Justin travels to the Philippines regularly for work, mostly Manila but other places too, but Bron was yet to go. Christmas break was the perfect time for a diving and snorkeling trip to some of the islands and tick off a new country in the process.
There are many wonderful destinations in the Philippines, we chose the province of Palawan. Located in the west of the Philippines, Palawan is a naturally beautiful area made up of several islands with limestone outcrops, aquamarine waters, lakes and lagoons, and pristine beaches. It was a busy trip with almost everyday out on a boat, but that’s where all the action is, out on the water. Or rather, under the water.
We flew into Coron in the northern part of Palawan on Christmas Eve. The flight schedule is sadly not the best, most of the night was spent waiting at Manila Terminal 2 for a connecting flight with not even a drink of water available lol. Christmas Day was a quiet affair, seeing the lay of the land and a much needed afternoon nap. On Boxing Day we started 5 days of diving and activities in the area.
Coron is well known for wreck diving. During WWII, Coron was a strategic area for both the Japanese and Americans. In September 1944, Japanese supply ships were taking shelter in Coron Bay when they were discovered by American planes who then launched a surprise attack and many Japanese ships were sunk and damaged on a single morning. There are around 12 shipwrecks in the area that are now teeming with a diverse range of marine life over 80 years later. It is a divers paradise and also a valuable source of tourism for the area.
Justin signed up for one day refresher diving, two days wreck course, and two days of fun diving with Pirates Diving Center. Bron signed up for 3 days of snorkeling, one day of island hopping, and one boat free day on the island. It was a busy time but really worth it. Each day there were two wreck sites and one coral reef site. Over the 5 days, Justin saw all 5 of the wrecks that are accessible for diving. Only a few of the wrecks are suitable for snorkeling, Bron was able to see two of them which was really great and a special experience. The coral in the area on the wrecks and reefs are really amazing, some of the best coral we’ve seen. Really healthy and diverse, all kinds of soft and hard corals and really large ones. There is some damage, from tourism and also typhoons and other adverse weather conditions, but also a lot of very healthy areas. We felt there was less fish in general but we still saw loads of cool fish, not that many turtles, you have to be a bit lucky in this area (which Justin was).
Special shout out to Dive Master Tom, Instructor Thomas and everyone at Pirates Diving Center in Coron for the best time. You were all super friendly and ultra organised and we appreciated it so much. Thanks for the daily lunch, cooked on the boat! The pumpkin and beans in coconut milk is the best. We highly recommend Pirates if you are in the area!
We forgot to take a clean and dry selfie lol
Justin and Thomas doing buddy checks
After 3 days of snorkeling, Bron signed up for the Coron Super Ultimate Tour to explore more of the area and visit some beaches. Sadly Coron doesn’t have any easily accessible beaches, you have to take a boat to reach them in surrounding areas. The day tour visits 9 different spots including Kayangang Lake, Barracuda Lake, Twin Lagoons, Beach 91, two coral garden snorkel spots, and a buffet lunch on one of the private beaches. It was a full day but was also pretty chill and relaxed. The tour was operated by Calamian Travel, David and Joseph were wonderful guides and it was a good experience overall.
Waiting for and watching the Pirates boat to come back in
The 5th and final day in Coron was a laundry and nap day for Bron and a last day of diving for Justin. On New Years Eve we took the Jomalia Ferry from Coron to El Nido. It’s a short crossing of 4 hours but is well known for being bumpy and indeed it didn’t go well for Bron who suffers from motion sickness. We finally made it to El Nido and spent the rest of the day finding lunch and exploring the town. There were several parties on in the area that night, we opted for an early night instead with several full days on the boat ahead.
First afternoon in El Nido
On New Year’s Day we had arranged a full day beach hopping tour, El Nido Tour A, since all the dive centres were closed for the day. There was a small hiccup where the middle tour company only had one of us on the list and the actual tour operator had neither of us on their list for the day. It was finally resolved and we were on our way. Five sites are visited on the tour and include 7 Commando Beach, Secret Lagoon, Big Lagoon (where we rented a kayak and saw a turtle, yay), Shimizu Island, a snorkel spot, and a pre-packed cooked lunch on a secluded beach. Sadly this was a low light of the trip for us. The whole are-we-aren’t-we on the tour debacle, coupled with a bored tour guide that doesn’t seem to enjoy his job, and a 5 day mission after the tour to get our environmental tickets from the tour operator, just left a bad taste and we do not recommend booking with Kuya Kris or Kleinkris Tours. Seven Commando Beach was a highlight though, it’s really beautiful and worth visiting. Maybe investigate a private boat option.
Seven Commandos Beach
New Year's Day in El Nido on Tour A
Then it was back to diving and snorkeling! Justin had booked 3 days of fun diving and Bron two days of snorkeling on the same boat with Palawan Divers. Again the coral in this area was really good. Sadly the conditions were not as good as the previous days in Coron, it was quite windy, bumpy and choppy. This affected the visibility with quite a lot of silt stirred up and it was a lot cooler out on the water. A top sighting for Justin was a swim past of 5 devil rays on the second dive of the first day. Other sightings include barracuda, moral eels, various macro life including cool shrimp and nudibranches, schools of fish, and a few turtles. Thank you Chris from Palawan Divers for making us feel safe and welcome and for your interesting and entertaining stories! The front office was a bit unorganised (including losing some of our paperwork and getting our pre-booked dates a bit mixed up lol), but the actual diving experience was lovely.
On the third day, Bron had a free day and had planned a long walk on the beach followed by a tea date and then a nap. Justin was supposed to have another day of diving but he came and found her on the beach saying that the coast guard had cancelled all recreation boats going out for the day with no reason given (not to the tourists anyway). This was a real shame as this day was expected to be the best water conditions of the week and indeed was calm and still all day. Instead, we enjoyed a lovely day together getting some steps in, cafe hopping, and a much needed nap.
And then it was time to go home =( There was time for a last walk on the beach before heading to the airport. Another long layover in Manila saw us take a grab car to the Mall of Asia for lunch and a break from 6 hours at the airport (just as well as the options at the airport were slim).
And then we were safely home.
Thank you Palawan and the Philippines for a fab Christmas break! Overall we had a really lovely time. It was somewhat unorganised in true SEA style lol, but most of the people were super friendly and helpful which mostly made up for it. And it was so clean! The cleanest beaches and water quality we have seen in South East Asia so far. Until next time!
Thank you Finnemore Four for leaving sunblock behind for us, we were well covered and protected! Not even a single red stripe the whole trip. Mucho gracias! =)
