Palawan: A Diver's Paradise in the Philippines

Destination: Palawan, Philippines
Category: Adventure & Wildlife
Guide Type: Adventure Guide
By: Marcus Chen

The Author

Marcus Chen is a National Geographic Young Explorer and expedition leader with a background in environmental science. He has led diving expeditions across the Coral Triangle and specializes in destinations where adventure and marine biodiversity intersect.

Introduction

Palawan rises from the South China Sea like a limestone fortress. It is the Philippines' last frontier — a province of 1,700 islands where the Sulu Sea meets the West Philippine Sea, and where karst cliffs plunge straight into water so clear you can count fish from a boat deck.

The Calamian Islands, at Palawan's northern tip, contain one of the world's great concentrations of WWII shipwrecks. Seven Japanese vessels rest within a 30-minute boat ride of Coron town, their rusted hulls now artificial reefs patrolled by trevally and schooling barracuda. This is wreck diving's accessible masterpiece — depths shallow enough for recreational divers, marine life dense enough to rival anywhere on Earth.

But Palawan is more than wrecks. Between dive days, you can kayak through lagoons that trap warm water like bath tubs, hike to hidden lakes where limestone walls rise 50 meters straight up, and swim with sea cows that graze on seagrass meadows. The infrastructure is developing fast, but the place still feels like the edge of something — which is exactly why you're here.

Coron Town: Gateway to the Wrecks

Coron is not beautiful. It is a working Filipino town of 50,000, functional and dusty, where tricycles rattle down unpaved streets and power cuts still happen weekly. The beauty starts when you leave.

The town exists solely as a jumping-off point for the Calamian Islands. Every morning at 8:30, the bay fills with outrigger boats — bangkas — ferrying divers to wreck sites, kayakers to lagoons, and day-trippers to beaches that look like screensavers. By 9:00 AM, Coron is empty again, its population dispersed across the surrounding islands until late afternoon.

Getting there: Fly from Manila to Busuanga Airport (USU), a 45-minute hop on PAL Express or Cebu Pacific. The airport is 30 minutes from town by van (P250/person, shared). No ferries run regularly from Manila anymore — the 2Go Travel route was suspended in 2023 and hasn't resumed.

Where to stay: The accommodation split is simple. Stay in Coron town for access to dive shops, restaurants, and the port. Stay on an island resort — like Two Seasons Coron or Club Paradise — if you want isolation and are willing to pay for private boat transfers (P3,000-5,000 each way).

In town, Corto del Mar (from P3,200/night) is the best-run option — pool, decent WiFi, walking distance to the port. For budget, Hop Hostel (from P850/bunk) has a rooftop bar with the best sunset view in town. Skip anything on the main road near the market — the dust and tricycle exhaust will ruin your mornings.

The Wrecks: Diving History

The wrecks of Coron Bay are the result of a single American air raid on September 24, 1944. Task Force 38 launched 96 aircraft from the carriers USS Lexington and USS Essex, catching a Japanese supply convoy at anchor. The attack sank 24 vessels. Seven of those wrecks are now accessible to recreational divers.

What makes Coron special is the depth. These ships rest between 5 and 40 meters — shallow enough for advanced open water divers, deep enough to feel serious. The water is consistently 28-30°C year-round. Visibility ranges from 10 to 30 meters depending on tides.

The Irako ( wreck )
The prize. A 147-meter Japanese refrigeration ship lying on its starboard side at 45 meters. This is technical territory — the main deck is at 35 meters, the sand at 45. The interior is a maze of engine rooms and cargo holds, penetrable only with proper wreck training. Visibility inside is often better than outside. Schools of tuna patrol the upper decks. If you do one technical dive in the Philippines, make it this one. Cost: P4,500/dive with equipment rental.

The Akitsushima
A 118-meter seaplane tender with a massive crane structure intact. The crane lies at 24 meters, the hull at 38. Non-penetration divers can spend 40 minutes circumnavigating the exterior, watching giant groupers establish territory in the crane mechanism. Penetration leads into the engine room — dark, silty, not for the claustrophobic. Cost: P3,800/dive.

The Okikawa Maru
A 168-meter tanker, the largest wreck in Coron Bay. It sits upright in 26 meters of water, its masts breaking the surface at low tide. The upper decks are covered in hard coral formations and visited by hawksbill turtles. The interior is dangerous — divers have died getting lost in the cargo holds. Only enter with a guide who knows the exit points. Cost: P3,500/dive.

