Skeleton Wreck site
From Twin Lagoon, we again swam back to our waiting outrigger boat. Once boarded with my family, we proceeded to Skeleton Wreck, a snorkeling destination near Banol Beach off the northwest corner of Coron Island. When we arrived at the site, there were already a number of boats, divers and snorkelers milling around the site. We donned our masks and snorkels and swam towards it.
Approaching the site
The Skeleton Wreck’s name comes from the fact that the keel, ribs and stringers of this old, 25 m. long steel-hulled fishing boat wreck are almost all that are left, giving it a skeletal appearance. It was beached, with the bow a dozen meters from Coron Island, and the stern pointing directly away from the island. The top of the wreck is in about 6 m, of water and it sits on a pretty reef.
Donning masks an snorkels, Cheska, Jandy an our guide Japeth take to the water
The wreck slopes along the reef from 5 m. deep at the bow to 22 m. at the stern. Because the water is so clear, it can already be viewed from the surface. Around it are beautiful corals. Somebody threw some bread to the sea and a variety of fish, with an amazing array of lovely colors, all shapes and sizes, came towards us
Bow of Skeleton Wreck (photo Christian Lucas Sangoyo of www.divesitedirectory.co.uk)
The Skeleton Wreck can also be done as a dive. A pass through on the starboard side of the hull, at 14 m., allows one to swim from the inside of the boat out over the coral reef. It won’t take long to cover the wreck, so those intending to have a long dive here will probably want to finish up on the reef. Beware of sea urchins. This is also a good spot to have lunch and you can have a quick dip before continuing on your tour. It costs PhP100 per person to moor up here.
(photo: www.cheaptravel-coron.weebly.com)
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