Conditions referenceSeason, water and visibilityBest Mar–May · Mild current · 26–30°C (coldest Jan, warmest May)
- Current
- Mild
- Water temperature
- 26–30°C (coldest Jan, warmest May)
- Visibility
- 5–20m: Commonly 5 to 15m on the bay wrecks, up to about 20m on the best dry-season days and at open-water sites.
- Experience
- Advanced Open Water is the practical minimum for the signature wrecks.
01 · Marine life
What you may see
Sightings are never guaranteed. The bars show typical likelihood by month.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Moray eels, including large individuals, live in the wreck recesses and holds.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Mandarinfish are reported around the shallow East Tangat gunboat, typically at dusk in the coral and debris.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Batfish hang around the wrecks year-round, often in small groups near the Okikawa Maru, Kogyo Maru and Irako.
| Month | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| January | commonly seen |
| February | commonly seen |
| March | commonly seen |
| April | commonly seen |
| May | commonly seen |
| June | commonly seen |
| July | commonly seen |
| August | commonly seen |
| September | commonly seen |
| October | commonly seen |
| November | commonly seen |
| December | commonly seen |
Snapper school around the wrecks, particularly the larger hulls like the Okikawa Maru.
02 · Dive sites
Dive sites worth knowing
A starting point, not a ranking. Conditions decide what works on the day.
Akitsushima
The Akitsushima lies on its port side in about 35m, with the interesting structure from roughly 20m down.
20–35m · Mild current
Barracuda Lake
A landlocked lake on Coron Island reached by a short boat ride and a climb over a rocky ridge.
0–35m · None current
East Tangat Gunboat
A small gunboat lying from about 3m to 19m, shallow enough for Open Water divers and snorkellers.
3–19m · Mild current
See all 7 dive sites
03 · LogisticsGetting there and costsModerate. Fly to USU. Typical trip $.
Route overview
Moderate
Reachable but with some friction: 1 domestic flight.
Airport options
USU
Francisco B. Reyes Airport (Busuanga)
Reached by roughly 1 to 1.5 hour flights from Cebu (CEB) and Clark (CRK); as of March 2026 Manila NAIA turboprop restrictions and the short Busuanga runway have curtailed direct Manila flights, so many route via Cebu or Clark. Airport is about 30 to 45 minutes by road from Coron town, where the dive boats leave.
Typical trip cost
$
under $2,000
Per person, excluding international flights.
- Coron is a budget-to-mid destination.
- A day of 3 guided wreck dives commonly runs about 5,000 to 6,000 pesos (roughly US$85 to 105), and multi-day wreck packages are cheaper per dive (for example around 16,000 pesos for a 3-day, 9-dive package).
- Barracuda Lake carries a separate fee of about 300 pesos per diver, and some sites add small local/marine fees on top.
- A week of land-based diving typically stays well under US$2,000 per person excluding flights; a handful of liveaboards also run the area at higher cost.