Dive To See Dugong @ Coron, Palawan - Philippines
There are technically two Coron Philippines, one is actually the name of the largest town on Busuanga island and another Coron is a smaller island 30-minutes offshore from Coron Town. Coron makes up the eastern half of Busuanga Island.
CORON PALAWAN FAQS:
Is there an ATM on Coron?
Yes, at least 3 machines we saw. Fees were 200P per transaction.
Is there 24-hour power?
No, on our visit the power went out randomly every day sometimes hours at a time.
Introduction
There are technically two Coron Philippines, one is actually the name of the largest town on Busuanga island and another Coron is a smaller island 30-minutes offshore from Coron Town. Coron makes up the eastern half of Busuanga Island.
Coron Town is a small fishing village with a population is just over 40,000 but is becoming more and more of a popular tourist destination. Coron is often listed as one of the top tourist places in the Philippines. The Palawan was recently named the most beautiful island in the world and we’d have to agree.
TRAVELING TO CORON BY PLANE
The quickest way to get on the island is to fly, Cebu Pacific and Philippines Airlines run flights several times per day from Manila. If possible avoid the later flights, the Coron airport (Busuanga) doesn’t have runway lights and flights can’t land after dusk.
Coron Palawan Airport to Coron town:
When you arrive by plane all of the local taxi drivers know the flight schedules and they will be waiting to take passengers to Coron Town.
FERRY FROM MANILA TO CORON
There is a ferry that runs from Manila and Puerto Princesa to Coron. The ferry from Manila to Coron is 15 hours and runs twice a week, the journey from Puerto Princesa to Coron also takes 15 hours. The same boat company then runs from Coron back to Manila or Puerta Princesa which is the getaway to El Nido, there are tons of things to do in El Nido we highly recommend adding El Nido to your Philippines travel plans.
HOW MANY DAYS SHOULD YOU SPEND IN CORON?
Well, that depends if you are diving and how much diving in the Palawan you’re doing. Outside of diving, we would plan 3 days on top to see the rest of the surrounding islands nearby Coron Palawan.
CORON DAY TRIPS
During the day get on a boat and get out of town, there are a handful of preset tours where you will join other travelers to see some of the top sites in the Palawan nearby, prices are from 650P to 1200P including lunch. Most tours return after 4 pm leaving you only to find dinner in town. Picky eaters beware we didn’t find any options for Hannah’s selective pallet. The few good ones we found are in the tips section.
WHERE TO STAY IN CORON PALAWAN?
The easiest place to base yourself is Coron Town on the Island of Busuanga. However, there isn’t much to do in the actual town, no beach, limited restaurants, and maybe a bar or two for tourists. The action and the main draw to Coron is a boat ride away. The small islands clustered around Busuanga are some of the prettiest I have seen, and the diving is one of a kind. Here are a few properties we suggest:
• Corto del Mar
• The Funny Lion
• Two Seasons Coron Island Resort & Spa
Very basic rooms go for around 1350P ($30USD) which we felt was high for the Philippines. Most were in rough shape too, non-functioning
toilets, and extremely poorly done electrical showers (scary). You’d be better off paying more here and get something where you can sleep
especially if diving a lot. There are also options where you can have a boat take you to another island to stay, but you need to bring
all of your food and be okay without moving around a lot, if we were to come back, we would consider this option.
Stay at a place with a generator
The power goes in and out throughout Coron without any warning or schedule. On average it was 3-5 hours a day and varied from 12am-5am, 7 pm-?, 11am-2pm. Having a generator will keep your lights on and your A/C or fan going. You can thank me later. Coron Village lodge did NOT have a generator, but Corto del Mar hotel did. We moved to this hotel later in our trip and loved it, highly recommend Corto del Mar hotel.
BEST RESTAURANTS IN CORON PALAWAN
There wasn’t a lot of choices, especially for western food. If Filipino food isn’t your thing you will be limited. By far the best western options we found were at Corto Del Mar hotel, with pizzas, pasta, and burgers along with Filipino options. We didn’t have a bad meal here.
