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.