Wreck diving in Coron

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
7
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
7
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
8
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
7
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
6
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
7
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
72 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
132nd/454
Top 30%
continent
Asia
country
Philippines
Length of time
1-2 days
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$110 (typically $70 - $140)
Time of year visited
November
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Boat trip Islands Scuba diving
All Tags
Beaches Sunsets
Wow Factor
The wow factor reflects just how much you’re likely to say “wow”. As there’s a lot of experiences in the world, and a lot of wows, i’ve gone with a simple ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️ score, and a separate category for the truly "gash"
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Summary

On 24th September 1944 over a period of only 15mins, 120 American Navy fighters and bombers attacked and sunk the Imperial Japanese Navy support fleet in the sheltered harbours near Coron. 10 ships ranging from 160m / 525ft oil tankers and sea plane tenders to smaller 25m / 80ft gunboats were sunk that day, and the result is some of the best wreck diving in the world that can be easily accessed on day trips from Coron Town.

 

When you combine with the idyllic paradise surroundings, and the nearby mega wow experience of Island hopping Coron to El Nido with Tao Philippines, this is an unmissable experience for any scuba diver and anyone who enjoys paradise islands.

 

Table of Contents

Highlights

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#1 Diving through the inner corridors of the 112m Morazan Maru

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#2 Moving through the stunning islands on the classic Philippino bangka boats

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#3 Emerging into some of the airpocket deep within the wrecks

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#4 Stopping off on some of the world-class beaches that are scattered all around the islands of Coron

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#5 Diving around 12m / 40ft below Barracuda Lake's surface to experience the wonderfully relaxing warm water

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#6 Seeing the reef life that has made its home on top of the wrecks and making them appear fully hidden from above

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#7 Finishing the day with a drink in the jacuzzi's of the Happy Lion's rooftop and enjoying the sunset

Diving Tips

There are 10 wreck dive sites in total. The ones that stood out were:

    • Morazan Maru (112m long cargo ship) for its accessible inner corridors, air pocket (don’t take your regulator off!) and reef on top
    • Irako (147m refrigerator ship) and Akitsushima (118m sea plane tender) for their sheer size
    • Barracuda Lake – ok it’s not a wreck, but it is a mixed water lagoon with 39°C / 102°F warm water at the bottom layer and with stunning sharp rock formations around it which makes for a very cool dive

 

  • Visibility is poor, so manage expectations – you’re not going to have the 50m+ visibility you get further south; and in particular around the March – June peak diving time.  That being said, the visibility didn’t really make that much difference when actually inside the wrecks.

 

  • Advanced level of diving – it’s the Philippines, so fairly loose on rules. No need for wreck certification and, if you twist their arm a bit, you’ll be able to dive the deep wrecks with only PADI Open Water.  But, I’d suggest Advanced level, or at least something like 20+ dives to enter the wrecks.  There’s nothing super technical about them, it’s just that you’re in a confined area and it something goes wrong you really want the experience to deal with it.

 

  • Dive Centre – I went with Reggae Dive Centre and they were great.

 

Further tips for Coron

 

Coron Town and general surrounding area isn’t particularly interesting (especially compared to El Nido which I’d say has more to see and far far more in terms of restaurants and bars). You’re really there for the islands and the diving .

 

Places to stay – for backpackers, the Hop Hostel was ace with great shared facilities.  For a bit more money, the Funny Lion only a short 5min / US$1 tricycle ride away was nice and had an amazing rooftop with jacuzzis overlooking the stunning harbour.

 

Island Hopping – for getting to El Nido, some people get the quick speed boat there or fly.  Absolutely don’t do this.  One of the highlights of the whole Philippines and a true mega wow ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ is a 3/6 day boat trip through the island chains and staying on remote beaches for the evenings.  At roughly US$400 / US$750 with everything included with the likes of Tao Philippines, it’s a no brainer. Do it and see tips here – Koh Tao Diving and Island Life – for how to do it.

 

How does Coron diving stack up with the best scuba dives in the world

Coron is a true bucket list experience for scuba divers.  I wouldn’t say the general diving quality is up there with best places in the world, but its title of “world’s best wreck dives” puts it in the must-experience category.

