The island paradise of Coron will surely excite outdoor junkies especially those who love swimming. My experience here was very much magical and surreal. After all, it is geographically part of Palawan, dubbed as one of the best islands in the world. 📍Lusong Gunboat Wreck
🇵🇭CORON ADVENTURE PRIMER🇵🇭
✈️🛳🚌 How to get to Coron, Palawan:
⏺Take a plane from Metro Manila to Busuanga Airport (e.g. Cebu Pacific, Philippine Airlines and SkyJet).
⏺ Ride a van bound for the town proper of Coron (travel time: 30 – 45 minutes).
⏺ Alternatively, you may take the overnight ferry trip of 2GO Travel from Manila to Coron (travel time: 11 – 12 hours).
🏄🏝🚴 Sites to Explore/Activities:
Mt. Tapyas
Maquinit Hot Spring
Coron Island (Kayangan Lake, Green Lagoon, Barracuda Lake, Twin Lagoon and beaches such as Sunset Beach)
CYC Beach and Las Islas de Coral
Reef Garden
Skeleton Wreck
Lusong Island (Lusong Coral Garden and Lusong Gunboat Wreck)
Sangat Island (East Tangat Wreck)
Pass Island
Malcapuya Island Tour (includes nearby islands such as Waling-Waling and Ditaytayan Islands)
Calauit Safari Tour and Black Island
I first set foot in Coron in 2015. The funny thing is, I only allotted one whole day for my tour since I had to adjust my flight schedule so I could join a travel event in Gigantes. I wanted to have the best of both worlds. So Day One marked my arrival in Coron then Day Two was intended for availing of the bestselling island hopping tour. Then I climbed Mt. Tapyas in the morning on Day Three before going back to Manila by lunch time. It was fun but my soul hungry for adventure was asking for more. 📍Barracuda Lake / Luluyuan LakeBy 2019, my friend and I booked our flight to Coron for March 2020. The waiting game felt so long and I couldn’t contain my excitement as the month of March was approaching. Unfortunately, a low pressure area almost ruined our trip. We didn’t want rain all over the place when we get there. So we decided to call it off and just visit one resort in Batangas where we could freedive. It felt as if my world was slowly falling apart when I was packing up for our Batangas dive. I then checked a meteorology group on Facebook and found out that one of the typhoon agencies downgraded the status of the weather disturbance and no longer considered it as an LPA. We decided to finally push through with our original plan. Coron, here we come! Gods, I waited for more than four years and I even enrolled in a freediving class for this! 📍Mt. TapyasMy friend and I met up at Terminal 4 for our flight that morning. The airport was still full of passengers even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. I was a bit paranoid due to the crowded plane. But I believed in my immune system. I always reminded myself to sanitize my hands all the time. 📍Kayangan LakeThe passengers were welcomed by an airport staff at Busuanga Airport with a piece of paper to fill out. We were required to disclose our country of origin, travel history and if we’re experiencing any flu-like symptoms. Right after getting my checked baggage, we made our way to our assigned van which would take us to our accommodation. The first thing in our itinerary was checking out the beautiful sunset at Mt. Tapyas so after eating at McDonald’s (I was surprised that the world-famous fast food chain is already in Coron), we went back to our hotel to rest before our climb in the afternoon. 📍Mt. TapyasIt was past 5:00 PM when we started walking to get to the trailhead (well, technically, not really a trailhead but more of the start of Tapyas’ staircase). One has to brave the 700+ stairsteps to reach the top. This was nothing compared to Bakun’s thousand stairsteps to get back to Poblacion from Mt. Kabunian but it was still an exhausting feat.There were a lot of people climbing up (the majority of them were foreigners). By the time we reached the top, I noticed that most of them were taking photos by the giant cross so we went to the other side overlooking these rolling hills.We walked down the trail and reached a concrete waiting shed were we stayed to wait out the setting sun.Mt. Tapyas offers one of the best views of the islands of Calamianes with striking sunsets as the backdrop.Some of the tourists on the other side of the rolling hills started descending back to Poblacion. But I knew that the show of Mum Nature had just started.The colors of the sky changed as the sun continued going below the horizon. I’ve been to Palawan numerous times and because this province is in the West Philippine Sea, its islands are really perfect places to witness beautiful sunsets like this.We walked farther to this spot where a couple of the tourists were taking photos a while ago.It was an awesome spectacle as though the sky was looking forward to twilight. I was almost teary-eyed. My brain was bombarded with a million what-ifs with “what if we didn’t push through with this trip?” as the first on the list.We walked back and quickly took some shots near the cross where we chanced upon foreign guys drinking beer and definitely having the best time for their life. There were still a lot of people chilling out at the top by the time we agreed to go back to the town proper for dinner.Our first day in Coron officially began the next day. We just had our breakfast when the van from the travel agency where we booked our tours picked us up at our hotel. Aside from the guide fee, entrance fees and lunch, drop-off and pick-up via van was part of the inclusions of public island hopping tours we availed as joiners. 