M.V. SOLITA’S CRUISING NOTES

PALAWAN & CALAMIAN ISLANDS PHILIPPINES UPDATED MAY 2014 1

This is the fourth update of our cruising notes for Palawan Island and the Calamian Islands. We passed through the area again in March, April and May 2014, and we have updated and adjusted information that we felt was dated. We still feel that Palawan and the Calamian islands offer some of the best cruising grounds we have found in the Philippines so far. While not promising to provide a comprehensive cruising guide, we hope these notes will be useful to those cruising through the area. Typhoon Haiyan (called Yolanda in the Philippines) severely affected this whole area when it roared through in November 2013. Much of the vegetation was stripped, reefs were disturbed and many buildings damaged or destroyed. However, there has been a huge effort by locals and external agencies to restore the islands to their previous state and all basic infrastructure is now back to normal. Some of the more shallow reefs have sustained damage but this is already showing signs of regeneration. International assistance was overwhelming in the aftermath of the typhoon but the best help the cruising community can provide is to visit the area and contribute to the economy by using the local services. People need to be working and the tourist industry provides many jobs in this area.

As previously, we acknowledge the following sources: www.philippines360*.com on 15-5-12 http://www.lonelyplanet.com/philippines/weather#ixzz1qxfwxUoQ on 3-3-12 Wikipedia, Internet on 30-3-12 and 15-7-13 Geoff Gentil, SV Arnak. Alan, Manager, Discovery Island, Coron.

Sue and John Woods MV Solita (email: [email protected])

2

CONTENTS BACKGROUND

4

WEATHER

5

WHEN TO GO?

7

ROUTE PLANNING

8

IMMIGRATION & CUSTOMS

8

SAFETY

10

GENERAL FACILITIES

10

NAVIGATION

12

FLAG

13

LOCAL TRANSPORT

13

DIVING

14

LANGUAGE

14

OBSERVATIONS OF GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS:

15

AREA MAPS - Coron Town

35

- Very secure anchorages, Coron

36

- Puerto Princessa

37

- Very secure anchorages, PP

38

- El Nido

39

ANCHORAGES

41

VERY SECURE ANCHORAGES

49

3

BACKGROUND: The Republic of the Philippines is a sovereign country in Southeast Asia, with 7,107 islands across its archipelago. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam. The Sulu Sea to the southwest lies between the Philippines and the island of Borneo, and to the south the Celebes Sea separates it from other islands of Indonesia. It is bounded on the east by the Philippine Sea. With an estimated population of about 94 million people, the Philippines is the world's 12th most populous country. An additional 11 million Filipinos live overseas. Multiple ethnicities and cultures are found throughout the islands. In prehistoric times, Negritos were some of the archipelago's earliest inhabitants. They were followed by successive waves of Austronesian peoples who brought with them influences from Malay, Hindu, and Islamic societies. Trade introduced Chinese cultural influences which remain to this day. The Philippines has been part of several empires: the Spanish Empire during the age of Imperialism, the United States after the Spanish-American War of 1898, and the Japanese Empire during World War II, until the official Philippine independence in 1945. Since independence the Philippines has had an often tumultuous experience with democracy, with popular "people power" movements overthrowing a dictatorship in one instance but also underlining the institutional weaknesses of its constitutional republic in others.

Palawan Island is an island province of the Philippines and is located in the MIMAROPA region. Its capital is Puerto Princessa City. The province is named after its largest island, Palawan Island, which is 450 kms (280 mi) long, and 50 kms (31 mi) wide. Palawan also includes the Cuyo Islands in the Sulu Sea. The disputed Spratly Islands, located a few hundred kilometres to the west, are considered part of Palawan by the Philippines. In the 2010 census it was noted that the population of Palawan province is 994,340, and the main religion is Catholicism. There are 52 languages and dialects in the province, with Tagalog being spoken by more than 50 percent of the people. Other languages are Cuyonon (26.27 percent),Palawano (4.0 percent), and Hiligaynon (9.6 percent). Most people speak some English as well.

The Calamian Islands lie to the north of Palawan and are included in the Palawan province. They consist of over 80 islands and islets, the main ones being Busuanga Island, Coron Island and Culion Island. Busuanga Island hosts the largest town, Coron, as well as the only airport in the Calamian Islands. Some of the finest beaches, islands and tourist spots in the Philippines are found in this island group. It is also well renowned as one of the world’s best diving destinations, with its beautiful coral reefs and WW2 wreck diving. Other tourist attractions in the Calamians are the Calauit Safari Park, the former leper colony at Culion and the clear water lakes and coves of Coron Island. 4

WEATHER Weather patterns in the Philippines are dictated by the prevailing winds – the habagat (southwest monsoon), which runs from May/June to October/November, and the amihan (northeast monsoon), which prevails from November to April/May. For most of the country, the dry season is during the amihan. The wet season tends to starts in June, peaks in July to September, and peters out in October. Patterns have been unpredictable lately, with the rains arriving later and lingering into December, and some areas have their own local variations to the usual patterns. The southern part of the Palawan province is virtually free from tropical depressions but northern Palawan experiences torrential rains during the months of July and August. There are usually two transition periods of six to eight weeks between the two monsoon seasons (March/April to May and October to November) each year when the wind is light and variable. This is a great time for travelling for power boats or those not needing strong winds. The Calamian Islands seem to experience a more moderated version of the two monsoon seasons. We found that even in the strong NE season the winds were less than in Palawan or the Visayas, and often they were quite light and variable. The SW monsoon does produce rain and some SW wind, but again it is not as strongly evident as in other areas. Tourism takes quite a downturn during the SW monsoon in the Calamian Islands, and many resorts close for two to three months around July, August and September. The average maximum temperature is 31 degrees C with little variation all year, though it is a little cooler in the months of December, January and February.

Cyclones/typhoons: Situated at the typhoon belt, the Philippines can endure the impact of more than 20 typhoons annually. The main typhoon season is said to run from June to November, though records show that tropical storms and typhoons can occur in the Philippines during any month of the year. Typhoons cross the country in a northwestern direction, so almost all parts of the Philippines experience the onslaught of typhoons. Generally in the earlier part of the season, typhoons cross over from the Palau region and travel northwest, passing through the northern areas of the Philippines and eventually moving on to Hong Kong or Vietnam. However, later in the season typhoons can develop further south, cross the country through the Mindanao or Visayans areas and travel on westward to Palawan. At times a small typhoon will only produce winds around 50 to 60 knots but they can also be very severe, and they can develop and travel very quickly in the Philippines. Typhoons often cause devastating damage and loss of life in poorly developed areas where significant rain and wind may trigger floods, mud slides and severe damage to existing flimsy structures.

5

Weather forecasting will usually provide ample warning of an impending storm or typhoon and there are many protected bays and anchorages where cruising boats can seek shelter. The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) keeps track of typhoons that enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility. PAGASA is likewise responsible for declaring the typhoon signal in a particular area or region. PAGASA uses four typhoon signals:    

Signal No. 1 – winds of 30 to 60 kph, intermittent heavy rains Signal No. 2 – typhoon is likely to hit an area within 24 hours, winds of 60 to 100 kph, heavy floods may occur in low areas Signal No. 3 – typhoon is expected to hit within 18 hours, winds of 100 to 185 kph Signal No. 4 – typhoon is expected to hit within 12 hours, winds of more than 186 kph, heavy floods and rains

Note: The Philippines forecasting and typhoon warning service at www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph provides good information. Other forecasting services we have used include: www.typhoon2000.com www.predictwind.com www.buoyweather.com www.passageweather.com

Our experience with the weather in Palawan in 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2014: In April 2011 during a year with a weakening La Nina effect, the wind on Palawan’s east coast was predominately NE, with some small local variations. It veered more easterly when strong, northerly when easing and started from the W or NW in the morning. Generally the wind kicked in around 7 or 8 am, and reached its maximum strength of around 20 kts by 10 am. It tended to ease around 4 pm, but some days could still be quite strong at 7-8 pm. There seemed to be a consistent ENE swell, from 1-3 metres. The winds eased considerably in May, with very light variable breezes in the morning and increasing by late morning. They then calmed off in the afternoon/evening. Many afternoons heavy thunderclouds developed over the land, often with thunder and lightning, but very little rain at sea. In mid-May the light evening breeze was westerly or variable. In 2012, the La Nina effect had passed and we experienced much less wind overall in this area. Most days in April there was a 5-10 kt NE breeze, but the direction was often variable. Occasionally the wind would increase to 15-18 kts, generally from the NE. There was no persistent swell. Around Linapacan and the Calamians in April/May, we experienced mostly calm weather with variable light breezes. Some days a NE wind developed to 12-15 kts during the morning. It usually dropped off by evening and the nights were calm and cool. 6

When we returned to this area in January of 2013, the NE monsoon was well established, but within the Calamian Island group, the winds were much lighter, and we had days of very light and variable wind. We did have some short periods of strong NE winds, 20-25kts that lasted for a few days. As we travelled south to Linapacan and Palawan the NE wind tended to be more consistent. This weather pattern persisted until around late March, when it then settled into a calm transition period. There were some days of light S-SE winds which then became light NE or variable breezes. The days were often hazy with frequent afternoon thunderstorms over the land. In 2014 we arrived in Coron in March after travelling from Cebu. Weather in the Calamians tended to be lighter than we had experienced further east in the Visayas but we did experience 2-3 periods of strong NE winds, lasting 3 to 4 days. Periods of strong NE winds continued through April, though by late in the month, the wind had eased to light and variable. By May we were further south travelling along the Palawan coast and the weather there was generally humid and calm, but with a lot of cloud build-up and storms over the mountains. The winds were light and variable but by the end of the month they were tending south. While typhoons can be a major problem while travelling in northern and eastern Philippines, they tend to be less frequent and less severe in the southern and western regions. However, in December 2011 and 2012 there were severe typhoons that struck initially in the southern Visayas but then travelled on to Palawan. Typhoon Haiyan, the category 5 typhoon that devastated much of central Philippines, occurred in early November and crossed Palawan at Coron Town. It is sensible to keep a close watch on the weather forecast at all times. We found several very secure anchorages in the Palawan and Calamian Islands that would be appropriate to ride out a severe storm – see this section at the end of the Anchorages section.