Get the bubble tea from the little store on Don Pedro street. I had milk tea with black pearls daily for just 55 pesos ($1) for 22 ounces. Hannah had the all natural mango smoothie for 60 pesos.
Try the Sisig – If you like sisig try it at Lolo Nonoy’s cooking station is one of the best I have had in the Philippines, the garlic rice is good too, and beer is always 40P.
Corto del mar hotel – Good thin crust pizza and some of the cheapest happy hour beer in town at 35P from 5-8pm. Sunday pizza and a beer for 200P is a good deal.
CORON TRAVEL TIPS:
Dive with Corto Divers – Their boats are nicely set up for diving, the staff is knowledgeable and they actually care if you have good dive experience. Lunch is included with dives and the food is some of the better food I have had in the Philippines. From all the other shops I visited, I am confident I made the right choice diving here, you won’t be disappointed.
Make sure tetanus shot is up to date if diving: The ships are awesome to explore, but they are full of tight entries and rusty metal. We saw lots of people walking around town that looked like they had a run-in with a sharp piece of ship metal, so get your shots if you are going under.
Avoid the later flights to Coron Palawan Airport: Taking the last flight to Busuanga you run the risk of it being canceled because the airport stops service at dusk because they have no runway lights.
CORON PALAWAN FAQS:
Is there an ATM on Coron? Yes, at least 3 machines we saw. Fees were 200P per transaction.
Is there 24-hour power? No, on our visit the power went out randomly every day sometimes hours at a time.
EL NIDO VS. CORON
This topic seems to come up between Coron and El Nido of which to visit, the simple answer is they should be visited! If you don’t have time in your schedule to visit both – cut something else out because you seriously need to see both of these places. Do not skip EL Nido, and definitely, do not skip Coron Palawan.
Dive Site Information
Dive Trip Itinerary Schedule :
The diving in Coron could take weeks if you have the time or desire. For most, it’s the main draw to Coron, and the most popular sites are a fleet of sunken Japanese warships in 20-35 meters of water. The dive sites are about an hours boat ride from the port in Coron Town and it’s typical to do 2 tanks per day, and sometimes 3 depending on the dives. Prices in town are around 3000P for 2 tanks and 3500P for 3 tanks.
Dive Site Information
Dugong watching :
Full day excursion along the bay of Busuanga, to meet our little and endangered mermaids… the Dugongs ! It’s nature and, as environmentalists, we do it the natural way (no feeding just wild in their environment) so we can’t guarantee the sightings but with the help of our eagle eye crew, we had accumulated a 80%+ rate of sightings over the years ! The first approach is by snorkelling and eventually, if the dugong do not shy away, we do scuba. Some sites are under indigenous people management with sighting restrictions of max 4 divers at on time for max 30 minutes. Dugongs have no season and are in our bay all year. Mid Dec to Mid Feb a seasonal swell and plankton can effect the dugong areas. We have short and long distance trips and bring you to the place with the best chance (dugongs are moving). We know more
than 20 dugong sites. The main dugong park in the north is close on Sundays!
Kyokuzan Maru Shipwreck :
The World War II Japanese shipwreck, an impressive cargoship, with the best visibility of the area… and only 20mns away from El Rio y Mar (minimum Advanced certified).
Apo Reef Marine Park :
Our highlight ! The second biggest continuous reef in the world with an amazing reef teeming with aquatic life in crystal clear water (sharks, turtles, barracudas.…). We usual offer full day excursions with 3 dives.
Apo Reef is also available on overnight trips up to 3 day but on full charter basis only *.
Dimakya Island :
Our magical reef that has been protected for more than 20 years where you can spot huge school of fish, turtles and many
amazing macro life depending on the season
Barracuda Lake :
Definitely an experienced to be remembered with the underwater limestone cliffs formations & its dramatic temperature changes, letting you dive in waters up to 38°C ! This is a special trip because we need to rent a car and a boat to travel via land and water to the other side of
Busuanga.
