Everything Random

I booked an island hopping tour in Coron for me and my wife, to visit islands on the Busuanga side but the weather did not cooperate. Tropical storm Crising impacted the northern part of the Philippines, Coron included and all boats were not allowed to venture into the sea.

Our last chance at an island-hopping was when we stayed at Discovery Coron. There were two islands that we could visit – all on our own, aboard a speedboat. So we took the chance, eventhough the southwest monsoon, locally known as “habagat”, still made sea navigation difficult because of the strong waves. But we did not regret braving the sea that time – the sights were just marvelous.

First stop: Malpagalen Island

From Dimakya Island, where Discovery Coron was located, our speedboat cruised for roughly 20 minutes to reach the uninhabited island of Malpagalen. It’s an island you can see from Dimakya, but very beautiful when held upclose.

There’s a group of birds, called Great Crested Terns (thanks for my friend, avid birdwatcher Ronet Santos, who supplied me the name) leisurely resting on the white powdery beach. All around the island are turquoise waters. It was an awesome sight.

Second Stop: Jatoy Island

Jatoy Island (also known as Diatoy Island) was a 45 minute boat ride from Malpagalen. The island prides itself of a white powdery beach, a snorkeling site, and a viewing deck from which to enjoy your fresh coconut juice. The island was also uninhabited and had a very serene atmosphere. We spent more than three hours here.

Third and Final Stop: Dimakya Island

After more than three hours of snorkeling, swimming, and just lazily lounging on the beach, it’s time for us to go home to Dimakya Island. Along the way there were several beautiful islands we passed by but did not have time to explore.

Dimakya Island is serenely beautiful. The waters are spectacularly clean, the beach free from plastics and other wastes, and the biodiversity rich and simply amazing.

I will definitely come back to this place together with my kids. The only problem now is when, given that our son and daughter now have different term breaks.

I am also glad that this experience is my first intro to island hopping in Coron, and not that usual touristy route, though I will surely engage in one for purposes of comparison.