Coron Bay is a very popular wreck dive site in the Philippines, with recognition through the world owing to its historic sunken WWII warships. Coron Bay lies just off of Coron Island in the north of the Palawan chain of islands.
Around two dozen Japanese warships were sunk by the US navy in 1944 and eight of these lie together in Coron Bay. These vessels sit in shallow water, which is crystal clear and easy to reach from the island.
The wrecks have attracted both hard and soft corals, along with an abundance of exotic fish that can be seen on a relatively cheap dive package. Some of the wrecks are up to 160m in length and include the Irako wreck and the Okikawa Maru wreck.
Coron Bay is situated between Busuanga and Culion Islands in the most westerly part of the Philippines and there is a huge amount of accommodation available in Coron Town (Busuanga Island), on Sangat Island, as well as on live-aboards.
Getting There & Away
Coron Airport, north of Coron Town, receives daily flights from Manila with a variety of local airlines. Coron Airport is a one-hour flight from Manila and a short transfer time via jeepney to Coron Town and then Coron Bay. SuperFerry operates high-speed ferries to Puerto Princesa from Manila with a stop-off at Coron Bay (13 hours).
Things to Do
Coron Bay Attractions
- Wreck dives
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Coron bay is one of the world’s best wreck dive sites and features several sunken wwii japanese vessels plus a variety of hard and soft corals.
Side trips from Coron Bay
- Coron Town
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Lying across coron bay on the south of busuanga island, coron town is the main settlement in the region with loads of resorts and restaurants.