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Scuba Diving Coron Wrecks


Wreck Diving Coron northern Palawan
Photo courtesy Sea Dive Resort

Scuba Diving Coron wrecks: northern Palawan is known for dramatic limestone cliffs and thermal lakes, but it might be said that it took an act of war to turn scenic Coron on Busuanga Island, into one of the best scuba diving destinations in the World.

Early in the morning of 24th September, 1944, a wave of Hell Diver bombers burst out of a cloud bank, high above Coron Bay and commenced their rapid descent towards an unsuspecting quarry. The American fast carrier force, in the Leyte Gulf of the Philippine Sea, launched a daring long-distance aerial raid on a Japanese supply convoy hiding in Coron Bay. The Americans used Hell Diver bombers to sink not less than ten Japanese ships. The former Japanese loss is now today’s scuba diving gain; the Coron scuba diving community offers a difficult-to-equal wreck diving experience. Read an account of the attack on Coron Bay.

Coron boasts seven wrecks greater than 100 metres in length, within recreational dive limits. Whether you are venturing into the interior of a wreck or marvelling at the beauty of the sea life and coral growth on the exterior, the Coron wreck diving experience is not to be missed!

For those that don’t yet know how to scuba dive or are just gaining experience, Coron is a great place to master your skills with a PADI authorized dive centre, like one of Coron’s top rated dive shops: Seadive. Learning to dive around wrecks might sound strange or dangerous but, wreck diving causes one’s skills to improve much faster than reef diving, because greater care is required. It is said that one dive on a wreck is like ten dives on a reef.

When you take a break from diving, Coron offers island hopping, hot springs, motorbiking, trekking and beautiful vistas. And if you are staying in Coron Town, don’t forget to check out Coron Island to the southeast, and maybe seek out the freshwater barracuda.

Getting to Coron has never been easier. Cebu Pacific Air, PAL Express, SEAir and Zest Air offer daily flights from Manila to the nearby Busuanga airport (IATA code USU) from Manila, and Zest Airways and South East Asian Airlines offer occasional alternatives to Busuanga from Manila. Upon arrival at Coron, Busuanga airport, travelers are transported to Coron town and the best scuba diving resorts via comfortable air-conditioned vans. The trip from Busuanga airport to Coron town takes around 30 minutes.

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