Subic v Coron

[lermontov]

Hi there

Where did you stay and who did you dive with in Coron ?

Thanks in advance

we were on a LOB and so moved around but the company was TechAsia -theyre well set up for mixing gas and helium is cheap - if your not doing technical diving theres lots to pick from

 

[johnohuk]

Can recommend Sangat Island resort, very friendly dive centre and lovely place..

 

[Centrals]

Can recommend Sangat Island resort, very friendly dive centre and lovely place..

A bit expensive unfortunately.
Diving in Coron is a lot better than Subic Bay. The only issue is the accommodation because the wrecks are quite a distance from Coron Town. Those closer to the wrecks are tend to be on the expensive side eg Sangat island.

 

[DangerousDan64]

I just got back from Coron and I highly recommend Sangat Island for accommodations and diving. There are 6 major Japanese wrecks and several minor ones (gun boats, degraded condition for being in shallow water on reefs). Most of these major wrecks were from 7 to ten minutes away from the dive shop. The very farthest ,Okikawa Maru (my personal favorite) was about 20 minutes away. The visibility was disappointing at first (it was about 35 feet at best) mainly because you couldn't see a good-sized chunk of the wreck all at once but once inside, this really wasn't an issue as it mostly alternated between fairly confined spaces and seemingly VAST open (and pitch black) spaces- I LOVED it.

I was there for an entire week and dove 6 days but in hindsight, I recommend only diving 3-4 days at most with them and then moving to a different part of the Philippines for better visibility and more fish. I did do several reef dives with them and although the visibility was not what one would expect in the tropics, this was my first experience with Asian coral and I was really amazed at the variety of both the hard and soft corals. If you are experienced in Asian waters, SKIP the reef dives in Coron altogether.

Surface intervals all meant a quick trip back to the resort which was nice so that you can get a snack or use a land-based head.

Don't go to Coron for the reefs or the marine life- go for the WRECKS (but don't plan on staying long because there are only 6 of them and Sangat Island dives two each day)

Sangat Island is pricier than most land based resorts in the Philippines and it is an "Eco" place so you get to play like you're in some 1950's technicolor south seas love story/adventure, complete with no air conditioning or heated water (I was fine with both). The food was good and the cost for accommodations, food, 3 dives a day for 6 days plus RT airfare from Manila was about the same I paid for a week in Roatan (pretty cheap).

If you need night life, air conditioning, other activities- look elsewhere. Although the AC would have been welcome a couple of days, it was otherwise perfect for me.

 

[Goingforsound]

I am wondering if the dive shops are allowing wreck penetration in Subic, as they do in coron.

I've dove most of the fleet in Coron this year. From what I read on Subic they require the wreck course to do any penetration?

 

[Searcaigh]

I am wondering if the dive shops are allowing wreck penetration in Subic, as they do in coron

If you are suitably qualified then yes you can penetrate the wrecks

 

[diveUNDA]

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