Coron Island
Coron Island | |
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Island | |
Coron Island Cove | |
Map of the Philippines showing the location of the Calamian Islands. | |
Coordinates: 11°55′43″N 120°14′28″E / 11.92861°N 120.24111°ECoordinates: 11°55′43″N 120°14′28″E / 11.92861°N 120.24111°E | |
Country | Philippines |
Time zone | PST (UTC+8) |
Coron Island is the third-largest island in the Calamian Islands in northern Palawan in the Philippines. The island is part of the larger municipality of the same name. It is about 170 nautical miles (310 km) southwest of Manila and is known for several Japanese shipwrecks of World War II vintage. The island is part of the ancestral domain of the indigenous Tagbanwa people. Known as Calis among the Tagbanwas and Coronians, its tribal chieftain is Rodolfo Aguilar I.
The area around the wrecks has rock formations which provide for snorkeling opportunities, with underwater visibility extending up to 80 feet (24 m). The water is often calm. Coron is one of the most visited destinations for wreck diving in the Philippines. Wreck dive sites are found in depths as shallow as 10–30 feet (3.0–9.1 m) and as deep as 120–140 feet (37–43 m). Most are in the range of about 60–80 feet (18–24 m).
Dive sites around Coron include many different reef dive sites and "Günter´s Cave", also known as Cathedral Cave because during a certain time of the day, the sun throws a beam of light through a hole in the cave ceiling, illuminating the inside. It is possible to surface in the cave, as the hole in the cave-ceiling allows fresh air to enter. The cave is named after Günther Bernert, who was part of the first dive group to explore the cave, after hearing from local fishermen about its existence.
Wreck diving sites in Coron Bay include the Irako wreck, Okikawa Maru wreck, Akitsushima wreck, Kogyo Maru wreck, Olympia Maru wreck, Kyokuzan Maru wreck, East Tangat gunboat wreck (the real name of the ship, Terukaze Maru, was recently discovered by a group of Dutch divers, who spent a couple of days digging into bottom sand around the stern), Nanshin Maru wreck, Lusong Gunboat Wreck, and Skeleton Wreck.
The aquatic views from the sunken Japanese ships off Coron Island are listed in Forbes Traveler Magazine’s top-10 best scuba diving sites in the world.[1][2]
Gallery
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Coron Island is surrounded by islands with large rock formations
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Large granite rock formations make up most of the islands around Coron
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A beach near Coron Island
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Coron Island rock formations
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A stone islet in Coron Island
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View of Coron Island
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Kayangan Lake
- ^ http://www.ironwulf.net/2008/07/11/coron-scenic-kayangan-lake/
- ^ http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g729733-d1639430-Reviews-Kayangan_Lake-Coron_Palawan_Mimaropa.html
References
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Coron island. |
- Coron Island
- Coron Voyage
- Lakwatsero Travel Blog | Kayangan Lake, Coron
- Travel Guide: Coron
- Coron Bay Wreck Dive Sites
- Coron Island
- Coron, Palawan: Philippines' Untouched Beauty
- Coron Wreck Diving Possibilities and Historical Information
- Jett'L Travel & Tours/ Coron, Palawan: Island Hopping