So far with my snorkeling experience, these two coral gardens make it on the list of my Richest Coral Gardens in the Philippines! (I’ve yet to put that up, haha) And we had to say WOW to them – East Sangat and Lusong Coral Garden of Coron Palawan.
Oh just, WOW.
Why is it that they are listed?
Note: Excuse the photo quality. Whatever I do I can’t improve it.
Satisfied? Now, these two gardens are 2.5 hours away from Coron Town. The distance is definitely worth it! The sea may be rough, as always it is, but who cares? Strengthen your hearts because it’ll definitely beat on site.
East Sangat is a sloppy one, hence a diving site for most. It’s like a mountain slope which has corals instead of trees. It also houses a Japanese Ship Wreck which is an exciting route for divers. East Sangat is where I had my first diving experience and though I didn’t do good on that activity, this site is still amazing, set aside memorable.
This site is packed with corals! And I did get a lot for my eyes – lots of fish, different coral shapes, sea urchins. I did get the mermaid feel however if only I’m not weak-hearted, I could have seen what’s on the deep end, and probably – the shipwreck. Regrets, ugh!
East Sangat can be found on one side of an island, with a narrow beach line. This is a perfect place to do warm up exercises for diving since the sandy party is covered with water. After that they can dive directly into the corals site.
Lusong Coral Garden on the other hand, is not sloppy as East Sangat. It’s more of a flat ground, but the corals don’t fall behind. Still, another heaven!
Lusong also has a thin strip of beach which slowly transitions into a coral forest. I say this is the richest and kindest of them all! I’m completely surrounded by fish, and everywhere I go, there’s a different world.
The current might be strong since this is an open area.
The tour also includes Lusong Gunboat which is a shipwreck site, but getting here can be difficult due to weather conditions. At that time, we skipped it.
These sites are included on the Reefs and Wrecks Tour that I availed from Dream Travel and Tours for PHP 1200. It includes entrance fees, guide and lunch. My bad for not getting any contact number from this operator.
I may haven’t been in Anilao or Apo Reef, so my standards may be shallow unlike most. But hell, East Sangat and Lusong Coral Garden are not any different from them. And even if I see other sites, these two will always be memorable for me because I ENJOYED IT! What else should it be.
Also, why did I took so long in getting serious about swimming, damn I should have seen more from every coral sites that I’ve been to. Now let me add it up on my to-do list, swimming and diving will be my next goal!
How to go here
1. From your location, take a flight/boat to Coron, Busuanga. From Busuanga, take a van going to Coron Town (Php 150), it is about 4 hours.
2. Most of the Tour Agencies are located along Coron-Busuanga Rd. Some can be found on the branches. One of them is Coron Galeri where I got the Coron Islands tour on our first day.
3. Depending on the tour package, usual rate ranges from Php 1000 – 1200 per person. Tours in Coron are not standardized, so rates may vary.
Tips/Reminders
1. Boat leaves around 9:30AM or 10AM. I noticed that even if the tour coordinator says the boat will leave at 8:30AM or 9AM, it will always be late. I understood why, there may be changes on the number of people that will actually proceed with the tour, so in the morning before the boat leaves, that’s the time the boatman will get the actual number of people. It is important to know the number to consider in the food. So if you’ll notice, the boatmen buys the food before the boat leaves.
2. Aqua shoes. With those sharp corals and sea urchins, you’ll need this armor.
3. Protect that skin. Sunblock is a must. This is given guys.
4. Always practice LNT (Leave No Trace).