📍Kayangan LakeWe pulled over by the road in front of another hotel to wait for other batch of joiners. Sadly, it took so long. I think we waited for almost 30 minutes for this group. It may be due to the culture of Filipino time or the culture of self-entitlement. I mean, if you want full control over your schedule, you should have availed of a private tour. After all, you should be considerate of other people. In our case, we wanted to hire our own private boat but it would be expensive for just the two of us and since we’re joining a public tour, this was the price we have to pay for not getting our own private boat. At least we were considerate of other joiners too that’s why we woke up early to prep for our tour. I hope travel agencies would stick to a rule that these joiners would only be given a specific time to prepare or else the tour will proceed without them. 📍Kayangan LakeThe waiting ordeal was extended once we were at the wharf. We still had to wait for other joiners and by the time our guides were finished discussing the gears we needed such as kayaks, snorkeling gears, fins and aqua shoes, we had to wait again for them to bring back the items to be rented by the joiners. Here’s another tip for travel agencies: Please discuss this already with your customers so that before the day of the tour, they would already have their own swimming gears. I think our guides had to go thrice to and from the shops renting out these gears since the tour participants were unsure whether they should rent the said swimming paraphernalia. As for the joiners, in case you will be going to Coron or El Nido and any other island hopping destinations, please do your own research. Read blogs or ask your travel agents. Don’t just go to a place unprepared and unarmed. I could still remember the clueless faces of the joiners in our boat the moment our guides enumerated the things we needed in this tour. They surely didn’t know whether they’re going to get wet, scramble or trek. Are they expecting to see a mall or a food park when we get there? 📍Kayangan LakeIt was almost 10:00 AM when we departed from the wharf. We were the only boat left as the rest of the tourists already sailed to Coron Island. It’s been so long since I last joined a public tour so I already forgot the feeling of adjusting and dealing with failure in logistics of these travel agencies. 📍Kayangan LakeOur first destination is this lake which is probably the highlight of every Coron trip, the famed Kayangan Lake, located in Coron Island. Okay, this may sound confusing. The town of Coron is located in Busuanga Island which is divided into two municipalities, Busuanga and Coron. The airport is situated in the town of Busuanga while the jump-off point for island hopping is the town of Coron. However, most of the attractions are located in Coron Island, the huge island characterized by towering karst formations facing the wharf of Coron municipality. This island is just a stone’s throw away from the wharf of the town of Coron. You may check Google Maps to better orient yourself where these places are.There were already loads of boats by the time we reached the jump-off beach to Kayangan, which meant loads of people already swimming ahead of us. We got on the boardwalk then strolled to the entrance en route to the stairsteps. The staircase was not yet cemented in 2015 so the climb was much harder back then. Most of the tourists were stopping by the view deck overlooking some beautiful karst formations but we hurried to Kayangan Lake instead.Here’s another tip for travel agencies. Please make sure that your guides are doing their job in “guiding” your clients. You may ask them for suggestions and comments about their experience. There were almost twenty of us and only two guides. One guide opted to just stay on the boat. So the other guide was left with no choice to watch over us. My friend and I decided to go on our own since it was already my second time and I know the good spots where we could dive. But what if it was my first time? How would I know where to go? Maybe one of our guides was feeling lazy that day. I could still remember my first time in Coron. Our guide did his job well in making sure that all of us enjoy the trip. He would even tirelessly swim in the water to take our pictures.Tourists are no longer allowed to swim here without life jackets so we had to bring ours. At least the lifeguards at Kayangan Lake still allowed us to dive. We just used our life vests as our buoy.Because it was jam-packed on the surface, at least it was peaceful underneath. We didn’t get any photobombers in our frames, except for this one.