Palawan Trip Report-Puerto Princesa, Tubbataha, El Nido, Coron
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OP
You're welcome
In hindsight I should have dived nitrox. I think max depth for 32% is around 110 feet if I remember right. I would have gotten more bottom time. Just a recommendation for when you go Sorry it's taking so long. I finished the last of the dive photos from Coron tonight. They're posted on facebook now.
I'll try to finish up the diving portion tomorrow. I plan to add some more photos from Tubbataha later. I skipped ahead so I could get the dive info out a little quicker.
Also still plan a section on local sightseeing around Coron and my return flight to Manila. Don't know if anyone is interested in any of my sightseeing around Manila. The get-together with the gang is already posted under another thread....
I might actually finish in less than a month this time
Lets keep our fingers crossed 
OP
I was again joined by Juan and Sonia the couple from Spain and (?) from the US. He was using all Dive Rite gear and was a tech diver who was not making his first trip to Coron. He would be my dive buddy for the day. I really need to start writing down names... something to remember on my next trip! Juan and Sonia I remember because I dived with them for 2 days and they're now friends on facebook
The first dive of the day on 30 April (my last dive day) was the Kogyo Maru. A freighter it's lying on it's starboard side in just over a 111 feet of water. In the hold were what looked like 100's (maybe 1000's) of bags of cement hardened in place when the ship was sunk. There was also a bulldozer. It was fairly open. In one hold we found many lobster. There were schools of snapper around the wreck. Lots of coral, and small fish. Even clams growing on the wreck.
Maximum depth on this dive was 101 feet. Visibility was around 30-35 feet. Water temp was 85F. The cumulative effect of so many dives over the previous days was adding up. I was coming up not because of air but because of the accumulated nitrogen in my system. This dive ended up being just 42 minutes. I still had a 1000 psi when I hit the surface.
After lunch our second dive was the Olympia Maru. She sits upright in a depth of just 100 feet. The holds were wide open and it was a very easy wreck to penetrate. After exiting I found a lionfish. On the top deck, Juan and Sonia with their guide had found a nice cuttlefish.
Again I had to cut my dive short because of deco. My maximum depth on this dive was 88 feet with a bottom time of 46 minutes. Water temp was again 85F. I exited this time with just over 900 psi.
If I were to go back to Coron, I would definitely dive Nitrox next time.
The last dive day of the day was Barracuda Lake. My American friend declined as he had already dived here before.
Juan and Sonia had dived it also, but opted to go and snorkel.
There were a crowd of boats around the entrance. We couldn't approach the dock so we put on our dive gear and swam in. No wetsuits for this dive. Just trunks and a t-shirt. After a bit of a climb (helped by wooden steps that had been built above the rocks, we made it to Barracuda Lake.
The water was quite clear... and quite warm It was like stepping into a warm bath. The thermocline was reverse what I'm used to. Instead of going from warmer water into cooler, it was the other way around... we went from warm water into hot water! We also passed from fresh water into salt water at around 15 feet.
We didn't see the barracuda, but we did see some interesting rock formations, catfish, crayfish, gobies, and a variety of shells. When ascending the water actually felt cool after passing through from the hotter layer beneath. Where it mixed it also was quite murky, like heat waves almost. Probably something to do not only with the difference in temperature, but also salt vs fresh water. It was a very interesting dive.
Maximum depth was 89 feet for 47 minutes. Water temperature on the surface was 87F. At depth it was at least 10 degrees warmer!
This was my last dive of the trip. In all I did 44 dives in a 13 day period beginning with my first dive in Puerto Princesa on April 17th and ending with Barracuda Lake in Coron on April 30th. I took only one day off, the 19th when the Borneo Explorer pulled back into Puerto Princesa and I was traveling to El Nido.
To be continued....
The first dive of the day on 30 April (my last dive day) was the Kogyo Maru. A freighter it's lying on it's starboard side in just over a 111 feet of water. In the hold were what looked like 100's (maybe 1000's) of bags of cement hardened in place when the ship was sunk. There was also a bulldozer. It was fairly open. In one hold we found many lobster. There were schools of snapper around the wreck. Lots of coral, and small fish. Even clams growing on the wreck.
Maximum depth on this dive was 101 feet. Visibility was around 30-35 feet. Water temp was 85F. The cumulative effect of so many dives over the previous days was adding up. I was coming up not because of air but because of the accumulated nitrogen in my system. This dive ended up being just 42 minutes. I still had a 1000 psi when I hit the surface.
After lunch our second dive was the Olympia Maru. She sits upright in a depth of just 100 feet. The holds were wide open and it was a very easy wreck to penetrate. After exiting I found a lionfish. On the top deck, Juan and Sonia with their guide had found a nice cuttlefish.
Again I had to cut my dive short because of deco. My maximum depth on this dive was 88 feet with a bottom time of 46 minutes. Water temp was again 85F. I exited this time with just over 900 psi.
If I were to go back to Coron, I would definitely dive Nitrox next time.
The last dive day of the day was Barracuda Lake. My American friend declined as he had already dived here before.
Juan and Sonia had dived it also, but opted to go and snorkel.
There were a crowd of boats around the entrance. We couldn't approach the dock so we put on our dive gear and swam in. No wetsuits for this dive. Just trunks and a t-shirt. After a bit of a climb (helped by wooden steps that had been built above the rocks, we made it to Barracuda Lake.
The water was quite clear... and quite warm
It was like stepping into a warm bath. The thermocline was reverse what I'm used to. Instead of going from warmer water into cooler, it was the other way around... we went from warm water into hot water! We also passed from fresh water into salt water at around 15 feet.We didn't see the barracuda, but we did see some interesting rock formations, catfish, crayfish, gobies, and a variety of shells. When ascending the water actually felt cool after passing through from the hotter layer beneath. Where it mixed it also was quite murky, like heat waves almost. Probably something to do not only with the difference in temperature, but also salt vs fresh water. It was a very interesting dive.
Maximum depth was 89 feet for 47 minutes. Water temperature on the surface was 87F. At depth it was at least 10 degrees warmer!
This was my last dive of the trip. In all I did 44 dives in a 13 day period beginning with my first dive in Puerto Princesa on April 17th and ending with Barracuda Lake in Coron on April 30th. I took only one day off, the 19th when the Borneo Explorer pulled back into Puerto Princesa and I was traveling to El Nido.
To be continued....
Last edited:
CODMAN
Contributor
You're welcome
Sorry it's taking so long.
Bill, stop saying you're sorry so much...
It's great stuff and we,re all just happy to have such great reading about your trip! I'm sure I'm not the only one who really appreciates all you do for your trip reports (and for us!
)!!!!Keep up the great work and we'll take it as it comes!
OP
Thanks
I had planned on being finished by now... to many distractions... although now that I think about it... this may be quicker progress than I normally make :grinbandit:
I had planned on being finished by now... to many distractions... although now that I think about it... this may be quicker progress than I normally make :grinbandit:
Travelnsj
Contributor
Bill....what can I say....Great trip report and pics!!!!!....Thanks!
rab1412000
Contributor
great trip report man. i must admit i wasnt able to read it all but what would you say is your best dive location in palawan?
im heading to coron on june 9 to 13 and im not expecting great viz as reported by you ang gilligan. the last time i was in coron viz was terrific oct 08
im heading to coron on june 9 to 13 and im not expecting great viz as reported by you ang gilligan. the last time i was in coron viz was terrific oct 08
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