Banol Beach, Barracuda Lake, Calachuchi Reef, Siete Pecados Marine Park, Sunset Beach Island Tour, Coron

Mostly for Snorkelers
Still wired from my initial Coron Island Tour (B1), I signed up for yet another tour (B2), but this time, it's mostly snorkeling, with the same outfit, Calamianes Expeditions. This would cover the essential destinations not covered by the B1 Tour. With me on this tour was a wholesome Filipino family, the Ducusins. We were also joined by tourists from mainland China, speaking very little English.

Barracuda Lake
Going to Barracuda Lake without at least snorkeling beneath its surface is not a complete visit. It might seem like any other place where you can plunge into a free dive, but once you get under water, you're immersed in a world that's so unreal, seasoned scuba divers call it a unique dive spot on the planet - think Lord of the Rings landscape! But this time, you're actually under water.

Calamianes Expeditions Ecotours office

Calachuchi Reef
It looks like a benign rock outcropping but it's actually a pencil-like coral sticking out of the sea bed with its surface encrusted with hard and soft corrals with all the abundant marine life teaming around it. Especially noticeable was a good number of small sea snakes on the shallow part. This reef is one of the best in Coron, if you're willing to go down deeper along its walls.

Banol Beach
This is the only beach we went to, for good reason - lunch. We stayed there quite a while having enough leisurely time walking around the white sand beach while waiting for our fish to be grilled. Banol Beach is wonderful, but you can't get too much privacy there as most touring boats have it as a staple stop.

Siete Pecados Marine Park
It was too shallow when we arrived, forcing us to do our snorkeling on the drop-off - but visibility was low. I'm sure there's more to Siete Pecados than what met my limited snorkeling. It's a wide area but somehow, it felt rushed to be exploring it on a leisurely pace. Maybe better to devote an entire morning exploring its scope.

Sunset Beach
It's still not clear to me why it's called Sunset Beach when there is no visible beach. In fact, it's a secret beach, accessible only through a crevice on the limestone wall of the island. You go through the narrow opening and wade through, until you find yourself in a mini beach with perhaps the finest white sand you've ever seen - but's a tiny beach, about 10 square feet surrounded by towering limestone walls. A must see!

--- TheLoneRider

disclosure: Calamianes Expeditions and Ecotours became clients after my initial talks with Al and Mae. This blog is not a lip-service for them - they just happen to be doing a great job and I subscribe to their vision of a community-based social enterprise.

These guys like this story:

Jay-Ar Caranto

Dave Joudrey

Joni Gualvez Villamil

Bobby Ducusin

Jeannine Ducusin

Comments:

Bobby Ducusin
(Apr 23, 2012) ei bro, thanks, jean and jeannine are planning to put-up a travel blog that will focus more on family travel, expenses, foods, history, culture and more. hope to get some infos from you if they push through, cheers...

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