Coron

Coron is where Palawan's limestone does its most dramatic work. Sheer karst walls drop straight into water of a green that photographs badly because nobody believes it, enclosing Kayangan Lake and Barracuda Lake, both reached by scrambling over a ridge from a boat. Kayangan is often called the cleanest lake in the country; Barracuda is stranger, a meromictic lake where fresh water sits over salt and divers pass through a thermocline that jumps by more than ten degrees. Beneath the sea around the islands lie around a dozen Japanese vessels sunk in a single air raid in September 1944, now among the most accessible wreck dives in Asia, encrusted with coral and shallow enough that several are within reach of snorkellers.

History

The place was first called Bancuang, after a palm that grew along its rivers; the Spanish named it Peñon de Coron, from the Tagbanua word corong, a kind of pot, and it became Coron in 1902. The first settlement was founded in 1749 by Don Nicolas Manlavi at Banuang Lague on Coron Island, and by 1800 a new town site had been established (Wikipedia, Coron, Palawan).

What you'll find

• Kayangan Lake - reached over a ridge from the boat, with the classic karst-framed viewpoint on the way.
• Barracuda Lake - the thermocline dive, where the water temperature jumps abruptly with depth.
• The wreck dives - Japanese vessels sunk in 1944, several shallow enough for snorkelling.
• Twin Lagoon - two lagoons joined by a gap you swim or duck under depending on the tide.

When to go

November to May is dry and calm. The peak months of December to February bring the most boats to the lagoons. In the wet season trips are frequently cancelled and visibility drops.

Practical notes

Every lagoon and lake now charges an entry fee on top of the boat trip, and the total mounts quickly. Kayangan in particular can be shoulder to shoulder when several boats arrive together, so the earliest departure is worth the alarm. Coron town itself is scruffy and functional rather than pretty; the beauty is all offshore.

Nearby

El Nido is a ferry away down the Palawan coast; Culion island has a museum of its leprosarium history.