😂One of the reasons I wanted to visit Kayangan Lake again was to see these out-of-this-world rock formations. I was not yet a freediver back then yet I was already awestruck with what I saw underwater.An hour passed and I caught a glimpse of our guide together with other joiners from our boat. In a place full of people wearing orange life jackets, it would extremely be a challenge to pinpoint your companions.We resurfaced and trekked back to our boat. We stopped by the view deck again but we didn’t want to wait for our turn to get some solo shots due to the long line of people. That’s okay, I told myself. I was already satisfied with my underwater shots in Kayangan Lake anyway.Next on our list was Green Lagoon. There was only a handful of boats parked by the cottages when we reached this lagoon.Whilst our boatmen were preparing our lunch, I immediately dove into the water for our pictorial. We took advantage of this moment because the place was still free from an overwhelming number of people.The surrounding greenery covering the karst formations spiced up the experience as we savored the clear water of this lagoon.The tide was low enough for people who couldn’t swim but make sure to wear your aqua shoes to protect yourself from sea urchins.A few more minutes of frolicking passed and our guides called us to finally munch on some fresh catch for lunch. This is what I love every time I visit Palawan. Lunch is always included in island hopping tours and you will feast on seafood, meat, veggies and fruits.We chilled out for a bit after our delectable meal before bidding goodbye to this natural swimming pool.We sailed for a couple of minutes then reached this beach called Sunset Beach. It’s the perfect spot for watching sunsets according to our guide, hence the name.Some of our companions decided to sunbathe, especially the foreigners, while some jumped into the water to snorkel. But I immediately saw an opportunity to take photos under the sunny noontime weather.I could only shoot at this part of the beach because the other side was full of boats and people playing and swimming.Sunset Beach is beautiful but to be honest, I’ve seen better. In all my years of exploring Palawan, I could say that Coron was never the perfect place to see breathtaking beaches with powdery sand. Yes, Coron’s beaches are amazing compared to other islands in the Philippines but not so impressive if talking about the sand quality of beaches just like in Balabac and El Nido. Besides, the beaches of Coron Island are small and its shorelines are way too short for a huge number of tourists regularly visiting the municipality. However, Coron stands out when it comes to its underwater paradise, with all its coral reefs and shipwrecks. If you love snorkeling and diving, Coron should be on your bucket list. During my first trip here, I actually got tired of swimming that I skipped snorkeling at our last stop.Thick dark clouds covered the entire beach which was our cue to go back to our boat. Beaches under overcast weather never appeal to me. At least we could enjoy swimming even without sunrays. 📍Quin ReefWe walked back to our boat to prep for snorkeling. Most of the joiners in our tour were enjoying the coral reef near the beach so we might as well take a look what’s underneath. 📍Quin ReefThis coral garden in front of Sunset Beach is known as Quin Reef. We swam a couple of meters from our boat to reach this part with corals.Another boat was anchored where we were swimming and a few other tourists were also enjoying the corals underwater. The water was shallow hence the good visibility of the corals in these photos.Back in 2015, I was already amazed with the coral reefs of Coron. I haven’t been to any coral gardens aside from the one found in Caramoan so my standards when it comes to snorkeling were quite low. But after my visit in Dumaran in 2019, every reef I’ve seen after that trip never really gave me the wow factor I was expecting. Dumaran still holds the number one spot in my list if talking about coral gardens.The corals near the other side of Sunset Beach were more fascinating according to our guide but we still chose this portion of Quin Reef near our boat since I didn’t want any obstruction on my frames such as feet of other tourists treading water.We concluded our tour here at CYC Beach. This island is not part of the landmass of Coron Island but it’s still near the town proper. This is probably the most crowded beach in all of Coron. This is also where we ended our island hopping tour in 2015.It was so hard to take pictures without any people in it. Boats also surrounded the small island. While the majority of tour joiners were already snorkeling at the coral garden in front of CYC Beach known as Las Islas de Coral, here I was still trying to wait out the crowd until they left so I could get pictures without photobombers.The inviting water of CYC Beach is definitely the highlight once you reach the island. It may be my second time here but I actually haven’t stepped on its coastline. Even during my 2015 trip, I just spent time lazily resting like a boss above the water.After quite some time, the tourists finally left which meant no more boats blocking the view. The mountains make up the best background of this aquamarine wonder. I returned to our boat and chilled out while the rest of the gang continued snorkeling. Once we’re back at the wharf, the vans of our travel agency took us to our respective hotels as part of the tour inclusions. We would have wanted to climb Mt. Tapyas again but boy were we so exhausted from all the diving and swimming.
