Tubbataha Reef

Tubbataha Reef is an atoll coral reef located in the Sulu Sea of the Philippines. It is a protected marine sanctuary as Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park and is nominated at the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

The word tubbataha is a combination of two Samal words which means "a long reef exposed at low tide".

Seaweeds at the Tubbataha Reef (Source: 23firststreet.wordpress.com)

The reef is made up of two coral atolls divided by an eight-kilometer wide channel. The South Atoll, the smaller of the two is five kilometers in length and three kilometers in width; while the North Atoll, the larger of the two is 16 kilometers long and five kilometers wide. Each reef has a single small islet that protrudes from the water. The atolls are separated by a deep channel 8 km wide.

Fishes and corals at Tubbataha Reef (Source: psychosanctum.blogspot.com)