Twin Lagoon, Coron

Twin Lagoon is two bodies of water on Coron Island divided by a curtain of limestone that comes down almost to the surface. Boats moor in the outer lagoon; the inner one is reached either by swimming under the rock through a small gap - possible only when the tide is low enough - or by climbing a wooden staircase built over the wall, which is how most people go. The inner lagoon is the point: enclosed by cliffs, fed by both fresh springs and seawater, so the water layers visibly and swimmers feel cold and warm patches within a stroke of each other, with a blurry halocline where the two meet. It is quieter and stiller than the outer side, and the cliffs cut the wind entirely. Like the rest of Coron Island it is Tagbanua ancestral domain, with their fees and rules in force.

What you actually see

• The dividing wall - the limestone curtain between the lagoons.
• The under-rock gap - the low-tide swim-through.
• The wooden ladder - the built way over the wall.
• The layered water - cold and warm patches in the inner pool.

When to go

November to May. Early boats beat the queue at the ladder; check the tide if you want to swim under the rock rather than climb.

Honest expectations

The ladder is a single-file bottleneck at peak hours. Life jackets are required and kayaks are hired separately. The swim-through is closed at higher tides.

Nearby

Kayangan Lake, Barracuda Lake and Siete Pecados are on the same circuits from Coron town.