⏰⏳ SAMPLE ITINERARY:
DAY 1
10:00 AM ETA Busuanga Airport
11:00 AM ETD for Coron
12:00 PM Check-in
4:00 PM ETD for Mt. Tapyas
6:00 PM ETD for Maquinit Hot Spring
DAY 2
7:00 AM Wake-up call / breakfast
9:00 AM Start of island hopping
4:00 PM ETA Coron Town Proper
6:00 PM Dinner
DAY 3
7:00 AM Wake-up call / breakfast
9:00 AM Start of island hopping
4:00 PM ETA Coron Town Proper
6:00 PM Dinner
DAY 4
7:00 AM Wake-up call / breakfast
9:00 AM Start of island hopping
4:00 PM ETA Coron Town Proper
6:00 PM Dinner
DAY 5
7:00 AM Wake-up call / breakfast
8:00 AM Buy pasalubong/souvenirs
10:00 AM Check-out / ETD for Busuanga Airport
💰💶 ESTIMATED BUDGET (for a solo joiner of public island hopping tours): Php 8,000 – 10,000 (exclusive of airfare)
***Expenses may vary depending on type of accommodation you will avail, personal consumption of food and other necessities and length of stay/number of days you will allot to explore Coron.
We started off Day Two here at Coron’s famous Twin Lagoon. The overcast sky set my down-in-the-dumps mood that day. I was already expecting this. Even if the low pressure area would no longer develop into a typhoon, it still existed as a weak weather disturbance already bringing intense rainshowers in Eastern Philippines. Fortunately, Mum Nature gave us sunshine once we’re inside this lagoon.A ginormous number of boats were waiting for us at the first lagoon of Twin Lagoon. We swam towards the mouth of the second one. The tide was low enough for us to pass through the small opening. If it were high tide, we would need to use the wooden stairs constructed above the hole connecting the two lagoons.I only got three okay-ish pictures here at Twin Lagoon. Why? I found out that it’s the lagoon version of CYC Beach in terms of being a blockbuster tourist spot due to the huge crowd. Gods, I couldn’t find any frame without people in orange life jackets. I wonder what it would be like during Holy Week. Capturing solo shots really proved to be a huge challenge when you go to mainstream tourist attractions like this.After our ordeal at Twin Lagoon (I tried to enjoy it as much as I could but it was too impossible considering the large number of people), we proceeded to this snorkeling area. 📍Reef GardenWe got the whole place to ourselves when we reached this site. I asked one of our guides to accompany me so I could freedive.The only challenge I had was swimming in this jellyfish-infested waters of Reef Garden. There was an instance when my face almost hit one of these creatures as I was about to duck dive.Our guides told us that if we’re lucky, we may be able to chance upon sea turtles. I was already back inside our boat when one of the tour joiners exclaimed that there’s a turtle where they were. I was not disappointed for not being able to see it because I already had a close encounter with two of these gentle reptiles in Port Barton.Our guides started calling out to the rest of the tour participants. We still got one more stop before lunch. My heart almost skipped a beat after our guide told us where we were going next. 📍Skeleton WreckOkay. I have to come clean with a confession. I am a freediver with thalassophobia and submechanophobia. That’s why I actually couldn’t go deeper because I easily freak out so the tendency is to look up then resurface right away once I realize that I am already deep. This fear is one of the reasons I only learned how to swim a few years ago even though I grew up in an island. I may have conquered a small percentage of this fear but I still got a long way to go. I also have a fear of not just submerged man-made objects but anything large underwater such as boulders. Even the thought of these makes me cringe. As our boat was nearing the site of this wreck, I got a gazillion reservations before seeing this with my own eyes. I can do it, I reassured myself. If I experience a panic attack, I’ll just take a peek once then I’m done. 