Anchorage· Tubbataha Reefs (South Atoll)· Philippines
Tubbataha Park Mooring Buoys (No Anchoring)
8° 48.5′ N · 119° 48.4′ E
Inside Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park you do not anchor: the law requires every vessel to lie on the park's own mooring buoys, which sit at the main dive sites around both atolls.
Practical
Position is the 'Kook' mooring buoy on the South Atoll west side, one of the park buoys mapped in OpenStreetMap (special-purpose mooring buoy; the Malayan Wreck buoy is a few metres away). Republic Act 10067 (Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park Act of 2009), Section 22: it is unlawful to hold a vessel in place with an anchor or by tying to any part of the reef; all vessels shall use the TRNP mooring buoys; fine PHP 50,000 to PHP 100,000. Section 23 makes it unlawful to dump waste inside the park. Check in with the rangers at the North Atoll station and ask which buoy to take and for how long; buoys are shared with the licensed liveaboards, so a private yacht must fit in around them. Permits (Vessel Entry Permit plus Visitor Entry Permits) must be in hand before leaving Puerto Princesa; private and non-commercial trips are limited to 7 days. Season mid-March to mid-June only. Never approach the reefs at night.
Best for
Knowing the rule before you arrive: moorings only, never an anchor
Season
Mid-March to mid-June
Nearby
- Malayan Wreck Mooring Buoy (Tubbataha South Atoll)Right here
- Tubbataha South Atoll2.3 NM away
- Tubbataha South Islet Lighthouse3.7 NM away
- Delsan Wreck (Tubbataha South Atoll)4.3 NM away
- Tubbataha Ranger Station7.1 NM away
- Tubbataha Vessel Entry Permit and Conservation Fee7.9 NM away
- Tubbataha Dive Season (mid-March to mid-June)9.4 NM away
- Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park9.4 NM away