 

Tier: World’s Best

RAJA AMPAT 🇮🇩 – THE COMPLETE PACKAGE
Pristine reefs, huge fish life, manta rays, sharks, world-class macro and an incredible variety of dive sites, all set among some of the most beautiful tropical islands on earth. Raja Ampat is about as close as diving gets to the complete package. Raja Ampat by liveaboard / Raja Ampat at Misool Eco-resort/ Raja Ampat by guesthouse

THE GALAPAGOS 🇪🇨 – BIGGEST WOW DIVING ON EARTH
So many hammerhead sharks you genuinely get bored of them, plus whale sharks, sea lions and marine iguanas, all in one of the world’s most extraordinary wildlife environments. The trip out to Wolf and Darwin makes this the single biggest wow diving experience on the planet. Scuba diving at Wolf and Darwin Islands in the Galapagos

Tier: Elite

TUBBATAHA REEF 🇵🇭 – REMOTE DIVING WILDERNESS
UNESCO-listed reef system in the middle of the Sulu Sea, only accessible by liveaboard.  Huge healthy reefs, big marine life and almost no other divers – everything feels wild, remote and untouched.  The pride of the Philippines. Tubbataha Reef liveaboard

KOMODO ISLANDS 🇮🇩 – BIG FISH & WILD DRIFT DIVING
Strong currents, huge schools of fish, manta rays, sharks and some of the most exciting drift diving in the world.  Plus the Komodo Islands themselves are one of the most beautiful locations to dive.  Not always easy diving, but when Komodo is good, it’s elite. Sailing the Komodo Islands in November

THE RED SEA 🇪🇬 – BEST EASY WORLD-CLASS DIVING
Incredible coral reefs, warm clear water, huge walls, wrecks and reliable conditions, all with relatively easy access. The Red Sea is probably the easiest place in the world to do truly world-class diving. Scuba diving in the Red Sea from Hurghada

SIPADAN 🇲🇾 – TURTLES, BARRACUDA & SHEER WALLS
A tiny island with spectacular wall diving, huge schools of barracuda, lots of turtles and very healthy reefs. Small, focused and very special — Sipadan is one of Southeast Asia’s standout dive sites.

Tier: Specialist Dives

MALAPASCUA 🇵🇭 – THRESHER SHARKS
One of the only reliable places in the world to dive with thresher sharks, seen regularly at Monad Shoal. Not a huge variety of diving, but for thresher sharks this is the place. Diving with Thresher Sharks at Malapascua Island

TULUM 🇲🇽 – CENOTES
Freshwater cave diving through crystal clear water, stalactites and beams of light – completely different from ocean diving and one of the most unique dive experiences in the world. Scuba diving the Cenotes of Tulum

BEQA ISLAND 🇫🇯 – TIGER SHARKS
The most intense shark experience in the world and one of the only places you regularly dive outside of a cage with tiger and bull sharks.  Not for the faint-hearted. Diving with bull and tiger sharks by Beqa Island

CAPE TOWN 🇿🇦 – KELP FORESTS
Cold water diving through giant underwater kelp forests with seals, dramatic light and a very different feel to tropical diving — more like an underwater jungle. Kelp diving near Cape Town

CORON 🇵🇭 – WWII WRECK DIVING
A collection of Japanese WWII wrecks sitting in clear water, making this the best wreck diving destination in the world.

Experiences nearby

The below map shows experiences nearby with a colour that reflect the Overall Score of those experiences

Similar world-class Diving

Island hopping the Galapagos Islands
⭐⭐⭐

Diving with bull and tiger sharks by Beqa Island
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Diving and staying in guest houses in Central Raja Ampat
⭐⭐⭐

Diving Balicasag Island near Pangalao
⭐⭐

Scuba diving the Cenotes of Tulum
⭐⭐⭐⭐

Scuba diving in Cozumel
⭐⭐⭐

Kelp diving near Cape Town
⭐⭐⭐

Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences — from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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