Sender: Tamaratiu
Tubbataha, Palawan
The words "tubba" and "taha" combined means "a long reef exposed at low tide". Tubbataha is the Phillipines' first National Marine Park and also a World Heritage Site. I read that the diving terrain there is varied: continuous reef platforms, sandy lagoons, spectacularly steep and perpendicular walls, some of which seem to have no bottom. Currents are unpredictable and divers must expect strong currents that might change directions. This makes most dives, drift dives. Tamaratiu dreams of diving there one day.
One of my close friends is an avid diver and Tubbataha would be her perfect dream diving vacation (not that far too). I have followed her on her diving trips to some of our local scenic diving spots. She will put on all her diving gear, sink underwater with her diving team and disappear god knows where, whereas I will do my free swimming minus snorkelling gear with some other chicken a.k.a. unbrave girls in the open sea around the moored boat until she surfaces. I love free swimming like that, going down one minute and then up again, there's so much beauty underwater with the colourful corals and sea creatures. Beats seeing them in the huge aquariums everytime. This chicken a.k.a. unbrave girl will learn to dive..one day! Err..do you happen to know where they sell courage-in-a-bottle? :)