In Coron we stayed in Javal Homestay, basically a couple of floors in some locals houses. The owner was super friendly and the room was really nice, it had a TV with ESPN so needless to say Kyle was stoked. Drinking water was also included which was great.
Our first day on Coron was spent deciding on and organising what we were going to do for the rest of our time there.
After scoping out most of the dive shops we ended up booking a 3 dive trip with Fun and Sun diving for the following day. We followed this up with an ice cream and some cards at an upmarket cafe called Buzz.
For dinner we went to a local spot called D’forths which the homestay owner recommended. It was super cheap and delicious! The spring rolls for P10 each were a real highlight.
Diving day! We had to be at the dive shop by 8am so for brekky we had omelettes made by the homestay neighbor. After signing in at the dive shop we headed down to the wharf and got a nice surprise when we saw that the dive boat was huge!
Our first two dives we’re at Japanese shipwrecks from WWII. The entire fleet was sunk in under 15 minutes by the US in September 1944.
The first wreck was Kogyo Maru. This was a contruction boat carrying supplies to build a runway on Coron. This was the first time I had done a wreck dive and needed to use a torch while diving which was exciting. Inside the ship there was a digger and some rolls of construction materials. On the top side of the boat a coral reef has developed with an array of marine life. Highlights included a crocodile fish, scorpion fish, bat fish and lion fish!
The second dive was at Teru Kaze Maru. This boat was much smaller but was still interesting to explore. It had been a submarine hunter. Highlights included mandarin fish, pipe fish, nudibranch and electric clams!
I managed to get stung by an unknown cobweb like floaty near the start of the dive. The stinging and white lumps that quickly developed on my fingers were a bit of a distraction from the dive! Luckily vinegar did the trick to settle it down once back on the boat.
The third dive was a reef dive. Kyle had a bad time with his mask which wasn’t sealing properly and kept leaking. Highlights included upside down jellyfish and crabs that looked like pieces of coral.
Once back on solid ground we went to book an island hopping tour for the next day before heading back to the homestay to drop off our gear and freshen up. For dinner we went to Lolo’s and had pork and chicken noodles.
From there we went to Coco Bar with Kevin (from San Fran who we meet on the dive boat) for a few beers.
Kyley on Tour 