The ongoing salvage operations for the United States Navy warship USS Guardian, which remains grounded at the Tubbataha Reef, will not prevent diving enthusiasts from exploring the underwater beauty of the diving site. Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Palawan District commander Commodore Enrico Efren Evangelista said divers would still be allowed by the Tubbataha Management Office (TMO) to explore parts of the coral reef not affected by the grounding incident. The USS Guardian ran aground in Tubbataha Reef and damaged about 4,000 square meters of the atoll.

Santos, T. G. (2013, March 2). Tubbataha still open to divers. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A15.