Tubbataha Reef National Park in Palawan and Moalboal in Cebu are once again cited among Lonely Planet’s recommended “most surprisingly spectacular” dive spots in the world.

The popular travel guide named the islands in the Philippines among the “6 national parks around the world with surprisingly spectacular diving” in its list released on August 25, 2020.

The nature parks in Palawan and Cebu were recommended out of 3,000 national parks around the world that offer awesome marine biodiversity and their enchanting view of thousands of creatures underwater.

The Palawan and Cebu travel destinations were also top picks by the magazine in 2019.

American travel writer Angela Ballard praised the thousands of dive sites scattered throughout the Philippines but she particularly picked the 2 islands for the perfect scuba diving experience.

“At the thousands of dive sites scattered throughout the Philippines, you’ll be enchanted by the more than 1,200 macro and pelagic species that live in these waters,” wrote Ballard.

Tubbataha, a Unesco World Heritage Site, and Puerto Princesa dive sites like Amos Rock, Washing Machine, and Black Rock were recommended as must-see places for their beautiful corals, sharks, dolphins, whales, manta rays, barracudas, nudibranchs, seahorses, and other fish species.

Underwater scene in Cebu. Photo from Cebu Provincial Tourism.
Underwater scene in Cebu. Photo from Cebu Provincial Tourism.
Moalboal earned praise for its world-renowned “sardine run,” found on the Pescador Island marine park, featuring millions of sardines, attracting bigger predatory fish species.

Moalboal earned praise for its world-renowned “sardine run,” found on the Pescador Island marine park, featuring a large school of sardines, often numbering in the millions, that found sanctuary on a reef, attracting various sorts of bigger predatory fish species.

“While you can dive the warm Philippine waters year-round, you’ll witness the most wildlife and avoid monsoons if you visit between March and June,” writes the travel enthusiast.

Other dive spots on the list are found in Kenya, Greece, Iceland, the Dutch Caribbean island of Bonaire, and Tanzania’s Zanzibar archipelago.

The Philippine islands have earned praises for offering breath-taking views above and underwater.

Via : https://www.goodnewspilipinas.com/palawan-cebu-nature-parks-named-in-lonely-planets-spectacular-dive-spots/