WWII Shipwrecks of Northwest Busuanga :
If you are more into wreck dives, we can take you to a full day trip to the WWII wrecks Akutsushima, Taei Maru & Black Island
Tara Island :
Our must if you are a coral lover. Beautiful coral garden offering an amazing combination of soft and hard corals. Since some dive sites are far out, such as Apo Reef which is 35 miles away, we have extra charges for the boat transportation depending on the distance and fuel consumption.
*The itinerary and dive sites above is still subject to changes. Suitable for beginner and advanced divers.
Other Famous Dive Sites :
1. VISIT KAYANGAN LAKE
Known as one of the clearest lakes in all of Asia this gem and the island that holds it is one of the most stunning places on the planet. Kayangan Lake and the nearby viewpoint are one of the most photographed places in all of the Philippines. The main viewpoint most people are familiar with is not actually of the lake, but the bay on the other side of Coron Island. Don’t miss the bamboo raft rides offered of this stunning lake.
2. VISIT MALCAPUYA BEACH
A short boat ride from Coron Town is the stunning Malcapuya Beach. With only a few small hotels on the beach, you can have this picture perfect stretch of sand mostly to yourself. Seriously some of the most beautiful scenery we have encountered. Bright blue and green waters with white sands. To get to this beach you can take a day tour visiting this beach and a few other as part of the Beach Tour day trip bookable in Coron Town. (all part of the beach tour #1, 1200P)
3. SHIPWRECK DIVING IN CORON
One of the main draws for visitors is the fleet of Japanese warships at the bottom of the sea in Coron. Here you can find 12 well-preserved World War II wrecks at diveable depths which is pretty incredible. I dove four of the wrecks as part of my Advanced Open Water Certification with Corto Divers.
4. VISIT CORON ISLAND
Some of the best things to see and do in Coron are on Coron Island, not the island with Coron Town. The best stuff is a boat ride away. Make sure to take lots of day trips while visiting Coron Palawan.
5. GET A DIVE CERTIFICATION OR ADVANCED CERTIFICATION
This is a great place to get certified to dive, there are incredibly unique places to explore while diving in Coron. The shipwrecks are a great place to complete an advanced open water certificate. There is a lot to see on the required as opposed to other places where there you may just go through the skills. Here in Coron Philippines on your deep dive training, you can swim around the shipwrecks which are deeper than 35 meters at some points.
For the other specialty dives, you can again use the shipwreck to fill your wreck dive training. Coron is also an awesome place for a night dive with lots to see including bioluminescent plankton glowing in the dark.
6. SWIM INTO THE HIDDEN LAGOON
One of the coolest swimming holes in the Philippines is only accessed through a small hole in the rocks. Once you are through the narrow passage this lagoon opens up into a stunning grotto.
7. MAQUINIT SPRINGS
Relax in the Maquinit Springs after a busy trip of diving and exploring the beautiful islands of Coron. The water in the springs is a warm and cozy at just over 100 degrees F. Located outside of town you can either arrange a local guide or hire a driver to bring you there too.
8. BARRACUDA LAKE
Next door to Kayangan Lake is another ultra clear lake named Barracuda Lake. For a quieter experience than the more popular Kayangan Lake the head over to Barracuda. In addition to the fewer crowds, this lake also has some interesting features like hot springs and underwater mountains.
9. SNORKEL THE LUSONG GUNBOAT
One particular shipwreck is so shallow you can actually snorkel it. The Lusong Gunboat is situated just below the surface. After over 70 years it has become part of the environment and corals are growing on it a fun are swimming around it.
10. HIKE MT.TAPYAS
If you are looking for some adventure that doesn’t involve a boat then make the climb to the top of Mt. Tapyas. While probably not technically a mountain, the view from the top is worth the hike up. Here you’ll be rewarded with views of Coron town and Coron Island in the distance.