WHEN TO GO? There seems to be widely differing opinions about the best time to visit the south-western Philippines. Many people advised us to go between December and May to avoid the typhoon season but at this time you can encounter strong NE winds, especially from January to March. The SW monsoon in Borneo starts around May/June, and eases by October/ November - this may be a good time to travel north, using the SW winds. It is typhoon season but forecasting is good nowadays, there are numerous places to seek shelter and late-season typhoons do tend to weaken by the time they reach Palawan. Travelling to the Philippines from Palau and other places to the east may best be done during the NE monsoon, around December to May. There is a transition period of relative calm between the end of the NE winds around April/May and the emergence of the SW monsoon, around June. This makes for calm seas and comfortable cruising, but perhaps not great sailing. Another possible period of calm is after the end of the SW monsoon, around October, but we did not experience this in 2012 – the SW monsoon swung to NE within a week in late October. Predicted wind patterns will be affected by whether a La Nina or Le Nino influence is present, and local areas of the Philippines may have their own weather variations because of their geography. Locals in the Calamian Islands have told us they can get fierce storms in July. 7

ROUTE PLANNING Balabac/Palawan: We elected to travel up the east coast of Palawan for three reasons – absence of the South China Sea’s persistent NW swell, the location of Puerto Princessa as our first Immigration port, and the presence of obvious and frequent anchorages. Friends who travelled up the west coast in January 2011 complained about the swell, the long distances between good anchorages and the abundant reef and rocks that forced them to travel far offshore. They also experienced strong northerly winds. Even though we found it hard going travelling north along the east coast against the NE winds in April/May 2011, there were many suitable anchorages to choose from. At the same time in 2012, the NE monsoon had dropped out and we travelled north over calm seas. In May 2014 the winds were light and variable as we motored south. Travelling down the west coast would probably be best done around February to April, catching the last of the NE monsoon and going with the NW swell of the South China Sea. Linapacan/Calamian Islands: We expected stronger winds north of Palawan because the latitudes were closer to the trade wind belt and there is no significant land mass to moderate the prevailing winds, but we found the winds were less strong and more predictable there during April & May. We explored the south and west sides of Linapacan Island because of the prevailing NE winds, and found plenty of stunning scenery and potential anchorages. Crossing the Linapacan Strait from the NW tip of Linapacan gave us good protection from the ENE winds most of the way. Travelling around the Calamian Islands was very easy – there are many good anchorages with relatively short distances between them, and good protection from any prevailing winds. The many bays, passages, harbours and islands also provided good protection for anchorages. Coron is an obvious stepping-off point to travel across to Mindoro and then further east to the Visayas, or north to Puerto Galera and Luzon.

IMMIGRATION AND CUSTOMS Philippines Entry and Exit ports in the Palawan region: Only Puerto Princessa on Palawan Island.

Immigration: You may need to visit an Immigration office to apply for and extend visas. The only Immigration office in this area is in Puerto Princessa (on Rizal Ave, near the airport). There is a small Border Office in James Brooke Pt on the lower east coast of Palawan, but this does not deal with visas. There is no immigration office in the Calamian Islands, though there is some talk of creating one in the future. The options to renew your visa from Coron are:  

Fly to Manila – there are several flights daily. Take a local 2GO ferry from Coron to Puerto Princessa – the trip takes 12-14 hours, but usually arrives on a weekend or in the middle of the night so you are unable to get off and sprint to 8



Immigration to apply for an extension before it sails back north. There is often only one or two ferries per week, so you will have an extended stay in PP until the next ferry. Fly to Cebu – there are direct flights 3-4 times weekly, but this also means a 2-3 night stopover.

 Travel to Calapan or Puerto Galera on Mindoro or Batangas in SE Luzon by yacht – there is no direct flight or ferry. There are 3 commercial airports in the Palawan-Calamian area – Puerto Princessa, El Nido and Coron/Busuanga, all connecting to Manila with direct flights daily.

Visa information: On 1st March 2014 there were several changes made by the Bureau of Immigration concerning visa renewal and exit visas. These changes included a new form for visa extensions and the need for a recent passport photo of the applicant for each extension. You should view their website: www.immigration.gov.ph. prior to entering or leaving the country, to check for recent changes. If you overstay your visa, it will cost you 1,010 pesos to have it reinstated as well as any due visa costs.

Philippines Customs Bureau: There is no Custom Port Office in Palawan but they have an agency in Puerto Princessa. The address is Manola St, opposite the Pilot Elementary School. We have discussed with many cruising folk whether, as a private non-commercial vessel, we need to visit Customs in the Philippines. Many people do not declare themselves and don’t seem to have had a problem. On our 2011 visit we did not declare ourselves to Customs as we only intended to cruise the Palawan Island area for 2 months. We re-entered Malaysia in the company of two other yachts who had cleared in and out of the Philippines Customs, and we were all treated equally by Malaysian Customs and Immigration. In 2012 we declared ourselves to Customs in Puerto Princessa. It was quite an effort to find the Customs building and they certainly were not aware of what vessels were in the harbour. They told us that we do need to clear in and out of major ports as we travelled through the Philippines. They gave us a clearance to Cebu, our next major port, and charged us 200 pesos to clear in. Two months later, we arrived in Cebu. We spent 4 months on our boat refit before visiting Customs in Cebu City, to clear in and out on the one day. They were fine with this, charged us 150 pesos for the paperwork, and cleared us out to Palawan, even though we wouldn’t be arriving there for many months. They also inferred that cruising boats should clear through major ports in the Philippines, but they didn’t seem too rigid about this. We cleared into PP, and then out of the country with the PP Customs Office, for a cost of 115 pesos for each clearance (a total of 230 pesos). They were helpful and courteous. In 2013-14 we also cleared the boat through Customs in PP and Cebu, and as in the previous year, the process was easy and transparent, with the same cost of 115 pesos clearing in, 115 pesos clearing out of each port. 9

Note: If clearing in or out with Customs, visit Immigration first, as they need to sight your current visa or Immigration Clearance to leave the country. Note: We found having a Customs Clearance form declaring the boat’s entry into the Philippines very useful when we flew out of the country then re-entered. The airlines will ask that you have a return or on-going ticket when you enter the Philippines, but we were able to prove that we were returning to our boat, which had been cleared into the country, and would exit the Philippines in it.

SAFETY Safety had not been an issue for us during the first few visits we made to the Philippines. Yes, we were initially surprised and a little alarmed by the amount of guns on display by security guards in malls and shops, and we did hear some rumours of the availability of guns and indeed of people being shot. However, we never felt personally unsafe, and the local Filipinos we met encouraged us to believe it was a safe country to cruise through. In three years we were never boarded by anyone other than polite officials, never had anything stolen, were never spoken to aggressively or with bad intent. Local store owners would return money we inadvertently overpaid, people would tell us where to shop for the best deals, we generally paid local rates on buses. We were aware that the Tawi Tawi Islands, southern and western Mindanao were not good places to visit – that some locals had issues with Muslim fundamentalist beliefs, and we were happy enough to avoid these areas. However, in April 2014, it was generally believed that a German couple who had been cruising through the Palawan area on and off for several years (their yacht is “Catherine”) were abducted by Abu Sayyef group members in an area between Rio Tuba and Balabac Island. This is an area we had travelled through several times, and is in fact on the “main track” up the Palawan Island east coast. We travelled south along the east coast of Palawan in May, and were quite nervous about passing through this area. We planned only single overnight stops and preferably in towns where there was a police and/or Coastguard presence. We organised a daily email/phone schedule with relatives who knew where we were going. We also motored along the outer east cost of Bugsuk Island and avoided the passage between Palawan and Balabac Islands, which is where the German couple had disappeared. We saw no suspicious activity and had a good trip. However, this area must now be treated with more caution than previously, given the recent history of Abu Sayyef activity there.

GENERAL FACILITIES Provisioning: Most of the supplies and services you will need can be found in Puerto Princessa. There are 3 large western-style supermarkets there (NCCC and Unitop are in town but Robinsons is quite close to 10

Abanico), all with some sort of department store upstairs. NCCC also has a second smaller store at New Market, just north of Robinsons. The fresh food there is often not so fresh, but there is a good range of canned, bottled and dry goods, and it is usually quite uncrowded. There are also several Filipino-style department stores/supermarkets along Rizal Ave in PP. The larger towns like Roxas, Coron and El Nido have basic grocery stores, specialty shops, computer/phone outlets and hardware shops. All the towns have public markets where you can buy fruit and vegetables, and a “wet” market that sells chicken, pork, fish and other seafood. Some markets are open every day but in the smaller places they have set “market days”. There were quite a few items that were either hard to get or impossible to find in Puerto Princessa and the rest of the Palawan/Calamian region. Consider stocking up on items you can’t do without before leaving your last major port or country. We had problems locating: 

 

  

Specialised boat parts, stainless steel fittings, etc. The local engineering shops are often brilliant at repairing or fabricating parts. If you really need to order something, try Broadwater Marine in Cebu (Ph. +63 32 341 0474) or Marine Supplies Asia (+60 (0) 1437 40053). 2 Stroke outboard oil. Some foods – unsweetened bread, wholemeal flour, good margarine/butter, cheeses, salami, wine and spirits, beef, good crackers, muesli, orange juice, UHT milk, Coke Light, pulses like lentils and peas. Deep cycle batteries. Some basic household items like pegs and workable ice cube trays. Larger sized clothing, especially underwear and swimwear.

Banks and ATMS: There are many banks in Puerto Princessa, most with affiliations to the major international banking systems. They charge 200 pesos per transaction for overseas credit and debit cards. Most banks have ATMs where you can get a maximum of 10,000 pesos per day using your credit card, though BPI increased this to a maximum overseas withdrawal of 20,000 pesos in 2013. Some ATMs allow you to make two withdrawals of 10,000 pesos on the one day. Some larger stores and fuel stations have credit card facilities. There were ATMs and banks that we could access in the larger towns like Coron, but not in smaller places like El Nido, Tay Tay or Culion. In most of the larger towns there are also Western Union agencies, pawnshops and moneychangers.

Phone and Internet: Access is unpredictable and patchy but generally if you can see a communication tower (most are red and white) on shore you will get coverage. We found good coverage in some small outlying islands of Palawan yet patchy reception in bigger places like El Nido. PP generally had good coverage from Smart. Coverage in the Calamian Islands was less available than Palawan Island but new towers have been built in 2014 that have greatly improved coverage in Coron using Smart and in Dipoyoi Bay using 11

Globe. Internet coverage (IC) is indicated for the anchorages we used under Facilities in the Anchorages section. In 2012 we purchased a Philippines modem in Puerto Princessa (Smart Bro) for 1250 pesos, and paid for coverage “top ups” of 300 pesos each (these lasted us about 2 weeks of average internet use). A SIM card for our mobile phone, with a small amount of calls included, cost 40 pesos in Rio Tuba. “Topups” or recharges of 100 pesos lasted us quite a while, as we don’t use the phone much. There are many places to purchase reloads for your phone and internet. Many of the local resorts and restaurants of the larger towns offer free wifi.

