Coron Reefs and Wrecks Tour: Snorkelling Shipwrecks without a Dive Licence
5 min read
You do not need a scuba certificate to see shallow wreckage in Coron, but you do need to book the right product. The 6-hour Reefs and Wrecks tour names Lusong Coral Garden, Lusong Gunboat and East Tangat Wreck, and its booking page adds lunch on Pass Island. A guide, snorkelling equipment and lunch are listed as included. It is the shortest bookable version of this circuit and the clearest choice for a non-diver who wants wrecks rather than lagoons.
Three bookable versions of the same circuit
| Tour | Duration | From | Rating | Route on the booking page |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reefs and Wrecks with snorkelling equipment | 6 hours | €36.53 | 4.1 (19) | Lusong Coral Garden, Lusong Gunboat, East Tangat Wreck, Pass Island |
| Two Japanese wrecks and Pass Island | 8 hours | €37.64 | 3.4 (9) | Lusong Gunboat, Lusong Coral Garden, East Tangat Wreck, Pass Island |
| Private reef and wreck trip | 8 hours | €102.33 | 4.5 (3) | Pass Island, Lusong Gunboat, Lusong Coral Garden; the summary adds East Tangat |
The routes are almost identical: the Lusong wrecks and the coral garden, then a long stop at Pass Island, a small island with a white beach where lunch is served. What separates the three is length, price, reviews and what the price covers, not the destination. One reviewer of the 6-hour tour describes the Pass Island leg as a 2.5-hour return boat ride, so expect much of the day on the water even on the shortest version.
The 6-hour tour has the most reviews of the three and is the only one whose title promises the equipment. The 8-hour shared trip meets at Lualhati Park in Coron Town and plans about two hours on Pass Island. The private tour buys control over the boat and pace, not a guarantee of better water conditions.
What the experience is really like
The Philippine Department of Tourism lists both diving and snorkelling among Coron’s wreck experiences. This remains surface snorkelling: you look down at shallow structures rather than entering a ship. The operator of the 8-hour trip describes the Lusong Gunboat as lying on its side at about 10 metres and the bow of East Tangat Wreck as starting at about 4 metres. PADI gives the same 4 metres for Skeleton Wreck, a different site that island-hopping tours visit.
The 6-hour tour states that participants must be able to swim and lists non-swimmers, pregnant women and people with back problems as not suitable. A life jacket does not replace that condition. Do not touch rusted metal or coral; the same operator lists touching marine life as not allowed. If seeing the interior of a large wartime ship is your goal, this is the wrong product: use an accredited dive centre and meet its certification requirements.
What the price covers
The booking page of the 6-hour tour lists a professional guide, snorkelling equipment, lunch and the boat transfers as included, and hotel pickup and drop-off as not included, although its information box also says “Pickup included”. Clarify the pickup before you pay. The private operator includes a buffet lunch with drinking water, a guide, a boat with life vests, pickup from hotels in Coron Town Proper, permits and entrance fees, and mask and snorkel; the environmental fee of PHP 200 per person is extra. The 8-hour shared trip includes hotel pickup by van, permits and entrance fees and a picnic lunch, but lists mask, snorkel and water shoes as not included.
Recommendation
For most non-divers, choose the 6-hour Reefs and Wrecks tour for €36.53: the same wrecks and the same beach as the longer trips, with the equipment in the price. Choose the private trip when your group values its own pace and a clearly named hotel pickup. None of them should be sold as wreck diving: they are good precisely because they make the shallow sites accessible without pretending snorkelling and scuba are equivalent.
