Coron/Moalboal

[Centrals]

Reefs, wall and wreck.

Diving the Doña Marilyn Wreck | Evolution Diving Resort, Malapascua

The Dona Marilyn wreck is perfect for AOW qualified divers or students, as well as those doing the Wreck Diver Specialty, or even TDI Advanced Wreck.

evolution.com.ph

There are others but off the range for recreational diving. "Evolution" is highly recommended.

The island is very small but very popular with divers therefore plenty of resort/restaurants to choose from. The beach is nice but there is not much else to do for the non diver.

 

[diveUAE]

What type of dives should I expect at Malapascua?

The stars of Malapascua are the threshers. Fantastic diving.

Apart from that we dived Gato island - first dive was through a cave, where we saw white tip reef sharks. Once outside we saw seahorses, nudies and so much more. Second dive had some corals and more nudies.

Other dive sites around Malapascua has lots of small critters- without being actually muck diving. Ghost pipe fish, frog fish, small shrimps and crabs. Mandarin fishes and we saw our very first blue ring octopus.
We also did a dive trip to Kalagaman Island - lovely corals and more nudies, frog fish etc.

Besides Sipadan and Raja Ampat, Malapascua is one of my favorite places we ever dove - for us it’s up there with Alor and Komodo.
Sadly the dive op we used did not survive wuhan, so can’t really recommend anywhere, and I know some people on here and people I know personally do not regard Malapascua as that great (my brother in law told us not to bother about it, since it’s just a circus - we had a least 20 min alone with the threshers and the came so so close, it was magical)

 

[Centrals]

Sadly the dive op we used did not survive wuhan, so can’t really recommend anywhere, and I know some people on here and people I know personally do not regard Malapascua as that great (my brother in law told us not to bother about it, since it’s just a circus - we had a least 20 min alone with the threshers and the came so so close, it was magical)

The wuhan virus was not only deadly to human lives, even places in PG did not survive the onslaught ie. banning on travelling.

@bashaw77
Choose the operator carefully because some of them are catering mainly to one certain nationality. The language used on the web site is dead give away.
Avoid Christmas, Easter and Lunar New Year.

Malapascua is more than just thresher shark.

 

[profmason]

"Kyokuzan Maru" Thanks Centrals! I missed this one on my trip and now have a reason to go back. The logisitics for that one were more difficult. (Get a ride across the island to Dugong dive center and then out on their boat) The other

I am looking forward to Subic and now the Kyokuzan Maro this summer.

 

[divetheplanet]

For Coron, There are six "big" wrecks and two smaller patrol boats around Coron Bay. The north side of Busuanga Island is the Kyokuzan, Hayubasa plane, and dugong diving.

If you just want to check the box off for each wreck site... You could do it in a rushed four days, with three dives a day. A three dive day with lunch included costs less than USD100.

The smallest of the "big" wrecks (Manco aka Morazan aka Ekkai Maru) is still 300 feet long. It is easy to make multiple dives on each one and still see new places and things.

I think seven days of diving in Coron and you won't repeat much.

There are daily??? flights from Coron to Cebu. So easy to get to there.

 

[bashaw77]

The wuhan virus was not only deadly to human lives, even places in PG did not survive the onslaught ie. banning on travelling.

@bashaw77
Choose the operator carefully because some of them are catering mainly to one certain nationality. The language used on the web site is dead give away.
Avoid Christmas, Easter and Lunar New Year.

Malapascua is more than just thresher shark.

Would I need to avoid the 15 days of Lunar New Year or just January 29?

 

[Centrals]

Would I need to avoid the 15 days of Lunar New Year or just January 29?

Personally, I would avoid to travel to places that is favoured by the mainland chinese over that period.
I have a trip to Southern Leyte on 12 Feb 2025 even though the place is not that popular for them!!!

 

[bashaw77]

I realized today there are two Pirate Dive Centers on at Busuanga and Coron but not affiliated, can someone fill me in?

 

[divetheplanet]

Both are completely separate entities. They both opened on the island around the same time.

Pirates in Busuanga has Coron in its website URL, but is actually located in Conception Bay, a 35+km drive from Coron Town.

Pirates in Coron Town migrated here from Boracay.

 

[Centrals]

The one in Conception Bay is nearer to most of the wrecks.

Pacific Wrecks

Photographs related to World War II Pacific and the Korean War.

pacificwrecks.com

The best one, Kyokuzan Maru, is in the north.