The Lusong Gunboat
The shallow wreck. A 35-meter coastal defense vessel resting at just 11 meters, with the deck at 5 meters. You can spend an hour here on a single tank, photographing the coral-encrusted deck gun and watching batfish school in the wheelhouse. This is the training wreck — most shops bring students here for their first wreck penetration experience. Cost: P2,800/dive.

Barracuda Lake
Not a wreck, but the most surreal dive in Coron. A narrow slit in the limestone leads to a thermocline at 14 meters where the temperature jumps from 28°C to 38°C. Below 35 meters, the water reaches 40°C — hot tub temperature. The lake is hydogen sulfide at depth, creating a milky white layer that looks like fog. The walls are naked limestone, sculpted smooth by freshwater flows. You cannot dive this anywhere else in the world. Cost: P2,500 (minimum 2 divers).

Dive shops:

Coron Divers: The oldest shop in town (operating since 1989), German-run, technical diving specialists. They have the only recompression chamber in Palawan.
Dive Calamian: Local ownership, good equipment, specializes in small groups.
Neptune Dive Center: PADI 5-star, English-speaking instructors, runs Discover Scuba programs for non-divers.

When to dive: March-May has the best visibility (25-30 meters). December-February has cooler water (26°C) but fewer tourists. June-November is rainy season — visibility drops to 10 meters, but the wrecks are empty and prices drop 30%.

Island Hopping: The Surface World

Every visitor to Coron does the island hopping tours. Most book Tour A or C, see the same lagoons as everyone else, and come away with identical photos. Here's how to do it differently.

Kayangan Lake
The famous one. A freshwater lake inside a limestone crater, reached by a 367-step climb over the ridge. The view from the top — looking down at the narrow entrance channel — is Coron postcard #1. The catch: arrive at 6:30 AM (private boat hire, P6,000) or share the platform with 200 other people by 10:00 AM. The water in the lake is 5 meters deep and warm — bring fins or you'll tread water for an hour.

Twin Lagoon
Two saltwater lagoons connected by a tunnel you swim through at low tide. At high tide, you have to climb a wooden ladder over the limestone wall. The inner lagoon is deeper and colder, with walls that go straight down 30 meters. The outer lagoon has mangroves and small coral bommies. Best at 7:00 AM before the tour boats arrive.

Siete Pecados
Seven small islets in a shallow channel with coral gardens that survived the 1998 bleaching event. The snorkeling here is excellent — clownfish, parrotfish, the occasional blacktip reef shark cruising the channel. The site is 15 minutes from Coron town by boat, making it a good afternoon option if you're back from diving early.

Banana Island
Farther out — 2.5 hours by boat — but worth it for the sandbar that connects two small islands at low tide. The beach is coconut palms and white sand. The snorkeling is mediocre, but the isolation is the point. Book as a private tour (P8,000/boat) and combine with Malcapuya Island for a full day.

Ditaytayan Island
A sandbar that extends 1.5 kilometers at low tide, connecting three small islands. The sandbar itself is the attraction — you can walk it for an hour, ankle-deep in warm water, with no one else in sight. The boat captains know the tide tables. Go two hours before low tide for maximum exposure.

Tour logistics: Group tours (P1,500-2,000/person) follow fixed routes: Tour A (kayangan, Twin Lagoon, Siete Pecados), Tour B (Barracuda Lake, Skeleton Wreck, Twin Peaks), Tour C (Hidden Lagoon, Star Beach, CYC Beach). The boats are shared bangkas with 15-20 people.

Private tours (P5,000-8,000/boat) let you design the route and leave earlier. Worth it if you're a group of 4+ or want to avoid the crowds at Kayangan.

El Nido: Limestone and Lagoon

Four hours south of Coron by fast ferry (Montenegro Lines, P2,200, 4 hours) or 30 minutes by Cessna (AirSwift, P7,500), El Nido is Palawan's more developed southern cousin. The town is larger, the roads are paved, and the restaurants serve avocado toast and flat whites.

El Nido has the same karst geography as Coron — limestone cliffs rising from turquoise water — but the scale is different. The cliffs are higher, the lagoons larger, and the crowds thicker. The main town beach is functional but not beautiful. The real attractions are the islands in Bacuit Bay.

The Tours: Tours A, B, C, and D each visit 4-5 islands and lagoons. Tour A is the classic — Big Lagoon, Small Lagoon, Shimizu Island, Seven Commandos Beach. Tour C is the adventure option — Secret Beach (the inspiration for Alex Garland's The Beach), Hidden Beach, Helicopter Island.

Big Lagoon
The highlight. A 45-meter wide entrance between two limestone walls opens into a 300-meter long lagoon. You can enter by kayak (rent at the entrance, P300) or swim. The water is 3 meters deep and the color shifts from turquoise to jade to deep blue depending on the sun. Go at 7:30 AM when the first boats arrive, or at 4:00 PM when most groups have left.

