> The Sulu Sea is a body of water located off the coast of which country?And the answer: Philippines. Photo courtesy: BikeandTours.comThe Sulu Sea is situated between the Philippinesand the island of Borneo. Located in the middle is a large marine sanctuaryknown as the Tubbataha Reefs, which is now an UNESCO World Heritage site. Scubadiving trips to the region are often booked years in advance.Located near the center of the Sulu Sea, the Tubbataha Reefs showcase some ofthe most extraordinary arrays of marine life currently untouched by mankind.Thanks to conservation pressure from divers and environmentalists in the late1990s, the Philippine government designated the reef a national marine park --the first in the nation’s history. Doing so prevented any sort of commercialfishing or human encroachment, and as a result the reefs remain some of the mostpristine today. In fact, the reefs house over 600 species of tropical fish, over350 coral species (estimated to be over half of all known coral species in theworld), 14 species of shark and more. As one of the best dive sites in the world, tourism ultimately stimulates morefor the economy than mass fishing. Tourism is responsible for over half thefunding for the park, and helps bring in cash flow to the local government.Further, Tubbataha also boosts the Philippines’ coral-reef fisheries, whichcontribute up to 29 percent of the country’s total fisheries production. Oceancurrents carry huge numbers of larvae from Tubbataha to the rest of the SuluSea, an influx that helps replenish fished waters and ensure the country’s foodsecurity.See some shots from the reef for yourself by checking out the video below.