General Costs: Generally food and drinks are much cheaper here than in Malaysia. In Puerto Princessa in 2014: San Miguel Beer – 680- 750 pesos per carton of 24 cans, 530 pesos for 24 small bottles (+ deposit) Local rum – 75-80 pesos per 750 ml bottle Wine – from 130 pesos per bottle for Chilean or Spanish, 500 - 600 pesos for Australian. Basic foods are very cheap eg 20 pesos for 300 gms salt, 20 pesos for 500 gms sugar, 2-3 pesos per banana, 60-70 pesos per kilo for mangoes, 40 pesos per kg for pumpkin, 15 pesos per kg for watermelon, 30 pesos for a can of tuna, 35 pesos for a loaf of bread. Western food is more expensive – 45 pesos for a hamburger, 25 pesos for a doughnut, 200 pesos for a BBQ chicken. Fuel is more expensive than in Malaysia – diesel was 53 pesos per litre and petrol 63 pesos per litre at Caltex in PP in May 2014.

NAVIGATION We used CMap, raster charts on Open CPN and Navionics on our dedicated navigation laptop computer and the 2011 updated NT+ GPS card for our chart plotter. We also had genuine paper charts. Generally the NT+ card gave more detail than CMap for large scale, and was generally very accurate. It showed all shoals, rocks and reefs quite clearly. The raster electronic charts were also very accurate, depending on scale. CMap appeared fairly accurate, except for some areas, for example: - The NW tip of Rasa Island and just from south of Malanao Island to Peurto Princessa – it was about 0.5 to 1 NM out here. - PP Harbour - It doesn’t show the small Cana Island that is about 1 NM west of the Abanico Yacht Club (9*45.8’N, 118*43.15’E), and the reef en route to the yacht club is actually more shallow than shown.

12

-

-

It was particularly inaccurate around the Verde Islands, Green Islands Bay and Dumaran Passage and on north to Tay Tay Bay, where it missed small islands, showed channels where there were none, etc. it was also somewhat inaccurate around Coron. Accuracy improved on the north-western end of Palawan.

We found Navionics excellent for route planning but its charting was too “approximate” in many places. We had much better small detail using the plotter and other electronic systems.

FLAG Good strong copies of the national flag can be purchased in Puerto Princessa at Emmers Military Store on Rizal Ave, about 1 km west of the Jollibee Fast Food outlet, at a cost of 150 pesos. You may also find flags in the stationery departments of the larger “department stores” in Puerto Princessa. NCCC has good ones for 68 pesos each.

LOCAL TRANSPORT In the SW Philippines the local boats seem well made and maintained. They are often painted bright colours and have inspiring names painted at the front. Many of the larger villages have a small boat building industry. Places like Pt Carmen and Cebu have flourishing boat-building and repair yards which overseas yachts and motor boats access, as the costs are comparatively low. Local craft vary from small outrigger or single hull canoes propelled by sail, paddles, small outboard or inboard, to

larger fishing canoes with two outriggers (called bangkas or “water spiders”), huge bangkas with masts and often three or four sets of outrigger poles each side that work as inter-island ferries or long range fishing vessels, to sturdy and quite large motor boats. These will work as fishing boats, ferries or to transport cargo around the islands. Tricycles are the main form of public transport in all villages and towns. Essentially these are motor bikes with a frame welded on, providing seats to the right of the bike for 2-3 people over the third wheel and an overhead cover. Another passenger or two may sit pillion on the bike. They either work as a taxi or for private hire. They are very cheap though not greatly comfortable. In Coron and Culion the tricycles are more upmarket and have more seats – a double in the back, single in the front and pillion behind 13

the driver, potentially accommodating about or eight seven Filipinos. Long distance buses are usually very beautifully decorated with chrome and colourful shiny duco, but are consistently overloaded and frequently break down. The seats are uncomfortable, there is no air-con and the windows usually don’t close. Motor bikes are the main mode of private transport, and you often see whole families – dad, mum and kids – crowded onto one. Cars are less common but there seem to be many late model vehicles on the roads.

DIVING The main areas for diving are around El Nido and Coron. El Nido has several dive shops and they provide dive trips as well as courses. Comments from another yachtee - “There is nice diving around here. I have chosen to use the local operators to dive at the main dive sights as I find their pricing fair, they are more than competent and always find turtles and other interesting critters. There are some great corals and a lot of schooling fish at the main sites. Not a lot of big fish, but some interesting corals and small coral fishes, a turtle every now and then as well as crayfish and par for the course here, evidence of blasting decimation in some locations.” Coron’s main attraction is the wreck diving. In September 1944 there was a major air attack on part of the Imperial Japanese Fleet that was sheltering around the Busuanga area, and many ships were sunk. Some of these wrecks are easily accessible and most are remarkably well preserved. The wreck of the Japanese oil tanker just off Dipuyoi Bay is an excellent dive – it is relatively shallow at 12M to the deck, and covered with many soft and hard corals, small and mid-sized fish. Lionfish are present in great numbers! The wreck is well preserved and allows for partial penetration. Coron also has many dive resorts, shops and other facilities for divers. We also found good snorkeling on many of the reefs around many of the islands in this region. Coral Bay’s house reef is excellent but the resort charges 300 pesos per person per day for use of their facilities, including the house reef. There is lovely coral and small fish life at the SE corner of Tanget Island and also on the NE corner of Calambuyan Island, where there is a small day resort charging 150 pesos per day. Pass Island has many clams on their small reef – they charge 200 pesos day entry per person. Note: Divers use the American dive flag here.

LANGUAGE Filipino or Tagalog is the main official language. English is the second official language and it is taught in schools, so many people speak English quite well. The locals really appreciate visitors learning some 14

Tagalong and will applaud your efforts and often help. We found the Lonely Planet phrasebook “Filipino” (ISBN 978 1 74104 581 9) excellent, and its size was perfect for keeping in a pocket or bag.

OBSERVATIONS OF GEOGRAPHICAL AREAS Balabac Strait: It is only approximately 25 miles from the tip of Banggi or Balambangan Islands to the southern end of Balabac Island, so it is quite a short crossing. We found it easy enough except for the conflicting swells that make the seas confused at times, especially just off the Balabac Island south coast. The South China Sea usually produces a NW swell, often there can be a SW swell from the east coast of Borneo, and the prevailing NE wind may set up a short chop or swell. It can make for a rolly passage. Watch for shipping at the bottom of Balabac Island – it is a well used route for ships en route to, or coming from, Singapore, Vietnam and China. Also keep an eye out for floating logs in this area. We felt that there was a northerly setting current, about 1 to 1.5 kts, with us as we travelled north across the strait.

Balabac and South-eastern Palawan Island:  

   

The southern end of Balabac Island is quite mountainous then becomes much flatter with mangrove areas in its north. There are dozens of picture-perfect islands off the east coast of this area, especially in the strait between Balabac and Palawan. It is well worth the navigational exercise of evading the many shoals, reefs and cays to travel from Candaraman to Rio Tuba via the strait. It is about 35 miles, fairly similar in distance to the outside route. In March, April and May we noted a gentle, southerly setting current all along the east coast here, at perhaps .5 to 1 knot. We found that in this area, the locals are not great wavers and visitors. The local boats, vehicles, houses, shops etc do not generally display their national flag. There is a higher percentage of Muslims in this area compared to the rest of Palawan. Balabac Town, Rio Tuba and James Brooke Pt. are small towns but with most facilities (local markets, phone and internet connection, shops selling SIM cards, limited groceries, beer). There is a permanent Coast Guard presence at all three towns. While not mandatory, they appreciate a VHF call or a visit to their office with a crew list as you pass through their area.

Clarendon Bay: This bay is very protected - the entrance has significant reef across its eastern side. Access is easy and once inside the bay there is fringing reef but the centre is deep (approx. 8 metres) and clear. People came to the boat to ask for things and to trade with their vegetables, coconuts, crabs and shells. They seem to need the most basic things here. They will ask for sugar, coffee, biscuits, shirts, shorts, shoes, school things, glasses, paracetamol. We found 15

them very friendly and grateful for anything you can give them. They did tell us that there are crocodiles in the bay, so don’t be tempted to jump in. It is possible to walk to the old Melville Pt lighthouse from Clarendon Bay, but you will need a guide. A very enterprising 12 year old named Samsoden offered to take us. It was a quite strenuous walk across the island to the western coast then north and inland, crossing all sorts of terrain. We found the people living on the western side of the peninsula to be very shy and not overfriendly. They seemed to be mainly Christian (the people living around Clarendon Bay are Muslim). We met the lighthouse keeper and his wife, who walked us up the final leg to the lighthouse and showed us around the complex. She said the lighthouse dates back to 1892 and was erected by the Spanish. The tower and outbuildings were in poor repair, but still standing and very interesting to explore. Samsoden then walked us back to the bay by an alternative route, through people’s fields and yards. The whole trip took just under 4 hours and was well worth the effort. Balabac Town: This is a very small town with limited supplies for purchase. The locals are friendly and welcoming. Dinghy access can be obtained at the main wharf or any of the small private piers – no-one seems to mind you using them. Coboang Bay: This small bay is just north of Balabac Bay, and has a narrow entrance with a large reef in the centre, but with good charts it is easy to navigate. This bay provides great shelter from SE winds. We did see a large crocodile moving about the bay, so again, not a great place for a swim. Candaraman Island: This beautiful island is to the east of the northern tip of Balabac Island. It is an excellent anchorage for NE winds – very protected by a significant island and extensive reefs, creating a large lagoon-like area on the west side of the island. We anchored in 15 M over sand and rubble. There are a few fishing and boat-building families living here. They are not over-friendly but don’t seem to mind if you walk along the beach or swim in the lagoon, but “don’t steal the coconuts” as the sign on the beach says. Beware of the isolated bommie on the SE corner of the southern reef around the lagoon. Watch for the large turtle that seems to live in the lagoon. Cabugan Islands: These are small collection of mangrove islands close to the coast of Palawan Island. They offer good protection from the NE wind and amongst them is a good anchorage with almost allround wind protection. We anchored in 15 M over mud. Rio Tuba: There can be a lot of traffic at Rio Tuba and Pt Iglesia, as the copper/nickel mine here attracts many large ships transporting raw materials for the mine, and there are large tug and barge operations here as well. The river entrance is easy to find from the north, between a port marker and 2 sand cays. The entrance is wide and we never had 16