📍Skeleton WreckI asked one of our guides to accompany me. As we swam towards this wreck site, I tried my best to calm myself down because boy was I so nervous. When we stopped and the guide told me that we’re floating atop Skeleton Wreck, I mustered all the courage in me to peek what’s underneath.I did it! I felt elated. Peeking on the surface is one thing but diving to get closer to this wreck is another. My heart was beating so fast as I dived in succession. I would only last for a few seconds underwater because of my elevated heart rate and my hyped-up body quickly consumed the air I got inside me but at least I was able to get closer. What an achievement for a submechanophobic freediver like me!Together with our guide and the rest of the joiners, I swam back to our boat still on cloud nine after being able to conquer one of my fears. My attempt to finally see a shipwreck in person was a success!Our lunch was served here at Vivian Beach. I had some photos taken while waiting for our boat crew to finish preparing our food.After eating, we sat and chilled out inside a cottage while everyone was taking photos, swimming and sunbathing. There was not much to see at this beach, to be honest. Considering its small size, there’s hardly enough space for your frames without people or boats in it. Besides, its sand quality is not on par with other beaches of Palawan. The water also didn’t look inviting due to the beige color of its sand. Since we’re in Palawan, it felt as if we’re always expecting every destination to be extra magnificent that’s why we were kinda disappointed with what we saw. If this beach is located near Manila, I’m pretty sure that tourists would flock to this place and worship it as though it’s a piece of heaven on Earth. But since this so-so beach is in Palawan, which is known as one of the world’s best islands boasting off world-class beaches and lagoons, Vivian Beach looks very typical like there’s nothing special to catch people’s attention.I was really looking forward to our last destination that day, Barracuda Lake. We were expecting to spend the rest of our time here. This lake is also known as Luluyuan Lake.Our guides told us that we would be spending about an hour here at Barracuda Lake. We wanted to protest. It’s only 2:00 PM and tours usually end between 4:00 PM to 4:30 PM. We didn’t want to argue because we were so excited to see what this lake looks like.We hastily got off the boat with our swimming gears. The walk to reach this lake was way shorter and easier compared to that of Kayangan.Just like Kayangan Lake, it is not allowed to swim here at Barracuda Lake without a life vest. But at least they don’t prohibit freediving as long as we use our life jackets as our buoy on the surface.I was speechless the moment I took a peek in the water with my diving mask. The rock formations below were way overwhelming than those found in Kayangan. Barracuda Lake is like Kayangan Lake on steroids. My submechanophobia was like whispering in my ear to abort any plans of mine to freedive. But I knew that this was another obstacle hindering me to conquer my fear. I can do this, I kept telling the scared part of me.It was a bit hard to position myself before I duck dive as most of the tourists stayed and snorkeled near these limestone walls since this is the only spot where one can see the rock formations, unlike in Kayangan Lake where people are scattered. After all, there’s nothing to see once you get to the middle of the swimming area of Barracuda Lake. Just the creepy dark blue expanse of the lake.This lake can also be explored by scuba divers. Being a thalassophobic, just the thought of diving its depths makes me nervous.Just when we decided to go to the other side of Luluyuan Lake, we heard our guides shouting at us that it was time to go. We were like, “What the hell?!” It was only 3:00 PM. The duration of tours lasts for eight hours. So I couldn’t understand why we had to go back to the town proper so early. I don’t want to mention the name of the travel agency since it might tarnish its reputation thus affecting the livelihood of the locals. Let this be a wake-up call for them to hear out the complaints of their customers. I’m pretty sure I am not the only one nagging about our mishaps since yesterday. And for those planning to visit, save up enough money so that you could avail of a private tour. You will have full control over your itinerary and your day won’t be ruined by lazy guides or sloth, self-entitled or demanding joiners. But since my friend and I were traveling on a budget, we had no choice but to cope with all the misfortune. After all, beggars can’t be choosers.We bid farewell to Barracuda Lake with a broken heart. And guess what, we were the only boat at the wharf when we arrived. It was only 3:30 PM. I wouldn’t wonder as most of Coron’s visitors were still enjoying their tours. We hopped on our assigned van which took us to our hotel. We again skipped climbing Mt. Tapyas. No matter how splendid the sunset would be, our lower bodies were still sore from all the swimming since yesterday.