Small Lagoon
A narrow entrance you swim through, then a chamber of water surrounded by walls on all sides. The acoustics are strange — sound echoes off the limestone. The lagoon is shallow — 2-4 meters — and the water warms in the afternoon sun like a bath.

Nacpan Beach
45 minutes north of El Nido by tricycle (P1,500 round trip). A 4-kilometer stretch of beach with coconut palms and a small fishing village. The water is rough — swimming is dangerous from June-October — but the sand is the finest in mainland Palawan. There are a few beach bars that serve cold beer and grilled fish. Stay for sunset — the sun sets directly over the water here.

Where to stay in El Nido: The town is divided into Beach Zone 1-4. Zone 1 is the port and main street — noisy, dusty, convenient. Zone 2 and 3 have the better hotels and restaurants. Zone 4 is quieter but a 15-minute walk from town.

Spin Designer Hostel (from P1,200/bunk): The best hostel in El Nido, with a rooftop bar and organized activities.
Cadlao Resort (from P5,500/night): On a private beach 10 minutes from town, free shuttle service, excellent restaurant.
El Nido Resorts Pangulasian (from P45,000/night): One of the best luxury properties in the Philippines, on its own island, all-inclusive.

The Subterranean River: Underground Palawan

Two hours south of El Nido by van (P600) sits Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park — an 8.2-kilometer underground river that flows directly into the sea. UNESCO listed it in 1999. It was one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature in 2011. It is spectacular and crowded.

The visit is structured: you arrive at the village of Sabang, register at the park office, wait for your assigned boat time (usually 1-2 hours), then take a 20-minute bangka ride to the cave entrance. Inside, an audio guide narrates the formations as your paddle boat moves through the first 1.5 kilometers. Stalactites hang from a ceiling 60 meters high in places. Bats — thousands of them — rustle overhead.

The river itself is brackish — a mix of fresh water from the mountains and salt water pushed in by tides. The water is coffee-colored from tannin, not pollution. You can't swim here — the current is strong and the bats deposit guano that would make it unpleasant anyway.

Practicalities: Permits are limited to 1,200 visitors per day. Book in advance through the Puerto Princesa office or arrange through your El Nido hotel. The tour costs P2,500 including transport from El Nido, boat, permit, and guide. You can do it as a day trip, but it's a 10-hour round trip. Better to overnight in Sabang and visit early morning.

Practical Information

Best time to visit: Dry season is November-May. Peak season is December-January (Christmas, New Year) and March-April (Easter). Book accommodation two months ahead for those periods. June-October is rainy season — afternoon thunderstorms, rough seas, and occasional typhoons that shut down ferries and flights.

Getting around:

Coron to El Nido: Fast ferry (4 hours, P2,200) or flight (30 minutes, P7,500). The ferry can be rough — bring motion sickness medication.
El Nido to Puerto Princesa: Van (6 hours, P600) or flight (1 hour, P4,000). The road is paved but winding — the van ride is uncomfortable.
Local transport: Tricycles are the default — P20/person for short trips in town, P200-500 for longer distances. No Grab or Uber.

Money: Coron has ATMs but they run out of cash regularly, especially on weekends. Bring pesos from Manila. El Nido has better banking infrastructure. Credit cards are accepted at larger hotels and restaurants, but cash dominates.

Health: Dengue fever is present — bring DEET repellent and cover up at dawn and dusk. The nearest hyperbaric chamber for diving emergencies is at Coron Divers in Coron town. For serious medical issues, you need to fly to Manila.

Responsible travel: The coral reefs here are recovering from past dynamite fishing and bleaching events. Don't touch the coral, don't stand on it for photos, and don't buy shell jewelry from beach vendors. The sea cows (dugongs) in the Calamian Islands are critically endangered — if you see one, observe from at least 5 meters and never chase or touch it.

Why Palawan Matters

There are prettier beaches in Thailand, better diving in Indonesia, and more developed tourism infrastructure in Malaysia. But Palawan remains special because it still feels like the edge — the place where the map ends and the real exploration begins.

The wrecks of Coron Bay are deteriorating. Metal rusts, structures collapse. In 20 years, the Irako will be unrecognizable. The lagoons of El Nido are filling with boats — the carrying capacity is being tested. The window to see this place as it is — raw, slightly broken, magnificent — is narrowing.

Come for the diving. Stay for the limestone cliffs rising from water so blue it looks artificial. Leave before it changes too much.