less than 4M at LWS under us. The shallowest part was around the old wharf. Past the port facilities on the north side there is a busy water village with several docks, and on the southern side a few stilt houses over the water. We motored past the village and the entrance to another creek on the right, and anchored in 8M. Beware of the mud bank on the right just past this small creek. There is 10M depth on the left hand side of the river. There are many small shops in the main street and in the water village. It is possible to purchase SIM cards for phone and internet, and to reload current cards here. There are also several bakeries. Market days are Saturdays and Wednesdays, but some stalls in the market area open every day. They sell a great variety of fruit and vegetables, eggs, chicken, fresh pork on market days (go early – no refrigeration!). Dinghy access is by tying up at one of the wharves of the water village. We tied up outside a shop, and purchased something from there on our way home. San Miguel beer is available from larger shops in the water village – 530 pesos for 24 stubbies, incl. bottle deposit in June 2013. All streets are unpaved and there are dogs, goats and fighting cocks everywhere. There are no police/Immigration/Customs in the town, but there is a Coast Guard house. About one km away from the market area (50 pesos return trip in a tricycle) is a paved road provided by the mining company which goes from the main wharf to the mine. There are more shops, businesses and restaurants along this road. This road connects to the “main highway” that continues on to Puerto Princessa. There are buses that travel there daily but it would probably be a long, dusty, uncomfortable trip. We took our dinghy up the river and explored along the small creek for at least a kilometre (saw a macaque monkey in the mangroves) – there are a couple of options for “secure anchorages” close in to the mangroves if a storm developed while in Rio Tuba. James Brooke: We anchored behind the break wall (which isn’t connected to the wharf!) in 3 M over sand/mud. It is a small anchorage, fairly open and passenger ferries, coastguard boats and coastal vessels use the wharf, so you need to leave them room. Not great in any significant wind. Island Bay: There are several islands in this large bay which could provide a comfortable anchorage in fair weather, but you need to weave between some patches of reef and sand cay to get shelter and to be out of any swell. There are lots of fish traps here as well. We overnighted at Ariceffe and Bessie Islands with no problems.

Mid East Palawan Island: 



We found quite a few islands north from PP to the top of Palawan had resorts on them, or they were developing them. Some were welcoming to boats (Reef Island), others not (Puerco Is., Flower Is. Arreciffe Is in Honda Bay). Keep an eye out for small fishing canoes out in the middle of nowhere. There can also be fish traps, bamboo poles and fish nets around. We also saw some large logs floating by.

17

Rasa Island: Because of its shape, Rasa Island offers good protection from both NE and SW winds. There are numerous bamboo stakes in the water around here which sometimes mark the edge of a reef or isolated bommie, or are used in very deep water as fish attractors. It can be a challenge to decide why they are there. It is possible to head north from the western side of the island but take care – there is an extensive reef out from the mainland, and another large reef off the NW tip of the island. Narra Pier/Tando: This is the small town on the coast inside Rasa Island. There is a Coast Guard station here at the main wharf. There seems to be a large population here, and the town extends inland to a larger town (called Narra) on the road between Rio Tuba and Puerto Princessa. It is 30 pesos for two people, one way, from Narra Pier to Narra by tricycle, where there are bigger shops, a large wet market, bike shops and even a BBQ chicken shop! Malanao Island: There is good anchorage to the west of this mangrove island in 6M over mud. There were lots of fish traps, huts and bamboo stick markers on the southern and SW side of the island but they were easy to evade. Our approach to the anchorage showed a consistent gradual shallowing towards the island – no bommies or reef. Puerto Princessa (PP): This is the capital of Palawan Island and has all the facilities of a large town, including Immigration, Customs, an airport, manufacturing businesses, large department stores and supermarkets. Many of the shops and banks have armed security guards at their entrance, though the place has a safe feeling about it. The seas at the entrance to PP harbour can be confused at times with varying tides, swell and sea conditions. Expect a bumpy ride for this area, and if the wind is up, probably don’t tow the dinghy. Most cruising yachts anchor off the Abanico Yacht Club at the NE corner of the harbour. It is a good secure anchorage, very protected, approx. 8-10M depth over sand/mud, and great scenery all about. John and Cissy at the Yacht Club will make you very welcome. Look for the blue roof as you approach the north-eastern section of the harbour. Beware of the reefs to the right of the small island, Cana Island, which is NOT shown on CMap, but is actually at 9*45.8’N, 118*43.15’E. The reefs to its east are shallower than shown on CMap - many yachts end up bumping them. If you transit a line from the main wharves in town to the large communication tower on the northern shore, you should stay in deep water until you reach the anchorage. If unsure, call the yacht club on channel 72 VHF and they will send a dinghy out to guide you in. Membership at this private yacht club is 500 pesos per week. This provides access to the jetty, bar and restaurant, swap library, small workshop, a garbage bin, wifi and lots of local information. There is a small charge for potable water. The dingy wharf is accessible at all tides. Not to be 18

missed is Cissy’s Sunday Buffet Lunch for 350 pesos! Usual meals at the club are 220 to 300 pesos. Note: Take care of your dinghy and outboard here in the anchorage – several have “gone missing” in the past couple of years. Immigration is in a small office on Rizal Ave, near the airport, and Customs is opposite the Pilot Elementary School just off Manola St. Both are quite hard to find – it’s worth getting a tricycle to visit these offices. There are 3 big supermarkets – NCCC has great ham/bacon/pork/beef products, a good variety of groceries, some fruit and veg (though there is better quality at the local market), beer and wine (from Chile, Sth Africa, Australia, cheap – approx. AU$3-10 per bottle). Unitop has a smaller food section but excellent homewares - both have department stores on their upper floors. These are both in town but NCCC also has a smaller supermarket quite close to Abanico, which is much less crowded. Robinson’s a western-style mall with supermarket, department store, many specialty shops and even a cinema! – opened in 2012 and is also quite close to Abanico – just a 30 minute walk or 40 peso tricycle ride away. There are many banks spread out along the western part of Rizal Avenue in town. Metrobank and Bank of Philippines ATMs accepted our cards. There are also excellent engineering workshops that will machine or manufacture at low cost – ask John at Abanico YC for a recommendation. The public markets in town are excellent – very fresh produce and good prices, but it is very busy. There are “new markets” much closer to Abanico, near Robinsons, but with less variety. You can hail a tricycle just up the road from the club. It is a 20 minute, 60 -70 pesos for 2, tricycle ride into town. It is a 15 minute, 40 peso ride to Robinsons. You can also rent a tricycle with driver for your exclusive use for 50 pesos per hour. Ask at the club for Rolan. He can also help you to buy fuel and transport it to the club’s jetty. There are several very good restaurants along the airport end of Rizal Ave. “Ka Lui” has a delightful ambience with great decorations, garden settings, excellent food and service. As well as the a la carte menu they offer a daily “set” with soup, tapas-style dishes of seafood, rice, vegetable and dessert for 395 pesos for two people. Other up-market restaurants are nearby. Fast food outlets are further down Rizal Ave near the NCCC supermarket. An excellent day tour out of Puerto Princessa is to the Underground River at Sabang on the west coast. For 1,500 pesos per person, you are picked up in an air-conditioned van, have the services of an English-speaking guide within a small group, provided with lunch, beach time, transportation to the river by bangka, entry fees, etc. It is a great way to see the interior of the island and visit the underground river. Palawan Holidays is one tour company we used – Ph. 433-8868 or 723-2268. We did some dinghy-touring while in PP. The large creek just north of Cana Island has several tributaries and a lot of bangkas anchor there. There are several excellent options for secure anchoring in typhoon weather in this inlet, and the entrance is easily navigated with a minimum depth of around 4M – see Maps section. The Iwahig River on the west coast of the harbour is deep and wide, navigable 19

for several miles, with interesting scenery (huge old trees, the local prison, an old causeway) and great anchoring options. Unfortunately this waterway has a long shallow bar at its entrance, restricting entry to any vessel with a draft greater than 1.2 M, though locals may know of a deeper channel. We also took the dinghy into town, where we tied up to a small floating pontoon along the new esplanade. Hunda Bay: This area is heavily promoted to local and overseas tourists. While it is worth poking around the islands for a couple of days, we felt it is a little over-rated. Many of the islands are mangrove sand spits with about 2 metres elevation above the high water mark, the water is not so clear and it is quite busy with the hundreds of bangkas carrying tourists to the various resorts and day beaches. There are some lovely day resorts with sandy beaches and shaded foreshores – Makesi (aka Pandan) Island is perhaps the best. We anchored there as a lunch stop, but it may be a bit too open for an overnight anchorage. There are also a couple of up-market resorts where yachtees are not welcome – Arreciffe Island is one of these – and even a touristy turtle “sanctuary” not far from the Hunda Bay Pier. Verde Islands: The waterway behind these low mangrove islands offers excellent protection from wind from all directions. The water looks clean and the people seem friendly, but there are many fish traps between the islands and the mainland. We accessed the bay via the passage between Nth and Sth Verde and the depths in this passage ranged from 6 to 18 M. Green Islands Bay: There are several beautiful islands with good anchoring prospects in this large bay, but navigation can be hard work with all the reefs, rocks, sand cays and islands in this area. We stopped at Reinard, Flat, Puerco and Reef Islands. Reef Island is really beautiful and has some good coral reefs and white sand beaches. The resort has been recently refurbished and welcomes cruising boats, but they ask that you anchor only over sand, to avoid damage to the reef. There is also a white visitor’s mooring buoy you can access for 500 pesos per night. They offer a good variety of meals for around 300 pesos per head and they have a limited bar that opens around 5pm. Flat Island is notable for the thousands of fruit bats that roost here, and take off “en masse” to the south at twilight. They return to their trees before dawn. Dumaran Passage: This provides an easy way north without having to go around Dumaran Island, but it is the start of “pearl farm territory”. These farms are not easy to see until you are close. They use black or white buoys to hold the strings and sometimes floating triangular markers to show the corner of a field of buoys. Just south of Dumaran Passage there is an extensive field of pearl farm buoys but the main area of them is to the east of the approach to the Passage, in the eastern side of the bay. The southern end of the passage between the two pearl fields was at 10*29.16’N, 119*43.57’E in March 2013 - there were only a few strings of buoys to the west of the main channel, much less than in 2012. 20

There are some small passages cutting across the eastern fields, giving access to Dumaran Island without going all the way around the pearl farm. We anchored overnight to the south and west of the passage, between the coast and a small reef. To reach the Passage from this anchorage we travelled to the north-west of this small reef, avoiding the pearl farm altogether, and this small passage was clear all the way from our anchorage to Dumaran Passage, with never less than 5 M depth. We also anchored on the west coast of Dumaran Island, between the island’s coast and the eastern edge of the pearl farm, to gain protection from strong ENE winds.