📜✏ Tips/Reminders:
📌There are a lot of hotels/inns at the town proper. Make sure you book in advance since most of them are fully booked especially during peak season. The majority of accommodations have assigned vans that pick up guests from Busuanga Airport.
📌You can avail of accommodation and tour packages for island hopping offered by travel agencies online.
📌Your budget would depend on the number of days you will stay in Coron. It is recommended to allot 3 – 4 days.
📌If you plan on climbing Mt. Tapyas, you can walk from the town proper. Just ask the locals for directions going to San Agustin Street or you may hire a tricycle to get to the jump-off. You will be climbing Mt. Tapyas’ 700+ stairsteps. You may adjust your itinerary accordingly whether you want to catch the sunrise or sunset atop Mt. Tapyas.
📌If you want to go to Maquinit Hot Spring, just hire a tricycle that will take you to the resort.
📌The island hopping fee for public tours is already inclusive of lunch. You will need to rent your snorkeling gears, aqua shoes, kayaks and fins since most of the activities in island hopping tours include swimming.
📌Expect rain and rough sea condition during monsoon season (June-February).
📌Always observe the LNT principles.
I’d been torn whether we should choose Malcapuya Island Tour or Reefs and Wrecks Tour. Both destinations are the farthest from the town of Coron but my friend and I agreed on availing the shipwrecks tour based on the list of islands to visit. For Malcapuya tour, we would be visiting three beaches but for the latter, we would be seeing a beach, two shipwrecks and coral gardens as well. It’s an all-in-one trip. 📍East Tangat Wreck, Sangat IslandBefore the dreaded day of our trip to the shipwrecks, I’d been checking out some blogs online to browse photos of these wrecks. Surprisingly, the blogs featuring these are not that many but the pictures all seem creepy to me. I couldn’t trust myself if I could stare at them from the surface, let alone dive closer towards these man-made objects. 📍East Tangat Wreck, Sangat IslandThe judgment day finally came. The cloudy weather greeted us that morning. Dark clouds loomed over the mountains surrounding Coron. The weather disturbance was finally affecting this side of the country. 📍East Tangat Wreck, Sangat IslandUsually, fewer tourists avail of Reefs and Wrecks Tour. The bestselling ones include trips to Kayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake and Malcapuya Island. We made our way to our boat which was way smaller than the boats we used the days before. We were only ten joiners compared to the usual 15-20 guests of the bestselling island hopping trips. 📍East Tangat Wreck, Sangat IslandThis shipwreck, East Tangat Wreck of Sangat Island was our first destination that day. We sailed through calm waters for about an hour before we reached the wreck.A boat of scuba divers was already anchored when we arrived here at the site. It was still overcast but I didn’t mind. I didn’t badly need sunrays for my underwater shots.Just like my experience with Skeleton Wreck the day before, it felt like I conquered the first level of my fear when I dipped my face with my mask to see what this wreck looks like underneath. Boy was it scary. But at least I did it.Now here comes the second level. My first ever moment of diving closer to this ship, I immediately resurfaced right after seeing the dark portions of the wreck just a few feet away from my eyes. Then I screamed at the top of my lungs to my co-joiners that it was frightening. It felt as though the ship is breathing and alive and I was imagining that a monstrous current would drag me inside the ship.As I dived in succession, that feeling of uneasiness started to wane as I was getting used to it. I just kept on conditioning myself that I was not alone considering there were a lot of scuba divers below me circling around the wreck which you will notice in this picture.A few more boats of tourists arrived and invaded our space as if it was our signal to go back to our boat.I dived twice for the last time and almost hit some snorkelers with my fins. It was getting crowded by the minute. Besides, I would only be photobombed by treading feet of other tourists in my frames.We swam back to our boat but most of my companions