Coron is famous around the world for wreck diving.
Beneath the waters around Coron and Busuanga lie Japanese ships—some enormous, remarkably intact and now covered with decades of marine growth.
But why are they here?
The answer takes us back to September 1944 and the Second World War.
Coron Wasn't a Dive Destination Then
In 1944, the Philippines was still occupied by Japan.
American forces were advancing across the Pacific, and Japanese ships increasingly needed places where they could shelter from American aircraft.
The protected waters around the Calamian Islands provided potential anchorage.
But they weren't beyond the reach of American aviation.
September 24, 1944
On the morning of September 24, 1944, aircraft from U.S. Navy carrier forces attacked Japanese shipping around Coron Bay and nearby waters.
The aircraft had flown hundreds of kilometers to reach their targets.
The attack was devastating.
Several Japanese vessels were sunk.
More than 80 years later, many remain on the seabed.
Those ships created what would eventually become one of the world's remarkable concentrations of recreational wreck diving.
These Weren't Ships Built for Divers
Today we describe them as dive sites.
Originally, they were working military and auxiliary vessels.
Among the wrecks associated with Coron are names familiar to experienced divers:
Irako
Okikawa Maru
Akitsushima
Kogyo Maru
Olympia Maru
and others.
Different ships performed different roles, including transporting supplies, fuel, equipment and personnel.
They weren't placed underwater for tourism.
They are remnants of a war.
Irako
The Irako is one of Coron's most famous wrecks.
It was a Japanese refrigeration and supply ship—a substantial vessel designed to support naval operations.
Today its size makes it an impressive dive.
Experienced wreck divers can appreciate its structure and scale, while marine life has gradually transformed what was once a military vessel into an artificial habitat.
Okikawa Maru
The Okikawa Maru was an oil tanker.
Its large structure and relatively accessible sections have made it another well-known Coron wreck.
Over decades underwater, coral and marine organisms have colonized parts of the vessel.
It's a striking example of two completely different stories occupying the same place:
human conflict above,
and marine life slowly reclaiming the structure below.
Akitsushima
The Akitsushima is particularly distinctive.
It was a Japanese seaplane tender capable of supporting and handling large reconnaissance seaplanes.
Its wreckage offers divers something very different from a conventional cargo vessel.
For experienced divers, its history is part of what makes exploring the wreck so fascinating.
Kogyo Maru
The Kogyo Maru was carrying materials and equipment when it sank.
Its cargo and internal spaces have made it particularly interesting to wreck divers.
But penetrating any shipwreck introduces additional risks.
Overhead environments, narrow passages, sediment and disorientation mean that proper training and an experienced guide matter.
A wreck isn't an underwater playground.
Olympia Maru
The Olympia Maru is another large Japanese cargo vessel lying beneath Coron's waters.
Its structure, cargo areas and marine life make it a popular dive.
Visibility around Coron wrecks can vary considerably depending on conditions.
That's part of wreck diving.
You're visiting history where it actually came to rest—not an exhibit prepared for visitors.
The Wrecks Became Reefs
Something remarkable happened after the war.
The ships remained.
Marine organisms began colonizing them.
Corals attached themselves to metal.
Fish found shelter.
Predators arrived.
Decade after decade, structures created for war gradually became habitat.
Today, diving a Coron wreck can mean seeing history and marine ecology simultaneously.
But They Are Also War Graves
It's easy to forget this when looking at spectacular underwater photographs.
People died during these attacks.
These wrecks are connected to real human loss.
They should therefore be approached with respect.
Don't remove objects.
Don't damage structures.
Don't treat historical artifacts as souvenirs.
What has remained underwater for more than eight decades belongs there.
Do You Need to Be an Experienced Diver?
It depends on the wreck and what you intend to do.
Some wreck experiences are accessible to recreational divers under appropriate conditions and supervision.
Others are deeper or involve penetration and require more advanced skills and training.
Entering a wreck is fundamentally different from swimming around its exterior.
Inside, there may be:
no direct access to the surface,
tight spaces,
sharp metal,
poor visibility,
sediment,
and multiple passages.
Your certification, experience and comfort level should determine the dive—not your desire for a photograph.
Can Non-Divers See the Wrecks?
Yes.
Some shallower wreck sites around the Calamianes can be explored by snorkelers or freedivers under suitable conditions.
You don't necessarily need scuba equipment to experience Coron's wartime history underwater.
And if you don't want to enter the water at all, understanding the story still adds another dimension to the landscape you're travelling through.
The quiet bay you're looking across today once witnessed a major wartime air attack.
Coron Is More Than Beautiful Water
This is what makes the destination unusual.
Above water:
limestone cliffs,
lakes,
beaches,
fishing communities.
Below water:
coral reefs,
extraordinary geology,
and the remains of ships sunk during one morning of the Second World War.
Two completely different histories occupy the same landscape.
Before Your First Wreck Dive, Learn the Story
When you descend toward a wreck, initially you may see only darkness.
Then a shape appears.
A mast.
A hull.
A cargo hold.
The scale slowly becomes visible.
Knowing why that ship is there changes the experience.
You're no longer simply diving around an interesting piece of metal.
You're looking at something that has remained almost exactly where history left it on September 24, 1944.
And that is one of the reasons wreck diving in Coron is so extraordinary.
Dive the wrecks. Respect their history. Leave them exactly where you found them.
Discover the stories behind Coron's wrecks, dive sites and islands on ilovecoron.com.
Because I Love Coron.