North-eastern Palawan Island: 





Pearl farms start just south of Dumaran Passage, and are scattered in various bays north of there. Some are very extensive, and block off easy access to whole islands and bays. They all generally have a marked passage through them. The pearl farm security people don’t like yachts near their farms, and will usually ask you to move on. Some of the pearl farms seem to move their strings about and either increase or decrease their pearl stings from year to year, so exact co-ordinates of the fields may not hold true. In the far north-eastern area of Palawan there are many beautiful tropical islands, white sandy beaches and spits, protected anchorages, etc, but there are also many rocks, marked and unmarked, which exist off island reefs and in the middle of deep water. Some are only just above water. Be very careful navigating this area, and probably don’t travel at night or in poor weather. Many of the islands have small resorts on them, but they generally don’t welcome drop-in boating visitors.

North Dumaran Passage: Through Dumaran Passage and around the Capsalon reefs and islands there are scattered strings of pearl buoys, without any corner markers, to both east and west of the main shipping channel north. These fields were much more extensive in 2011, with many corner markers and an obvious path through them. In March 2013 we found quite a few buoys not attached to strings, and some almost crossing the main passage way for shipping. A good anchorage can be found here on the southern side of Sth Channel Island, a picturesque small coral island with sand spits and apparently some good snorkeling off the beach. Dumaran Island: This large island is quite populated with several large villages along its coast. There are several deep bays on the southern side that offer good anchorages. Langcan Bay in particular is well protected and if you follow the channel up into its upper reaches it could be an excellent storm anchorage. The four islands on Dumaran’s NE corner are lovely and would be interesting to explore in good weather. Some yachtees avoid the many reefs and pearl farms north of Dumaran by travelling to Dumaran’s east coast than heading north towards Linapacan or the Cabulauan Islands in open water. Bay Point Coves: Just north of Dumaran Passage there is a series of coves to the west of a promontory called Bay Point on some maps, and these coves are very protected and of good depth once you are in 21

them. We stayed in the second cove at 10*39.2N, 119* 38.7’E which was very comfortable. The next cove to the west could be regarded as a very secure anchorage as it provides all-round protection. Take care negotiating the reef between these coves and the main passage north from Dumaran Passage. From Paly Island to just south of Icadambanuan Island there is another pearl farm, well marked with corner posts. If you cruise close to the eastern edge of the field you will avoid some off-lying reefs, though a couple of these are quite close to the edge of the pearl lease. The SE corner of the pearl farm is at 10*42.70’N, 119*39.33’E, the NE corner at 10*46.20’N, 119*38.24’E. Icadambanuan Island: This island has several very good anchorage options in the bays on the western side, and we enjoyed the opportunity to explore this area by dinghy. We visited a beautiful beach on a small island just off the eastern edge of Icadambanuan, and also circumnavigated Castle Rock to the north. We have found the people on this island very friendly and likely to visit you if you anchor there. While anchored in the northern inlet we noticed a huge number of fruit bats taking off at twilight. It took about 25 minutes for the “flock” to pass overhead. On the south-western coast of Icad. Island is a small resort. Friends called in there and reported the staff were very friendly and accommodating. They were included with the resort guests at dinner for a very reasonable price. Tay Tay Bay: This huge bay has some spectacular limestone islands and islets. Castle Rock and Elephant Island are excellent examples. There are also many small islands, islets and reefs within the bay, especially towards Tay Tay town. Several of the larger islands in the bay have resorts on them and they are generally not happy about cruising boats visiting. Apilut Island has a very upmarket resort and the security staff was quite clear with us that we were not welcome there. We did swim off the sand spit on Quimbalodan Island, and also snorkeled on the fringing reef on the SE corner of the island – this seems to be a day beach for Apilut Island. There is a good anchorage in a deep bay at the northern end of Tay Tay Bay, at the SE corner of Maytiguid Island, but there are rocks and reefs within the bay to avoid. As you are crossing Tay Tay Bay look for the “Hollywood” style sign over the main town! The coast of Tay Tay town is fairly open roadstead but in good weather you can weave between the reefs and anchor in front of the town. The anchorage there is tight and open to any NE swell, but dinghy access is easy and there are quite a few shops and a market to reprovision. The town is well-worth visiting – it has an interesting old Spanish fort – Santa Isabel Fort – dating back to 1667 and the Santa Monica Church has parts also dating back to that era. 22

In the north-west corner of Tay Tay Bay is a smaller bay called Silanga Bay. We found a great anchorage there in a calm inlet off the village of Maytiguid. The people there seemed quite friendly but did not bother us. At the head of Silanga Bay is the Tanguinui Channel, which is navigable by yacht, and leads to Shark Fin Bay. The channel was relatively easy to navigate, with depths of 5-12 M and just one rock to avoid, at around 11* 02.863’N, 119*33.538’E. This rock is about mid-channel and lies approx. 1.5 M deep at mid neap tide. One section of this channel would make an excellent typhoon anchorage, as it is “closed off” from either end by the turns within it. To the east of Tay Tay Bay and west of Init Island there is another huge pearl farm, which extends north up to Butacan (also called Flower) Island. There is a clear passage through it (southern entrance to the passage is at 11*02.6’N, 119* 39.12’E, and the northern entrance is 11* 06.65’N, 119* 38.1’E) but the farm blocks easy access to several small bays on islands to its east. We did anchor at Butacan/Flower Island, which had an obviously up-market resort in the SW bay. Security staff from the nearby pearl farm visited and advised us we could not stay here (though other yachtees were welcomed just days later!). Around this area there are many up-market resorts on various islands. Shark Fin Bay: This bay is to the west of Flower Island and north-west of the large pearl farm in this area. There are several small bays suitable as anchorages, but there are many isolated reefs and rocks within the bay, so care is needed (we motored over a 3 metre patch where the chart showed depths of 28-30 metres!). There are however no pearl or weed farms in the bay. The southern end of one of these bays connects to Silanga Bay and Tay Tay Bay via the Tanguinui Channel. There is another passage leading to the north-eastern tip of Palawan via Imorigue Bay, to the west of Imorigue and Talaotauan Islands. Imorigue Island – another spectacular limestone kaast island – has excellent anchorage options on its east and west sides. Binulbulan Island: This is a pretty coastal island at the top of the east coast where we found a good anchorage in 7 M over sand and weed, with sandy beaches, nice fringing reef, but in July 2013 there was a small pearl farm along the west coast of the island! If there is a significant swell from the northeast, it will roll down both sides of this island. Cabuli Passage: This channel between the tip of Palawan and Cabuli Island is easily navigated unless there is a heavy sea and significant swell. We found the shallowest depth – 7 m – at the eastern end of the passage. Nacpan/Bucana Beach: Situated on the western coast, this beautiful long beach is in the northern part of a wide bay that extends down to Cape Crawford. If you motor over reef at about 5-6 M depth there is a wide corridor of sand close to the beach, at about 4-5 M depth, which provides a good anchorage in calm conditions.

El Nido, Corong Corong & Linapacan: These twin towns on the far north western coast are not to be missed. The scenery here is spectacular. There are quite a few tourists here and the place 23

seems to be expanding quickly. We were surprised at the difference between our visits here in 2011 and 2013. However, with the increased building and tourist trade come great bars and restaurants, better access to Puerto Princessa by air and road, excellent local markets and good internet connection. It is also still possible to buy some nice pearls at good prices from local sellers on El Nido beach at sunset. Both towns have good anchorages for differing prevailing wind. The local markets are on the Corong Corong side of the saddle separating the two towns and the shops, bakery, hotels and tourist activities are in El Nido. It cost 20 pesos for two people to travel via tricycle from one to the other in 2013. There are many tour companies offering tours of the surrounding area by bangka, which cost between 700 and 1000 pesos per person, lunch included. We found it easy enough to do our own tours by dinghy or with our boat Solita, using a local map (see El Nido Maps section at the end of this guide).

Corong Corong: Most yachts anchor here, in 5-12 M over sand/mud. Some people have found the holding is not good here, so take care when anchoring. The local markets are an easy walk from the beach at the head of the bay. They are open every day but the main market days are Wednesday and Saturday. The bus depot is by the markets, with buses heading south for most major towns at regular intervals during the day. An air-conditioned Roro bus to Puerto Princessa cost 483 pesos per person in 2013 and takes 6 hours. Local jeepneys are cheaper and slower. An interesting day excursion is to catch the bus to Tay Tay, just 60 kms and 90 minutes away, on the east coast of Palawan. The road is pretty rough, much of it unsealed, but the Roro bus cost just 100 pesos and a shuttle bus 150 pesos, one way. The old Spanish fort and the Santa Monica Church are well worth seeing and the drive gives you some nice views of parts of the Malampaya Sound en route. In Corong Corong there is a village pump for non-potable water just east of the water village in the bay. A laundry service is very close to the pump – the Jodylyn Laundry. They charge 80 pesos per kilo, which was double the Coron rate, and it was not as well folded. There are a few sari-sari stores and a fuel station (which sells diesel and petrol) in Corong Corong, but no decent grocery stores. There is also a wonderful little beach with shady trees and a small sari-sari hut selling cool beer and soft drinks, just 2 beaches around the coast on the way to El Nido. The beach is great for swimming. The next beach along has a small day resort on it, but you are allowed to swim and snorkel free, and use the beach

24

up to the fence.

El Nido: You can anchor off the beach here in about 4-5 M, but it is very crowded with tourist bangkas. Access past the outlying fringing reef is via a marked buoy on the western edge of the bay. On the western edge of the beach by the wharf is a fuel depot with beach access, selling diesel and petrol. (Diesel cost 55 pesos per litre in March 2013.) The main beach is lined with small pensions, cottages and bar/restaurants. The town is directly behind them, and is now about 3-4 blocks deep. With the recent growth there are now several large grocery stores, a few stores selling liquor, some boutiques with beachwear and beauty products, a couple of stalls selling crepes, as well as many restaurants and various types of accommodation. Food shopping is surprisingly good here, with a couple of large and many small grocery stores with a reasonable variety of products. Even wine is plentiful and reasonably priced here. The Tourist Office in the main street has maps of the local area, and the Art Café, a well-known café/restaurant one street back from the water, also has many brochures with local maps and a tour booking service. El Nido’s Fiesta is usually held for 3 days in mid March, and includes many local sporting events, a parade, an Opening Ceremony, street markets and food stalls. Note: We found no ATMs here in March 2013, though it is planned that a bank with ATM will open soon. So bring cash. There are moneychangers but the rates are not great. The Art Café and El Nido Fuel Station may provide cash advances with purchases.

