Philippine Siren 2 - Dive liveaboard Philippine Siren 2 grounded on Tubbataha Reef in a squall; all 28 aboard safe
A sudden squall drove the 173-ton liveaboard onto the coral at Bird Islet while she lay to a mooring buoy; her 14 divers and 14 crew were taken off to a nearby yacht, and she was refloated six days later.
What happened.
In June 2026 the dive liveaboard Philippine Siren 2 grounded on the coral at Bird Islet, in the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, after a sudden squall caught her moored to a buoy off the reef. All 28 aboard — 14 divers and 14 crew — were safe and transferred to a nearby yacht. She was refloated six days later and towed to Puerto Princesa, with no oil spill reported.
The dive liveaboard Philippine Siren 2 left Puerto Princesa, on the Philippine island of Palawan, on 10 June 2026 for the remote Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, a UNESCO World Heritage marine park in the Sulu Sea. While she lay moored to an anchored buoy about 7.2 nautical miles north-east of the reef, a sudden squall drove her onto the coral at Bird Islet in the North Atoll; the Philippine Coast Guard was notified at around 5 a.m. on 14 June. There were 28 people aboard — 14 divers (nine Americans, three Germans and two Filipinos) and 14 Filipino crew — and all were safe. The divers and several crew were transferred to a nearby liveaboard, the MY Resolute, and taken back to Puerto Princesa. A salvage team carried out underwater inspection and repairs, and the vessel was refloated on the morning of Saturday 20 June and towed to port. No fuel leak or oil spill was reported, but a precautionary containment boom was deployed and authorities kept the site under strict surveillance to protect the reef.
What it teaches.
- 1A mooring off a reef is only as safe as the next squall. The Philippine Siren 2 was driven onto the coral when a sudden squall hit while she lay to a buoy. Watch the sky and forecast, keep an anchor or engine watch in unsettled weather, and be ready to slip the mooring and get sea room.
- 2Have a buddy boat and an evacuation plan in remote waters. All 28 aboard were taken off safely to the nearby MY Resolute. Far from rescue services, a nearby vessel is often your fastest help — keep communications open with others in the area and know how you would get everyone off in an orderly transfer.
- 3After a grounding, protect the reef as well as the boat. No oil spill occurred here, but a containment boom was deployed as a precaution in a protected marine park. Check at once for fuel and oil leaks, stop sources of pollution, and avoid power moves that grind the hull further into living coral.
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