.
For more details, including airlines, see our Philippines travel information section.
Non-diver rate: 10% off the full published price (Tubbataha only).
Single supplement (if you do not want to share accommodation): This is optional - single travellers may choose to share a cabin or pay a supplement of 50% of the normal published price.
Dive clubs and group discounts: Pay for 8 guests, and 1 extra person can join the cruise in a stateroom free of charge (total 9+ guests).
Whole boat charter rate (per night): 30% off the published rate for a full boat, approximately equivalent to: Pay for 23 guests and 9 additional persons can join the cruise free of charge (total 32 guests).
Click to view product. Special discounted trips highlighted in yellow