Linapacan Island: This beautiful island is just NE of the tip of Palawan Island and has many bays and off-lying islands, islets and rocks, so care is needed while navigating around here. West Bay offers a very protected anchorage and though it is not too scenic, there are stunning small islands and beaches within dinghy distance. On the southern approach to West Bay there is a narrow pearl farm with a passage through it and another small field along the western coast of Gentu Island. There were also some pearl strings at the entrance to West Bay in July 2013. There are two floating huts within West Bay - they seem to be associated with the pearl farm outside the bay. South Bay also has a protected anchorage but there were seaweed farms close to the entrance in 2011 and we did not visit. North Bay offers several good anchorages but there is a large pearl farm in the centre of the bay. We anchored past the pearl field in a cove at the eastern end of the bay, and the pearl farm people were OK with that. On the bay side of the eastern headland of North Bay there are some small caves well worth exploring by snorkel or kayak. Best time to explore is at half to three quarter tide, incoming. It is a fairly level 10 m depth over sand and coral rubble just off the caves if you want to anchor there.

25

North West Bay is also very protected with several good anchoring options, and only a very small pearl farm near the entrance to the bay. There are several pretty beaches and a large town within the bay. A couple of the deep coves within North West Bay could be deemed “very secure anchorages”.

Cabulauan Islands: This small group of islands are north-east of Linapacan. The water here seems very clear and the islands are quite pretty, with many beautiful white sandy beaches. Several look quite uninhabited. There are large villages on Cabulauan and Nangalao Islands which would probably supply basic food items. The folk we met at Nangalao were very friendly and asked us to visit their village.

Calamian Islands:  



 



Be prepared to enjoy stunning scenery, friendly people, wonderful sunsets, great anchorages and no crowds every day. There are pearl farms and seaweed farms scattered about the island group but they seem to be better marked with wider and more obvious passages through them than those off Palawan Island. There are many dive sites, especially west of Coron and between Coron and Culion Islands. There are dive shops in the main town of Coron and attached to most resorts. There was a lot of military action here during WW2 and consequently now many underwater wrecks. The pearl farms, many fish traps and huts, partly submerged rocks and isolated shoals make navigation a bit of a challenge, and moving at night unwise. There are very many small bays and passages that could provide very secure anchorages if a big storm developed. They need to be explored initially, as often their depth or a reef will mean they are unsuitable. Some secure anchorages are listed in the Very Secure Anchorages section of this guide. We found that in July, August and September many of the resorts close down, as it is the rainy season and the tourist season is very quiet at this time.

Culion Island: This is the second largest island in the group – it is a large and hilly island with deep bays. On the south-eastern side there are many beautiful small islands, some with amazing sand spits on their western coasts. Some have resorts but the more southern islands do not. Ditaytayan Island – off the SE coast - is relatively uninhabited. It has a lovely bay on its western side with good options for anchoring during the NE monsoon season, and a large sand spit at its NW corner. There is also a beach on its NE coast – a possible anchorage during the SW monsoon. The island is said to be “owned” so the “security guard” may ask for a fee of 150 pesos per night to anchor there. In the passage between Culion and Tambon Island there are many small pearl fields, but there is clear passage through them. This is a very scenic route. There are many small bays and navigable passages between Culion, Marily and Lamud Islands though you will need good charts to navigate. Some of the small bays would provide secure anchorage in bad weather. Unfortunately there seem to be a growing number of small pearl fields in this area. 26

The western coast of Culion Island is very attractive, but watch for small bangkas, fish traps and Bare Rock, barely breaking the surface at high tide! - off the southern tip of Galoc Is. Culion Town: This is the main town of Culion Island, situated on its north-eastern coast. While there is very little tourist development the island has retained remnants of an old Spanish fort on the hill by the church, hospital and school. Stones from the old fort were used to build the church in the 1900s. Some of the buildings erected in the hospital district when Culion was a large leper colony, initiated in 1906, still exist and there are numerous small information plaques erected around the town that give information about many of the buildings – a self-guided historic walking tour of the town is a must! We found no large stores here but there are many sarisari stores which sell some vegetables, eggs, beer, fruit and bread, as well as basic groceries. There is also a small market at the western end of the waterfront. There are several small restaurants which we found shut on Sundays. The Maya Hotel, overlooking the waterfront, is probably the only “western-style” bar/restaurant here. The local restaurant “Aljohn” on the waterfront is very clean and provides a limited menu but very good food. The government is rebuilding the hospital next to the church on the hill, and friends who accessed it reported excellent service from the doctors and technicians there. Typhoon Haiyan caused extensive damage to many building in the town, including the church and hospital. In March 2014 some of the roof of the new hospital building was still damaged, with sheets of corrugated iron rolled back like a sardine can lid. We anchored in the cove to the east of the town – there is good holding in 14 metres towards the end of the bay. Dinghies can be tied to one of several stone piers in front of the town or on a small beach in front of the Elementary School. Just north of Culion Town is a series of interlocking bays, some with pearl farms but some are amazingly empty. There are definitely potential typhoon holes in this myriad of waterways – we anchored overnight at Kalalalingday Bay. While it does have some reef within the bay, it was quite easy to navigate with good charts and it is virtually landlocked. Halsey Harbour: This is a huge harbour on the south-western side of Culion Island with many protected bays, scenic beaches and islets. When coming across the Linapacan Strait, the southern entrance is very obvious, with several huge jagged rocks off Alava Island on the left side. There is deep water through this passage on the southern side of Alava Island. The northern passage is also deep. The harbour is surrounded by tall hills and there does not seem to be much flat and arable land here. Unfortunately much of the harbour is very deep and finding a shallow anchorage can be difficult. We found a comfortable and very secure anchorage at the end of the northern arm of the bay in 15M over

27

mud. This anchorage had another significant advantage – a local fisherman brought us about a kilo of huge live king prawns and 3 big mud crabs – all for 900 pesos. We also anchored at the entrance of the southern arm, over rocks at 10-12 M, and this was a very comfortable anchorage even in high NE wind. We explored a long way down this arm by dinghy – it is very scenic and protected. We found a probable typhoon hole about .5Km in, on a stretch of flat mud bottom at 5-6 M (See Secure anchorage section). Past this the arm became quite shallow, though a dinghy could continue for .5km or so. There are many protected bays within the harbour – there are 3 listed in the Very Secure Anchorages section. Popototan Island: This island due north of Culion Island has a small resort in its southern bay called Coral Bay Resort. They are welcoming to yachtees but do have fees. In 2014, if you use their mooring, it costs 200 pesos per day. It is free to anchor, and we found good holding in mud at 16M. There is an excellent home reef in front of the resort but in March 2014 they charged 300 pesos per person per day to snorkel, to use their wifi, bar/restaurant, toilets and showers. There is also a small souvenir shop and massage room, and they will give you a free map of the walking trails of the island at reception.

Busuanga Island: This is the largest of the Calamian Islands, and hosts Coron Town, the main town in this region. The regional airport is also on Busuanga Island. The southern side of the island appears drier than Coron and Culion Islands – it seems to be in a rain shadow from Mindoro and Culion Islands. The road system is fairly basic and most of the roads are unsealed away from Coron Town, though the National Highway from Coron Town to Old Busuanga is currently being sealed. There are many smaller islands, beaches and bays around Busuanga suitable as anchorages for cruising boats in either of the two monsoon periods – take your pick! Several islands, both close to Coron and further afield, have resorts on them, and most are definitely yacht-friendly. Many bays have pearl or seaweed farms in them, so you may need a back-up anchoring plan when heading off.

West Coast: There are some small towns along the south-west coast – Conception, Salvation and Old Busuanga but they can be difficult to reach because of shallow off lying reef. There are many beautiful islands just off the coast and a couple has large towns on them. Black (or Malajon on the charts) Island, just north of the populated Talampulan Island, is an impressive limestone kaast island, and is often visited by tourists because of its beaches, caves and reef. Calauit Safari Park: This is situated on the NW tip of Busuanga Island, on Calauit Island. The island is a huge natural reserve for African and local animals – an unlikely attraction, but one well worth visiting. The main attractions are the free-roaming giraffes and zebras, as well as the 800 or so cute little Calamian deer. Apparently the park was a

28

President Marcos initiative, to help relocate and protect several species of African wildlife. There is an excellent anchorage in the inlet between Calauit and Busuanga Islands, and entrance to the park is within this inlet in a small mangrove basin towards the western end, on the Calauit Island side. Entry fees in July 2013 were: 400 pesos entry fee per person, 1,000 pesos for the optional vehicle safari tour (around 2 hours) – the cost is shared between the number of participants, and 200 pesos optional giraffe food contribution. We toured both by vehicle and on foot, and preferred the latter. There were also great options for dinghy-touring here. We travelled along the creek that separates Calauit from Busuanga through to the north-eastern end. The bay at the western end of Calauit Island has many sandy beaches to swim from, and Little Black Island, one of the small kaast islands in the bay, has some small caves.

North Coast: The northern coast of Busuanga Island seems to be less visited by yachtees, perhaps because it is open to the NE winds, and during the SW monsoon there is a lot of rain on this coast. There are, however, many protected coves, bays and inlets along this shore, and we found the only pearl farms were on the southern and eastern side of Cabilauan Island, at the bottom of Pt Caltom. They definitely did not welcome cruising boats there in July 2013. There are many stunning offshore islets and small rocky islands, often with sandy spits and beaches. The El Rio Y Mar Resort is yacht-friendly with reasonable fees, great amenities and is in a well-protected cove at the top of Pt Caltom. For a fee of 200 pesos per day (in July 2013) you can use their moorings, pool, games room (pool table, table tennis, volley ball, darts, etc) book swap library, bar/restaurant, spa and dive centre.

