Advanced Philippines
Coron
A Japanese fleet sunk in a single day in 1944, at recreational depth
On September 24, 1944, an American air raid caught a Japanese auxiliary fleet anchored between these islands off guard. More than a dozen vessels went down within hours, and most came to rest at depths a recreational diver can reach.
In this guide you'll find which wrecks Coron offers and what condition they're in, what wreck penetration actually involves, a lake with a thermocline so intense it feels like diving on another planet, when to go, and what training you need.
It's one of the best-known accessible wreck collections, and precisely because it's so accessible, it's a place where many people enter a wreck without the training that requires.
Geography and access
Coron is in the north of Palawan province, in a maze of karst rock islands with protected bays and sheltered waters.
That protection is why the fleet was anchored there, and also why diving is so comfortable today: the bays rarely have rough seas and the boat rides are short.
The wrecks are scattered across several bays at depths ranging from around ten meters at the shallowest points of some to forty meters in the deepest areas. Almost all are auxiliary vessels, transports and supply ships, not combat ships.
Besides the wrecks, the area has a remarkable geological quirk: karst lakes connected to the sea where fresh water floats over salt water, producing an intense thermocline you swim through and can actually see.
Access is by domestic flight from Manila or Cebu to the local airport, with a short transfer and daily boat departures.
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