Have you ever been here?
Coron has been described as one of the best spots in the World for Wreck diving! On the 24th of September 1944, 24 Japanese Ships were sunk by an Americain Air raid. 12 wrecks have been discovered up to now. The shipwrecks are very well preserved and are all located in quite shallow water, perfect for recreational diving. However it is best to be at least Open Water Advanced to fully enjoy the wrecks as some dives can be quite challenging
Most of the wrecks are really big (up to 160m!) and require more than one dive if you want to explore the entire ship. There are also boundless possibilities of penetration and even very deep penetration (especially on the Taiei Maru and the Akitsushima ) for the most experienced divers!
The wrecks lay either upright or on the side. Their depth is ranging from 12m to 30m. Only the Irako wreck is deeper, at 43m.
However, the visibility is often quite low (from 5m to 15m) and the marine life around the shipwrecks is poor with mostly Scorpionfishes, Crocodilefishes, Nudibranchs are the usual reef fishes like the Triggerfish or Clownfish. Groupers and Barracudas can also sometimes be spotted. So if you come to Coron it is definitely because you are passionate about Wreck Diving, not just to see the fish! This place is really beautiful and divers coming there are usually delighted!
There is also a very interesting dive site called Barracuda Lake. It is a former volcano where you can dive and discover amazing rock formations! In addition there is also good reef diving with nice coral on the nearby Islands of Calambuyan Island and Seven Islands.
You can also explore this underwater world on a Liveaboard trip that generally combines Apo Reef, Anilao Island and the Coron Wrecks. I usually use this website to book in advance my Liveaboards in the Philippines as they usually have the lowest rates I find. I like it because they have an easy booking system.
In this page you will find more detailed information about scuba diving in Coron, Palawan.