East Coast: While not spectacularly beautiful, this short coastline has some lovely islands and inlets along it. This area doesn’t seem to be very populated, though the coast would only be 10 or 15 miles over unsealed road from Coron Town. Minangus Bay has two entrances but the northern one would be difficult to navigate, with its many scattered shallow reefs and seaweed farms. We found a very protected anchorage in Minangus Bay after entering via the southern channel. Pt Borac is easily accessed and its bay provides an excellent secure anchorage. There are several small island groups off the east Busuanga coast that look pristine, but we did not explore them. We suspect it may be difficult to find shallow anchorages off their shores. 29

South Coast: This is the busiest area of Busuanga Island, with the main town of Coron and many interesting bays, islands and resorts sited there. Dupuyoi Bay: This is an amazing double bay on the southern coast of Busuanga Island and due north of Culion Island. It is a natural river mouth and the moorings in the second bay are very protected. In April 2014 the entrance was well-marked with port & starboard markers. There are three boat-friendly resorts here. The Puerto Del Sol Resort provides several moorings for visiting yachts. The fee for the moorings is 250 pesos per day or free if you use the resort’s bar and restaurant. You can even use their pool! The food is good though some of the drink prices are a little expensive. To book for a meal there call on 0920 2961274, or just walk in. Puerto Del Sol has also installed 5 cyclone mooring buoys in the next bay, which are available for US$130 per month. One of these moorings has a water line attached, and you are able to buy potable water for 500 pesos. The river which empties into these bays is also navigable by dinghy or catamaran for quite a long way, with the shallowest draft of 0.5M at LWS at its entrance but greater depths inside. Opposite Puerto Del Sol is another small resort – Al Faro - which offers about 8 cottages as accommodation, a horizon-style pool, bar and restaurant in an amazing setting, at relatively good prices. The buildings are interestingly quirky, the gardens lovely and the sunset views are incredible! The owner Jimmy and his wife are also very welcoming to people from boats in the bay. It’s best to pre-book meals there on Ph 0908 8658987 or 0920 2949138.

The newest resort, Busuanga Bay Lodge, opened mid 2013 and is very up market with European styling. Its accommodation includes 6 casitas, 4 deluxe casitas & 3 suites, with another 24 rooms due to be completed by late 2014. The bar/restaurant, with horizon pool area, is high on the hillside with great views. Prices here are more expensive than the other two but management welcomes visiting yachtees. They have opened a very small marina with dive shop and bulk fuel. To buy fuel you must join their “club” - this probably makes fuel purchases too expensive for passing yachts.

30

Just 1km out off the entrance to Dupuyoi Bay is a WW2 wreck – a Japanese oil tanker sunk in 1944 lying in 25M, with the top at 10M (marked with 1 black and 1 white buoy). In the first part of the bay there is also a post-war seaplane lying on a beach. The only drawback with Dupoyoi Bay as an anchorage is the restricted internet and phone coverage, though wifi works at the three resorts. In early 2014 Globe opened a new tower on Horse Island and this now enables Globe customers to access the internet and phone here in Dupoyoi. Just one mile or so north of Dupoyoi Bay is the small town of Conception. While there is significant shallow reef in front of the town it is easily accessible by dinghy. There are several sari-sari stores here with eggs, some fresh fruit and vegetables and some grocery items. On the waterfront there are two small resorts – the Pier House and Conception Dive Centre, which has a tiny beach where you can anchor a dinghy. Just a few metres up the road is Mike and Anne’s café, with very friendly staff and a great menu. Pass Island is a beautiful small island about 4 miles south-west of Dupoyoi. There are day-use facilities there, including a lovely beach and small reef with many clams. It is well-kept but the managers do charge a higher –than-usual fee - 200 pesos per person, and 100 pesos for use of a shade house. Tanget Island is another limestone karst island just off the south coast of Busuanga, between Dupoyoi Bay and Coron. It has several wrecks around it and is popular with the dive boats, but we found a couple of quiet and reasonably shallow anchorages on the eastern side of the island (see Anchorages section). The fringing reef is excellent for snorkeling here, and there is a small shallow wreck of a Japanese gunboat at 11*58.47’N, 120*04.75’E. This wreck gets very busy during the day with many bangkas bringing tourists. There is a lovely beach on the SE corner of the island, with a mooring sited in a natural bay in the fringing reef, but this area is apparently private and connected to Tanget Island Resort. Coron Town: This is the main town in the island group and is quite busy. Diving tourism is big here, with many resorts, dive shops and boats. Tour companies also offer a variety of day trips by bangka to places around the area. There are daily flights to Manila, flights 3-4 times weekly to Cebu and almost daily boat transfers to El Nido. There was a ferry service between Manila, Coron and Puerto Princessa once weekly in March 2014. The town is well set out with many tricycles offering travel within the town for 10 pesos. There is a comfortable and safe feeling about the place and the locals are very friendly. Best of all, there was no karaoke booming out all night. The town bustles until about 9pm then it is pleasantly quiet. Beware of the reefs within the harbour and in Coron Passage. There are also many moorings and some floating ropes – we caught one unbuoyed mooring line in our prop. The approach to Coron from the west via Port Usen has fewer obstacles than the southern approach. Anchoring: You can anchor just off the town, behind the fringing reef in 9-10 M but watch for moorings, floating lines and small scattered reefs. There can be a lot of boat wash here while the 31

tourist bangkas are working and it is open to southerly winds. Boats can also anchor off the old port area, just south of the main wharf (depths 12-20 M), but it is also quite busy there. An alternative anchorage that provides more protection from most winds and that has less boat traffic is the bay to the north-west of the small island at the northern end of Coron Bay, where there are many concrete pilings for a future marina. There is good holding here in 6-8 M. The small resort on the island – Discovery Island – is very casual and their meals and drinks are fairly priced. Their wifi usually reaches to boats in the anchorage. Alan and Little Mama, the owners, welcome yacht crews into the bar/restaurant of the resort, where there is a small beach for dinghies. The downside is a longer dinghy ride to town. Alternatively park your dinghy along the nearby seawall and walk or catch a tricycle into town. From March 2014 Discovery Island Resort is offering free non-potable water to yachtees, accessible from a tap by their restaurant. They hope in the near future to be able to offer drinking water for sale as well. Dinghy access in town can be awkward with so many bangkas around. SeaDive Resort has a small water “alley” beside their building with steps up to their pathway. They seem to be happy for yacht crews to use this if you also use their bar/restaurant occasionally, but watch for floating ropes there. Provisioning: The public “wet” market (fish, chicken, pork, etc) and fruit and vegetable markets are situated around the Plaza administration building and the central Gateway Hotel off Don Pedro St. There is no western-style supermarket, but many sari-sari stores and small groceries where you can buy odds and sods. There are two local “supermarkets” at the eastern end of Don Pedro St and another one called Peechies in a narrow street between the Plaza and the port, where you can buy most basic items. For more exotic items you can try Twiggy’s in Real St, which has a good selection of packaged and canned goods, wine, beer and spirits, though they are expensive. There is also Eurofoods Phils in Real St - it offers European foods for quite reasonable prices (muesli, jars of various beans, peas and fruit, mashed potato mix, German beer, pretzels, wine, etc) and Cima, in the grounds of the Ice Plant on the National Highway, at the airport end of town (frozen sausages, ham, bacon, tinned vegetables & pickles, cheap wine). Cima extended their range of foods in early March 2014, so there is also frozen bread, pizza bases, cheeses, beef mince, frozen salmon and other yummies. There are at least three laundry services in the main street (Don Pedro St), four bakeries, numerous hardware stores and various other shops and services. Eating Out: There are many restaurants and restobars in Coron offering mediocre food at variable prices but we have found a few that we thought were worth recommending. 

Sirenettas, on the waterfront but accessed by a walkway from the National Highway – great location and ambience, with consistently good food.

32

   

Winnies, between Neptune Dive Shop and LBC on the National Highway - offers a mix of tasty local Pinoy food and western/Swiss German food, at very reasonable costs Coron Bistro on the National Highway in town, opposite where Don Pedro St starts – has a huge menu with many French-inspired choices. Calle Real, at the Coron Eco-Lodge in Real St – has an interesting and varied menu, yummy food, with clean and modern furnishings and surprisingly good prices. Blue Moon Café– on the corner of the National Highway and Rosario St is great for lunch or late night munchies.

Coron has four banks with ATMs – BPI on the National Highway in town near LBC, Land Bank on the Highway east of town and Allied Savings and Metrobank on Don Pedro St. Internet and cell phones both work well here. There are many places to reload your SIM cards. Sin Tech, on the National Highway, Sinamay, about 1 km east of town and opposite a fuel station, offers an excellent range of computer services, printing, laminating, book binding, fax and email. Beer is readily available at most sari sari stores, but check prices as they differ greatly from store to store. Rum and other local spirits are also cheap and easy to find. Wine is more difficult to buy, and expensive. Twiggy’s, EuroPhils, Cima and some of the larger grocery stores sell Californian or Chilean wine. Red wine is more available than white for some reason. Refueling: You can buy diesel and petrol at the port area behind the main wharf where there is an obvious but now defunct tank farm. There is a concrete ramp that offers easy access for dinghies at all tides. In January 2013 they charged around 50 pesos per litre for diesel, 40 pesos for petrol. Alternatively, you can take drums by tricycle to any of the three fuel stations in town, and load these into your dinghy at the town wharf beside the markets. In March 2014 diesel at the town’s fuel stations was 53-55 pesos per litre . You can arrange to come alongside the main wharf for a minimal fee, and organise a fuel company to bring 200 litre drums down to the wharf for you, but we rarely saw available space on the wharf. Things to see and do: The tourist side of things is very busy here but there are some fantastic sights you shouldn’t miss. The north coast of Coron Island is well worth a visit – either by bangka or dinghy. The snorkeling areas of Siete Pecados and Twin Peaks actually have some very good coral and fish life. The Makinit Hot Springs is interesting – accessible by dinghy/bangka, bike or tricycle. The wreck dives throughout the area should entice divers – the cost of a commercial trip from Coron is not that expensive. Motor bike rentals are available for half or full day, so you can explore inland areas. The views from the top of Mt Tapyas offer a 360 degree panorama of the town area after the strenuous 700+ step climb. And of course there are many, many restaurants to try!

Coron Island: The northern coastline of Coron Island, just opposite the town, is quite spectacular with clear water, many protected and semi-enclosed lagoons, great coral reef, sandy beaches and freshwater lakes. The distances along this coast make it easy to explore via dinghy, or else rent a bangka. There are admission charges for the freshwater lakes (100 & 200 pesos pp) and a couple of the beaches, but the rest is easily accessible and free. Several of the small protected bays would make excellent storm refuges if the entrance allows enough draft. Most of the bays have a “bar” of reef 33

across their entrances with a depth of around 1.5 to 2M, but there are some without this reef bar (eg. the left hand entrance to Kayangan Lake and behind the island which lies in front of the western part of Twin Lagoon). It can be quite busy with tourist bangkas along this coastline but it is worth the effort to see this area. Barracuda and Kayangan Lakes are amazing (though it’s quite a hike to Kayangan Lake), the snorkeling areas have some lovely coral (not many fish though), the water is usually crystal clear and the rock formations are spectacular. At the northern end of the west coast there are several white sandy beaches that have been set up as “day beaches” for the tourist bangkas, but they will also welcome yachtees in dinghies, for a small fee. These beaches are very clean and usually have a good area for swimming and snorkeling. The rest of the island is steep-to, with some small beaches along its western side and a large bay on its south-eastern tip, which may be accessible to shallow draft vessels. This island seems to be fairly unpopulated.

