North Atoll - Tubbataha Reef
North Atoll, often called Shark Airport, feels like a privileged peek behind the scenes of a marine metropolis. We've often found ourselves drifting past multiple whitetip reef sharks, snoozing on the shallow plateau, looking for all the world like planes lined up on a tarmac. The current here usually means a nice, easy drift along a healthy coral slope, keeping an eye out for grey reef sharks cruising by, or maybe even a sleepy nurse shark tucked under a ledge. It's a relaxed dive, usually no deeper than 12 metres, and pretty much perfect for anyone who appreciates seeing sharks in their natural, unbothered state.
- Location
- Tubbataha Reef, Philippines, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 9.000000, 120.000000
Marine Protected Area: Tubbataha Reefs National Marine Park
Nearby Dive Sites in Tubbataha Reef
- Amos Rock - 24m
- C4 (wreck)
- Cagayancillo Islands
- Constancia Reef (reef)
- Crossing
- Cuttlefish Shawl
- DALL Reef (reef)
- Delsan Wreck - 0m (wreck)
- Delsan Wreck - 29m (wreck)
- Finger reef (reef)
- FLY ROBIN - 3m (wreck)
- Helmuth Reef (reef)
- Jessie Beazley North End
- Jessie Beazley Reef (reef)
- Ko-Ok - 24m
Nearest Dive Centres to North Atoll
Marine Life in Tubbataha Reef
Home to 480 recorded species including 412 reef fish, 20 sharks & rays, 18 hard corals, 12 whales & dolphins, 5 other, 4 clams & mussels.
Notable Species
- Long-nosed Parrotfish (Hipposcarus longiceps) - Reef Fish
- Orange-lined Triggerfish (Balistapus undulatus) - Reef Fish
- Manini (Acanthurus triostegus) - Reef Fish
- Orange-axil wrasse (Stethojulis bandanensis) - Reef Fish
- Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish (Ctenochaetus striatus) - Reef Fish
- Hound Needlefish (Tylosurus crocodilus) - Reef Fish
- Banded Blue Sprat (Spratelloides gracilis) - Reef Fish
- Three-spot wrasse (Halichoeres trimaculatus) - Reef Fish
- Blunt Snout Gregory (Stegastes lividus) - Reef Fish
- Honeycomb Grouper (Epinephelus merra) - Reef Fish
- Clouded rainbow fish (Halichoeres nebulosus) - Reef Fish
- Banded Goatfish (Parupeneus multifasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Australian Squirrel-fish (Myripristis violacea) - Reef Fish
- Blackspot Surgeonfish (Acanthurus nigrofuscus) - Reef Fish
- Argus Grouper (Cephalopholis argus) - Reef Fish
- Batavian Parrotfish (Scarus psittacus) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma hardwicke) - Reef Fish
- Blackfish (Melichthys niger) - Reef Fish
- Peppered Squirrelfish (Sargocentron punctatissimum) - Reef Fish
- Blue-lined Surgeonfish (Acanthurus lineatus) - Reef Fish