Coron Bay & Busuanga – Palawan

On 24 September 1944 aircraft of US Task Force 38 attacked a Japanese supply fleet anchored in Coron Bay and around Busuanga in the Calamian Islands (Palawan) and sank a string of ships, among them the seaplane tender Akitsushima, the refrigeration ship Irako, the tanker Okikawa Maru and the freighters Kogyo Maru and Olympia Maru. Today the wrecks lie between about 3 and 43 m, mostly upright or on their side and covered in coral, with holds, engine rooms and masts to explore; shallow ones such as Lusong Gunboat and East Tangat suit beginners, while Irako and Akitsushima need Advanced/deep and wreck training. Coron Island also has Barracuda Lake, a fresh-over-salt lake with a strong thermocline reached over a rock saddle and a ladder. The wrecks are war graves: look, photograph, take nothing.

Facts

• Best season: Dec–Mar (visibility 20 m+); Apr–May and Oct–Nov are shoulder months; Jun–Sep wet season, visibility 7–15 m, typhoon risk
• Water temperature: About 27–30 °C year-round; Barracuda Lake has a strong thermocline (sources quote roughly 28 to 38–42 °C, check with your guide)
• Visibility: 7–30 m depending on site and season; Irako often has the best visibility but silts up quickly if you fin hard
• Currents: Okikawa Maru often has strong tidal current; most other wrecks have little current; Barracuda Lake has none
• Getting there: Fly to Francisco B. Reyes Airport, Busuanga (USU), about 1 h from Manila or Clark; shared van to Coron town 30–45 min. Ferries from El Nido (3.5–5 h) and Manila. Wrecks are reached by banca/dive boat from Coron town
• Permit & fees: Barracuda Lake has a separate entrance fee (about PHP 200–300, collected at the jetty; the Tagbanua opened it to tourism in 2001). Dive operators collect other local fees and marine-park fees; amounts vary by operator and change, so confirm when booking. Kayangan Lake is a swimming/snorkelling lake (scuba restricted) with its own fee
• Training level: Lusong, East Tangat, Okikawa deck and Morazan: Open Water; Kogyo, Olympia, Akitsushima, Nanshin, Kyokuzan: Advanced Open Water, Wreck Diver for penetration; Irako (to 43 m): Advanced/Deep Diver plus Wreck Diver for the engine room
• Hazards: Silt-outs and overhead environments inside wrecks, strong current on Okikawa Maru, stonefish on decks, remaining munitions. Barracuda Lake requires a climb over limestone and down a ladder
• Freshwater lake: Barracuda Lake is mixed fresh and salt water: the top few metres are fresh, below is salt water, with a sharp thermocline and a halocline; it is not an open-sea dive

Season

• Best months: Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar
• Acceptable: Apr, May, Oct, Nov
• Poor: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep
• Water temperature: 27–30 °C

Dry season Dec–Mar gives the best wreck visibility (20 m+); Jun–Sep is the wet southwest-monsoon season with 7–15 m visibility and typhoon risk. Sheltered Coron Bay wrecks can often be dived when the open sea is rough. Source: philippinedives.com guide; seasonal split is a general dive-guide summary, confirm locally.

Dive sites (11)

Coron Bay wrecks

• Akitsushima – 17–36 m, advanced
• Irako – 28–43 m, advanced
• Kogyo Maru – 20–34 m, advanced
• Morazan Maru – 14–25 m, beginner
• Okikawa Maru – 10–26 m, intermediate

Coron Island lakes

• Barracuda Lake – 0–35 m, beginner

Tangat & Lusong

• East Tangat Gunboat – 3–22 m, beginner
• Lusong Gunboat – 0–12 m, beginner
• Olympia Maru – 18–30 m, intermediate

Outer Busuanga wrecks

• Kyokuzan Maru – 22–40 m, advanced
• Nanshin Maru – 21–32 m, advanced

Operators (5)

• Pirates Diving Center – dive centre, Bancuang, Main Highway, Barangay 5, Coron
• Coron Divers Dive Center – dive centre, Coron, Palawan
• Reggae Dive Center – dive centre, Barangay 5, National Highway, Coron
• Neptune Dive Center – dive centre, Coron town, Palawan
• Andy Davis Technical Diving (Scuba Tech Philippines) – technical_diving_instructor, Subic Bay (runs technical wreck courses/trips)

Compiled from public dive-guide and operator sources (see each site). Wreck identities and some positions are disputed between sources, so treat coordinates as approximate and confirm with a local guide. Fees and permits change; confirm with your operator. The wrecks are war graves: take nothing.