Two Philippine diving sites, recognized as among the world's best

Two diving destinations in the Philippines were recognized as among the best in the world, according to the travel website of the Cable News Network or CNN. The Tubbataha reef in Palawan and The Canyons in Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro were included in the list of the best dive sites in the world.

The Tubbataha reef ranked eighth on CNNGo’s list while The Canyons also made it to the list and was ranked 45th.

“Supersize your dive experience at Tubbataha, where everything comes in giant form. The main advantage to diving at Tubbataha is that the water is exceptionally clean, so the marine life lives much longer, making it grow to silly proportions,” the website said.

“Expect kaleidoscopic colors combined with guitar sharks, black tip reef sharks, nurse sharks, gliding blue-spotted lagoon rays, unicorns, boxfish, scorpion fish and more,” it added.

“Schools of spotted and ribbon sweetlips, shiny trevallies and weird-looking batfish make up the scene at this first-rate dive site. There’s also an explosion of coral and plant life including beautiful delicate gorgonian sea fans and hollow barrel sponges; look inside for critters lurking within,” the website said about The Canyons.

Barracuda Point on Malaysia’s Sipadan island, Yongala in Queensland, Australia and SS Thistlegorm in Red Sea, Egypt topped the CNNGo’s list of 50 best dive spots in the world.

CNNGo also recognized Siargao, a teardrop-shaped island in Surigao del Norte, as the eighth best surf spot in the world, earlier this year.

Meanwhile, Manila was recognized by the website as one of Asia’s greatest food cities.