were still enjoying their swim under this still-gloomy weather. So my friend and I decided to swim at this portion of Sangat Island while waiting for them.The corals in this reef were not that abundant compared to other coral gardens of Coron but it was still a fun spot to practice diving. Our guide then finally called out to us afterwards. It was time for lunch.We sailed for another hour under nimbus clouds before reaching this beach called Pass Island. It was chaos around us with all the raining over the mountains of Busuanga.By the time we were nearing Pass Island, we noticed from afar that there were no clouds covering the island. We were so excited to dock and the island in the horizon became bigger as we drew closer.I think one of us got a birthmark on his/her bum. Imagine, at that very moment when we stepped on the sand of this island, those clouds over there covered the entire beach and blocked the sunshine we needed for our pictorial. Talk about being unlucky!Another thing which frustrated me was the beach itself. I mean it’s okay and all that but there I was not stunned with what I saw. Even under overcast weather, if a place is beautiful, it will still look amazing. Just like Boracay, Calaguas or the islands of Balabac.I had high hopes for Pass Island. A friend of mine who visited it years ago told me that this beach is so beautiful that the long boat ride is so worth it. There were also blogs online and Youtube vlogs praising the beach. Here’s the thing. Pass Island is still a nice beach but it’s not what I was expecting from what I’ve read and seen on the internet. Blame filters, presets and color grading. Blame the writer’s flowery words. You know, it’s not really bad to tell the truth.After taking some photos under the not-so-enticing weather, our boat crew informed us that our lunch was already prepared. There were also other tourists enjoying their food in their own tents and cottages.We chilled out for a while before the sun finally peeked through the clouds. We explored the place although there’s not much to see though as the island’s shoreline is not that long.Our photos looked more appealing because of the sun. Again, this is not a beach smackdown. I just don’t like how online content creators have exaggerated their opinion of Pass Island.The inner portions of the beach have fine sand but the areas near the shore don’t. At least the place was clean and devoid of garbages.Pass Island is quite developed because it has cottages for those who wish to spend the night. There are also available toilets.This island is within the jurisdiction of Busuanga municipality but it’s usually visited by tourists coming from Coron who avail of Reefs and Wrecks Tour.Due to the weather disturbance, we thought at first that the cloudy weather wouldn’t clear up and here we were under the scorching heat of the noontime sun. Thanks to Mum Nature. We definitely needed sunshine.My companions chose to snorkel just a few meters away from the shore but I went back to our boat to take a breather with our guides.The hot weather, the relaxing sea breeze and my belly full from the food we ate made me feel lethargic. I also wanted to save my energy for our swimming activities ahead.We traveled for roughly 45 minutes before we reached our third destination, Lusong Coral Garden.This reef is known to be one of the best coral gardens in Coron. I couldn’t help but compare it with those of Dumaran which is still my number one but some of the coral species I saw here at Lusong Island looked the same as Dumaran’s.The strong current was the greatest challenge we had but it didn’t stop us from enjoying this underwater wonder.Unfortunately, I only got four shots from the sole footage I had from my GoPro. I must have unknowingly stopped the video and thought it was continuously recording. I was really heartbroken after finding out that I got nothing from all the tiring dives I did here. Besides, these frames that I got only covered the dull and not-so-impressive portions of the coral garden.Still on Lusong Island, we sailed to the other side to see this shipwreck, Lusong Gunboat. At least the current in this part of the island was calmer.This is for me the highlight of this tour. This has been so far the most overwhelming of all the shipwrecks I saw