This journey had a few surprises in store for us. And, frankly, they could hardly be called pleasant ones. But excellent diving, an attentive and welcoming crew, a tropical paradise, and an all-round spirit of optimism made this trip outstanding and filled it with the most wonderful memories! But let’s take things from the beginning…
The first surprise was waiting for us right at the boarding of the yacht "Philippine Siren". We know this boat well and love her dearly — we sailed on her many times before the pandemic. Four years had passed since we last stepped aboard, yet we remembered exactly what she looked like. Even so, we almost failed to recognise her, despite the fact that she was sitting peacefully at anchor in plain sight, right where she was supposed to be. It turned out that during the pandemic, the yacht had shed her mast — like a lizard dropping its tail. Surprise!
The mast had, of course, been decorative, but it gave the vessel a certain dignity, and made for rather beautiful photographs. Finding it gone from its familiar place was a small disappointment.
But the moment we stepped on deck, the crew swept us up with broad smiles and carried us along into the rhythm of liveaboard life, and we quickly forgot about that once-beloved piece of decorative rigging.
A welcome cocktail, settling into cabins, a safety briefing on how to look after ourselves and where not to throw rubbish — and we were already cutting through the waves, heading for the horizon toward the dream (meaning the reefs of Tubbataha). A long crossing of nearly twenty-four hours lay ahead. After dinner and a glass of white wine, tired from the journey, we scattered to our cabins.
In the morning a little bell rang, calling everyone to a delicious breakfast. Pulling on shorts and t-shirts, we streamed in an orderly procession down the corridor, following the smell of food.
The sun was already high, the sea shimmering in every shade of colour. Spirits were high… for everyone except our crew. And that is when the second surprise arrived. We had barely knocked back our first cup of morning coffee when we received a most unwelcome piece of news: today we would not be seeing our Tubbataha — we would be seeing the port we had left the day before.
It turned out a storm had blown up at sea. The captain fought long and bravely against the weather, but ultimately decided not to take risks and turned back for the sake of our safety. As later became clear, it was the right call. That same day, a liveaboard vessel went to the bottom near the reefs of Tubbataha.
We, meanwhile, returned to the town of Puerto Princesa, picked up an additional dive guide from shore, and set out to explore the local underwater scenery. Since fate had brought us to this corner of the world, there was no point sitting in the sun waiting for the weather to change. We found no large creatures, but the macro world turned out to be well worth the attention. All in all, the diving was rather unexpected — but very much worthwhile!
This went on for two and a half days; we dived three to four times a day and combed through most of the accessible sites.
On the third day, the long-awaited news arrived: the weather had given us the green light! We congratulated one another, and the boat finally set course for the Tubbataha reefs. Given the time needed for the crossing, we had the chance to do around eight dives at Tubbataha — the very reason we had flown to the Philippines in the first place. That was far fewer than we had hoped for, but still better than nothing. Nature has a way of adjusting our plans. Rather than being angry at her for it, it is better to be grateful for whatever opportunity she grants.
The diving did not disappoint. Crystal-clear warm water, coral gardens of breathtaking scale, schools of tuna, barracuda, and mantas. Tubbataha gave us extraordinary, awe-inspiring dives that everyone on the trip will remember for a long time to come.
Yes, things worked out such that this time we came away just a little hungry — we did not get our fill of Tubbataha's underwater wonders. But we were boundlessly happy all the same. Despite every twist the weather threw at us, our expedition turned out splendidly.
Thank you to everyone who took part in this journey! And if these impressions have inspired you, look for our new diving expeditions in the schedule on the website.
