hey rab, got a trip report coming up? Would love to hear about it. (I'll be heading to coron for a second time in a couple weeks and coron divers is an option for me....
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yo chip
yup did coron last week so im kinda in a backlog. ill give you some details of my trip though.
i was there to get my aow certification after 15 years of diving ow
so i really didnt do the usual round of wrecks. i did east tangat and lusong gun boat which are shallow small wrecks and irako and kogyo which go to 100 to 140 fsw. visibility was not as good as when i first went, especially in the shallower wrecks. this could be due to silt and erosion from the constant rain we had that week. so we got viz of around 10ft ave.
going deeper though viz actually improved, also when penetrating the deep wrecks (at least the wrecks i went to) the silt was not floating around.
i also did a night dive in siete pecados which turned out to be the best dive of my trip. no silt , very calm waters and lotsa macro. i am told though that sometimes there are strong currents there. we went to 60fsw and stayed for 55min. highly recommended. you should be forewarned though that going back to shore from the night dive is a complete hassle. since the boat cannot dock near the pier, you will have to wade through the much for around 200 mts and anyone whose been to coron will know thats kinda disgusting. my slippers were getting stuck in the mud and grime all the time and didnt have time to switch to booties.
well for me it was worth it. would i do it again? maybe if it was a 50mts instead of a 200mts trudge i would
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arni and bong of coron divers will give you the best rates around for sure. just ask them to give you a little discount if you dive multiple days with them. but their printed rates are already the cheapest around afaik.
but just like anywhere, its best that you bring and use your own gear. all of their dives come with a lunch of freshly prepared fish, veggies, and meat. you feast with your friends on the boat during your s.i.
you may also be interested in going to apo reef with coron divers. after seeing a picture of a diver feeding a sailfish i was hell bent on doing apo but alas work and other duties called me back to manila. im sure if you talk to arni he can arrange it so that you do apo reef and the wrecks during the transition to and from.
i stayed in a lodge next to coron divers operated by a daper young fellow named sheldon ( hes a pinoy). good rates (500 to 900 pesos a night with a/c bathroom) and the convenience of the location made it quite ideal for me. for a more rustic look and slightly better and quieter rooms you can opt for coron village lodge which is a short walk (~300mts) away from coron divers.
i love coron for the people and place and the dives. the friends i met there like sheldon are a fun and easy going bunch, and i feel i get my money's worth with the rooms and the dives. i love the sense of adventure the wrecks give me and if coral is your thing go to siete pecados and this farther island i forgot the name of that starts with a "c". if pelagics and prisitne reefs are your thing then book a trip to apo reef. also there could be some places where you could spot a dugong. ask arni.
i am going back there to do apo reef sometime soon. if you ever get to do it send me a pm and tell me how it goes ok.
good luck