in Coron. Skeleton Wreck, which we saw the day before, is just a tamed version of Lusong Gunboat.One of my co-joiners got off the boat ahead of me then wore her snorkeling mask afterwards. She shrieked in fright right after taking a peek underneath. “Is it scary?” I asked. “Yes,” she replied. I slowly prepped my diving gears as if to prolong the agony before finally giving in.I hate to admit, the moment I first saw Lusong Gunboat Wreck from the surface with my mask, I found it terrifying yet oddly beautiful. It’s so amazing how the wreck has become a sanctuary of corals and sea creatures and is now teeming with marine life.The mini Titanic feels here was definitely one for the books since the huge part of the wreck is visible even for snorkelers. It is undoubtedly my most favorite among the wrecks I have seen in Coron.Our guide asked me if I wanted to get inside the ship. He dived and showed me where to enter then exit. It broke my heart to tell him that I can’t. It was already a great achievement for me to dive and see these wrecks up close but swimming inside one would be a different story. Because this is a Japanese warship and I have a sixth sense, I may chance upon a Japanese soldier swimming inside. 😱👻😂 Kidding aside, it’s possible that I would faint because my submechanophobia might cause a blackout.This Coron trip proved to be a test to conquer my phobia. Starting from Kayangan Lake, the baby-ish rock formations were still tolerable. Next on the list was Barracuda Lake. It’s like Kayangan Lake but with massive limestone walls. I prefer its grandeur over Kayangan. Then came Skeleton Wreck, East Tangat Wreck and Lusong Gunboat. It was my first time ever to witness shipwrecks in the flesh. I had reservations but I still pushed through with it. I went here to dive, I kept telling myself like a mantra.Honestly, it was hard to stay underwater that long for better angles of my photos here at Lusong Gunboat because I couldn’t relax and my heart was beating so fast. The air I got inside me was easily consumed due to the nervous state I was in.I would have wanted to see more shipwrecks but according to our guide, the rest of the wrecks were submerged in deep waters which are only accessible to scuba divers and advanced freedivers. Gods, I can’t help but admit that I was beginning to love seeing shipwrecks. Maybe next time, I’m already a submechanophilic. I wish!Another boat of tourists arrived so we decided to return to our boat. I was tired from all the swimming that day but at least I ended my Coron adventure very much fulfilled from all these unforgettable moments.It was definitely a developmental milestone for being able to do this. Swimming up close these shipwrecks in succession was like a desensitization to get used to my fear.I was extremely on a high and that surreal feeling lingered as we sailed back to the town proper. We still got one hour of travel time before reaching the wharf.Each of Palawan’s tourist destinations definitely has its own identity and character. If the cerulean paradise of Balabac boasts off breathtaking beaches and sandbars, Dumaran takes pride in its virgin coral gardens and El Nido has some of the best hidden beaches and lagoons, Coron on the other hand is a great place for diving shipwrecks and lakes with otherworldly karst formations.The next day was the day of our departure back to Manila. We bought some goods and souvenirs from the market before checking out then headed to the port right after lunch to wait for the vessel of 2GO. This brings me to another confession. I’ve been exploring Philippines since 2011 but this was my first time to take an overnight ferry ride. It was never part of my bucket list, maybe because I hailed from an island and I’ve been used to riding ferries since time immemorial. Once we’re inside the huge ship, we hastily ate our dinner before getting to the top deck to catch the sunset.We accidentally exited to the off-limits topmost deck of the ship. I had to use my charm so the crew would allow us to take photos from this spot. *winkWe transferred to the view deck where passengers are allowed and watched the dimming sky engulf this one-of-a-kind sunset as the ferry moved en route to Manila.
***For other destinations in Palawan and MIMAROPA, you may visit this link.
