Wreck Diving in Coron, Palawan, Philippines
Coron wrecks are, if anything, a legend.
Many people travel to Palawan to witness mother nature's beauty. Two most famous destinations in Palawan are El Nido and Coron; after reading reviews on the battle between the two, Coron seems to stand out a little closer to the crown of nature's pageant.
Though in my personal opinion, the hidden jewel of Coron doesn't lie in God's "little extra effort" on this piece of land but of its man-made result.
Under this ocean lie many metal monsters left behind from World War 2: cargo vessels, battle ships, etc. And of all my years of wreck diving, diving into the water here was like a kid in candy land. Ships, one bigger than the other, darker, longer, deeper penetration and narrow twisted compartments all hidden away beneath the deep ocean bed.
Located between the depths of 12 feet all the way down to 42 feet, the wrecks here aren't for the faint hearted. You need excellent buoyancy control, great maneuvering skills, good conserve oxygen usage so you'd last longer in deep depth and GUTS, lots of it. Areas of the some of these ships are so narrow, it will require an advanced diver to detach his own BCD (oxygen tank together) to swim through small tight spaces and tunnels; whereas other areas are so vast and deep no amount of torch light is able to penetrate through the darkness.
You want me to squeeze through this?! (that's what my face was saying)
Few notable wrecks here are Irako (being the biggest and deepest), Okikawa Maru, Akitsushima, Olympia Maru, Kogyo Maru, Tangat Gun Boat and Kyokuzan Maru. Though if you have the time and finance, there are enough wrecks here, big and small, to fill a week's worth of dives. Just remember to bring cash as there are no ATMs if you're staying on smaller islands.
Too close for comfort.
where does it go? nobody knows.
Do these stairs go up? or down? It's hard to tell underwater.
Safety stop
chilling by a window
Bye.
Actually this was how I descended when diving.
How to get there: Fly in to Manila. Then take local airline (i.e. PAL express) to Busuanga Airport in Coron.
Read about my article on Thermocline Dive in Coron.
Many people travel to Palawan to witness mother nature's beauty. Two most famous destinations in Palawan are El Nido and Coron; after reading reviews on the battle between the two, Coron seems to stand out a little closer to the crown of nature's pageant.
Though in my personal opinion, the hidden jewel of Coron doesn't lie in God's "little extra effort" on this piece of land but of its man-made result.
Under this ocean lie many metal monsters left behind from World War 2: cargo vessels, battle ships, etc. And of all my years of wreck diving, diving into the water here was like a kid in candy land. Ships, one bigger than the other, darker, longer, deeper penetration and narrow twisted compartments all hidden away beneath the deep ocean bed.
Located between the depths of 12 feet all the way down to 42 feet, the wrecks here aren't for the faint hearted. You need excellent buoyancy control, great maneuvering skills, good conserve oxygen usage so you'd last longer in deep depth and GUTS, lots of it. Areas of the some of these ships are so narrow, it will require an advanced diver to detach his own BCD (oxygen tank together) to swim through small tight spaces and tunnels; whereas other areas are so vast and deep no amount of torch light is able to penetrate through the darkness.
You want me to squeeze through this?! (that's what my face was saying)
Few notable wrecks here are Irako (being the biggest and deepest), Okikawa Maru, Akitsushima, Olympia Maru, Kogyo Maru, Tangat Gun Boat and Kyokuzan Maru. Though if you have the time and finance, there are enough wrecks here, big and small, to fill a week's worth of dives. Just remember to bring cash as there are no ATMs if you're staying on smaller islands.
Too close for comfort.
where does it go? nobody knows.
Do these stairs go up? or down? It's hard to tell underwater.
Safety stop
chilling by a window
Bye.
Actually this was how I descended when diving.
How to get there: Fly in to Manila. Then take local airline (i.e. PAL express) to Busuanga Airport in Coron.
Read about my article on Thermocline Dive in Coron.
1 kissed Nicole
What other wreck sites have you been to? Your buoyancy is really good - the photos are quite clear which means you managed to avoid kicking up the silt, something I'm still struggling to accomplish. Thanks for sharing your photos :) I'm beginning to be inspired to go to Coron!
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