So after our first stop at the Twin Lagoons (see previous post) we were onto our next couple of stops with the first sounding the most thrilling:
Skeleton Wreck
This area is a popular snorkeling destination and was TEEMING with fish around the wreck and around our boats. While the site lacked in coral, being able to clearly see the remains of a sunken Japanese war ship while swimming around with hundreds of fish easily made up for it. A couple people were able to dive down for a closer look, but without fins and with how buoyant I am... it was pretty impossible for me to get any deeper to see it.
The only downside was that by the time we got there, it was SO busy with other boats... many of which would anchor right next to the ship and would float over it... kind of a hazard when you have a bunch of un- aware tourists with their faces down in the water... We almost got run over twice before I gave up and went to just look at the fish away from the wreck.
Still got some cool photos though before we swam to our next location:
Skeleton Beach
This was our lunch stop for the day and while we lounged on the small beach watching the snorkelers battling boats for position over the skeleton wreck, we awaited our feast for lunch.
Lunch was delicious! And consisted of Chicken Adobo, pork, grilled yellow fish (tuna) and even clams! with plenty of rice and sauce to go around. It concluded with a small banana for dessert rounding out an excellent island meal on a bamboo hut. After lunch it was quick clean up and back on the boat, this time for a longer journey to CYC Beach and Coral Gardens.
CYC Beach & Coral Gardens
Here we had the option of snorkeling more or just swimming over to the beach area which is what we ultimately decided to do. The beach was almost sand bar in appearance since it jutted out past the island but it felt like it was the middle of no where unlike the other beaches which are on the giant island of Coron. We didn't do much here in the 30 minutes or so that we had, except lay in the sun.
I was pretty impressed with this enterprising guy that was kayaking around selling beer and snacks to the lazy beach goers, like how genius is that?! They seemed to be about 100 pesos? so if this is something you'd want to partake in, make sure you bring some extra pesos with you in your dry bag.
Next stop?
Siete Pecados
Our second to last stop before turning the boat home and we almost had to miss it due to the winds picking up. The Siete Pecados weren't even on my list of things I had to see when we set out to Coron but boy am I glad we got to check this area out! The coral gardens were incredible! Definitely the most abundant, vibrant, and beautiful we saw on our entire trip. The water was super shallow and clear so at times I was worried I was closer to them than I probably was... either way it had me keeping my body flat as we floated over the tops of them. If you love snorkeling, I would make this another must when in Coron.
So Much Coral!!! There was a huge variety and while I didn't get any great shots of fish, there were dozens swimming around!
We only had about 30 minutes to enjoy this stop before heading to our last stop and my MOST anticipated one (you'll soon see why) Stay tuned for my next post concluding the Ultimate Coron Tour with Kayangan Lake
Tour Information:
Wonderful Island Travel & Tours $23 pp includes lunch, kayak at one stop, and entry fees into all the others.
Snorkeling equipment is extra and costs about $2