What's Included
Onboard shower and toilet
Tanks, weights and weight belt
Water, tea and coffee
Light snack after the first dive
Soft dive gear (full foot fins, wetsuit and mask) – requested sizes subject to availability.
What's Excluded
• Equipment rental
• Marine park fee
• 4 x AA sized batteries (if required for night dive)
• Airfare (if any)
• Taxes and fuel surcharges,
• Personal expenses (includes drinks, bills and tips),
• Travel insurance (proof of insurance required),
• Visa application and fees (if applicable),
• Gratitude for the Boat Crew / Guide
Dive Trip Requirements
• Valid passport and Visa (if applicable)
• Cash in Singapore or local currency (Malaysian Ringgit; RM)
• Personal Medication
• Travel Insurance (recommended)
• Able to snorkel/swim in the sea
• Minimum of PADI Open Water Diver Certification or equivalent (for leisure diver)
Equipment needed for the excursion:
Sun cream, hat, flip flop or sandals, swimming suit, beach wear, towel, camera
How to Get There
• By Air, Land and Sea
• Coach/Minibus and Ferry from Singapore and Philippines respectively.
Payment Terms
SGD 100 deposit required upon confirmation of booking of accommodation and dive trip.
Payment payable once upon confirmation of booking of accommodation and or with dive trip package/s.
Equipment Rental
Rates (SGD)/ Per Day
Dive Torch : SGD 10
Dive Computer : SGD 15
Dive Computer - D4i : SGD 30
Camera : SGD 35
Disclaimer
Estimated rates for booking, Exact cost of dive trip booking depends on each dive itinerary and arrangement package. Invoice on the payment details will be sent to your personal email account upon booking.
Includes Boat transport, and for each pax meal - Breakfast, Lunch and transport back and forth to your hotel or resort or hostel accomodation.
If you will like to book for the accomodation for a stay for 1 Night or more for yourself and family members or for a tour group etc. , please indicate for your accomodation booking, for the number of days/nights of stay here in Coron, Palawan, and we will arrange for you.
Subjective to availability.
An invoice will be sent to you via email on the separate payment charges for accomodation stay.
Applicable to local and foreign visitors :
• The arrangement of the sequence of the itinerary is subject to change with/without prior notice.
• In the event that the venue of attraction is closed to visitors, it will be replaced with an alternative venue if possible.
• May request for travel itinerary from us via email.
• During trade fairs or the peak season, accommodation stay may not be inclusive.
All dive trip/s are subjected to the weather conditions and change in itinerary.
If the dive trip unfortunately has to postpone or cancelled, there can be a request for arrangement for another dive trip.
Subjected to approval and availability of boat charters.
Cancellation Policy
Any change in trip dates after booking confirmation will be subjected to SGD 100 administrative fees per change/s. Full fees will be charges for packages cancelled or postponed with less than 28 days notice.
If you cancel less than 28 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, full payment will be non-refundable. If more than 28 days, 50% of the package price will be forfeited with an administrative charge of SGD 50 Payable to the dive shop.
If you cancel at least 7 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is no cancellation fee.
If you cancel between 3 and 6 day(s) in advance of the scheduled departure, there is a 50 percent cancellation fee.
If you cancel within 2 day(s) of the scheduled departure, there is a 100 percent cancellation fee.
* The timings are as estimated proposed. Diving trip is subjected to road/traffic/tide/weather conditions on the day of trip.
Additional Information
Confirmation will be received at time of booking.
All dive trip/s are subjected to the weather conditions and change in itinerary.
If the dive trip unfortunately has to postpone or cancelled, there can be a request for arrangement for another dive trip.
Subjected to approval and availability of boat charters.
Passport & Visa Requirements
Passport & Visa Requirements
Please check you have the required travel documents before booking your dive trip. Ensure that your passport has at least 6 months validity from your time of entry into Philippines.