34

CORON TOWN MAP

The main anchorage is in front of the town, to the left of the public market area on the map. Please note there are many reefs throughout this area and two fringing reefs between this anchoring area and town access. An alternative anchorage – more protected – can be found to the NW of Discovery Island, where there is good holding in mud at 6-8 M. Dinghies can be left safely in the waterway by Sea Dive (perhaps ask as a courtesy, and use their bar/restaurant occasionally) or by the public dock area, though this is generally full of tourist bangkas. Fuel can be bought in the port area behind the main wharf.

35

VERY SECURE ANCHORAGES IN CORON TOWN AREA

Note: All ancho rages have access to them at depth s greate r than 4M, thoug h there may be reefs to

be negoti ated aroun d to reach them.

PU ER TO PRI NC ESSA TOWN MAP 36

37

VERY SECURE ANCHORAGES IN PUERTO PRINCESSA

Note: Iwahig River anchorage suitable for shallow draft vessels only - wide bar at entrance has greatest depth of 1.2 M at mid tide neaps. Curamuran Bay has access depths of at least 4M to all sites. 38

EL NIDO MAPS

Tour company map showing their day trips around the El Nido area. They are relatively inexpensive but we explored these areas in our own boat and by dinghy with no problems.

39

40

ANCHORAGES:

Balabac/SouthEastern Palawan area

Anchorages Clarendon Bay 7*48.9’N 117*1.3’E Dalawan Bay 7*53.32’N 117*04.42’E Balabac Town 7*59.5’N 117* 4.15’E Coboang Bay 8*0.9’N 117*4.1’E Candaraman Is. 8*4.6’ N, 117’ 5.8’ E Cabugan Islands 8* 23.8’N, 117’ 15.8’S Okayan River 8* 30.6’N, 117* 27.6’E Rio Tuba/Tuba River 8* 30.5’N, 117* 25.5’E Sir James Brook 8* 46.2’N, 117* 49.5’E

Access Easy – watch reefs both sides of entrance and conflicting currents out from entrance Easy

Easy

Holding/depth Protection Facilities Excellent – From all directions but None but friendly villagers will 6-8 M over mud SE to S probably visit, to trade or sell fish, veg & fruit. Take trade goods. No IC. Very good – 9From all directions but None. No IC. Sandy beach at back of 10 M over NE thru E to SE. bay, many local gardens. sand/mud Excellent – From all directions Town, shops, Ph & internet coverage 6m over mud except NE-E (IC). Some submerged rocks against the shore to east of town jetty. IC. Excellent but From all directions None, very few people living here, deep – 18 M except E. but there is an enormous crocodile over mud. living in this bay.

Easy but narrow passage thru fringing reef at entrance, watch for central reef within bay Easy – 1 small isolated bommie Excellent – 15M on SW corner over sand/rubble OK – circuit islands for depth Excellent – 15M wanted over mud OK – negotiate around fish traps, watch depth – it is very shallow in river. Easy – enter between markers and sand cays. Least draft is 45 M at old wharf at river mouth. Easy, but it is very shallow in anchorage behind rock wall.

Excellent for N to SE wind & swell Excellent for all wind & swell

Beautiful island, beaches, snorkeling, patchy IC. Locals are not overfriendly here. None but good cyclone anchorage.

Excellent – 3M over mud

Fair from NW to NE wind, some swell

None but IC good.

Excellent – 8M over mud

Excellent for all directions of wind and swell

Town/market, able to buy SIM cards, reload phone & internet. Cyclone anchorage, IC. Access to PP via road .

Excellent – 3m over mud

V. good for SW to NE wind, some swell

Small town, IC, access to PP via road.

41

Arrecife Island Island Bay 9* 5.5’N, 118* 9.4’E Bessie Island 9*4.23’N 118*8.13’E

Mid East Coast

NW corner of Island Bay 9*6.6’N, 118*9.4’E Rasa/Tando/ Narra Pier 9* 14.5’N, 118* 24.3’E Rasa Island - NW 9* 15.1’N 118* 26.7’E Rasa Island - W 9* 13.8’N, 118* 25.7’E Malanao Island 9* 26.5’N, 118* 36.3’E Abanico YC, Puerto Princessa 9* 45.9’N 118* 43.7’E Buguias Island Hunda Bay 9* 55.9’N 118* 51.0’E

Easy from the east, watch for reef to west of island

Very good – 18M over sand

Accessible from north and south but watch for reef patches

Very good – 12 M over sand/mud.

V. good for SE to NW.

Beach, old resort now not functioning but security guards quite friendly.

Good protection from NE to SE, extra protection from nearby islands. Difficult – should have detailed Excellent – V. good for E through chart of area 3-4 M over mud N to W

Next to Arreciffe Island. Just a few village of fishermen living here – no facilities, no IC.

Easy – watch for shoals and rocks in bay

Excellent – 6m over sand/mud

V. good from S to NE

Village, tricycle to larger town, IC. Locals seem very friendly.

Easy – watch for sticks and reef close in

Excellent – 19 M over mud

Good for SE to SW, OK SW to NW

IC

Easy – watch for sticks on edge Excellent – 13M of reef over mud

V. good N to SE protection.

IC

Easy – circuit around fish traps

Excellent – 6m over mud

Excellent from N to SE

None

Easy but watch reef to southwest of YC anchorage. Transit wharf to communication tower Fairly easy – need to skirt around several reefs

Excellent – 8M over mud

Excellent all round

Immigration & Customs, large town, club, scenery, shops, cyclone anchorage, IC.

Excellent – 16 M over sand/mud

Good from NE to SE

Not an attractive anchorage, but good base to explore Honda Bay beaches, snorkeling. IC.

42

IC. ?Old Portuguese fort on promontory.

Meara Island Hunda Bay 9*53.15’N 118*46.5’E Ramesamey Is Hunda Bay 9*50.0’N 118*46.1’E Makesi/Pandan Is., Hunda Bay 9*52.5’N 118*48.7’E Fondeado Island, Hunda Bay 9*55.83’N 118*54.96’E Verde Islands 10* 5.5’N 119*13.5’E Reinard Island 10* 8.85’N 119* 14.7’E Flat Island 10*16.5’N 119*20.9’E Reef Island Green Island Bay 10* 17.1’N 119* 26.9’E Puerco Island Green Island Bay 10* 19.4’n 119* 28.9’E

Easy. Some buoys in close to shore.

Excellent – 16M over sand/mud

Good from NE to SE

No facilities, but close to main town and road transport to PP. Good IC.

Easy but watch for reefs to SE & NW of the anchorage

Very good – 8 M over sand/mud

Good from W thru N to E

Just off tourist island of Cowrie Beach (75 pesos pp to land) and a dinghy ride to Hunda Bay town.

Easy but there is a lot of bangka traffic during the day.

Good from N to E

Day beach resort – food & beverage outlets, great swimming beach. IC.

Fairly easy but watch fringing reef and isolated bommies.

Very good – 5-8 M over sand/low bommies Very good – 5-7 M over sand

Good from NE thru NE to SE

Mangrove island at the outer edge of Hunda Bay. Probably good only in fair weather. No facilities, IC

Fairly easy – deep passage between fringing reef. Don’t rely on CMap. Easy – sticks and fish traps mark the reef

Excellent – 10 M over sand/mud Excellent – 16 M over mud

Excellent all round

Mangrove islands, lots of fish traps, IC

Excellent all round

1 beach, small village on coast, IC

Easy access, western side has an even depth around 14 M close to island Easy

Excellent – 14 M over sand/mud Excellent – 23 M over sand

Very good protection from NE to SE

Easy, most reef is to E & NE

Excellent – 23 M over sand

Good from NE to E

No facilities but close to Roxas Town, which has an easy access and relatively good shopping. IC. Resort, beach, excellent coral for diving & snorkeling. Patchy IC. Visitor’s mooring for 500 pesos per night. IC? Private island with resort under construction so visitors not welcome ashore.

43

Good from N to NE

North East Coast

Dumaran Pass. 10* 29.84’N 119* 42.67’E Dumaran Island 10*28.8’N 119*45.5’E Dumaran island NE corner 10*32.70’N 120*00.35’E Dumaran Island Langcan Bay 10*31.12’N 119*54.49’E Sth Channel Is. 10*31.9’N 119*43.6’E Bay Point cove 10*39.2N 119* 38.7’E Icadambanuan Is 10* 49.1’N, 119* 37.1’E Icadambanuan Is 10* 49.5’N, 119* 37.5’E SE bay on Maytiguid Island 11*1.08’N 119*37.5’E Salanga Bay 11*01.78’N 119*35.72’E

Easy from south-west. Avoid small reef & main pearl farm east of anchorage. Care needed to avoid pearl farm and island’s reef

Excellent – 14 M over sand/mud Excellent – 19M over mud

Very good from NW to IC. Pearl farm workers are not keen E on visitors around the farms but may tolerate overnight anchoring. Very good from N to IC SE

Easy access but anchorage is between 2 visible reefs.

Excellent – 6M over sand.

Protected by several islands, open to SE thru S to W.

Fairly easy – follow chart to stay in channel. Seaweed farm on northern side of outer bay. Mud bottom. Easy access from main shipping channel – watch for pearl fields & stray buoys Care needed – extended reef and shoals

Very good – 11M over mud in channel.

Virtually all-round protection. Further into 2nd bay could be very secure anchorage Very good protection Lovely beach, local fishermen living from NW thru N to E. here. Good IC.

Excellent – 14M over mud

Excellent all round

OK from west, care with shoals and 1 deep “obstruction”

Excellent – 20 M over sand

Very good from N thru Large village community, patchy IC E to SW

Easy entry to bay, watch fringing reef

Excellent – 1821 M over mud

Excellent for all directions but NW

Small village, patchy IC

Care needed to avoid rocks, reef and fish traps in inlet

Excellent – 17M over grey mud

Excellent for all directions but SE to W

None.

Excellent for all directions but south.

Small village, poor IC.

Good, 17 M over sand

Easy but watch for fringing and Excellent – 6M isolated reefs & fishtraps. over mud/sand 44

Great spot for lunch and a swim, or overnight in good weather. No facilities but town on coast of Dumaran nearby. IC. Mangrove bay - no facilities, no IC.

Small village, cyclone anchorage, IC.

Shark Fin Bay 11*04.7’N 119*34.07’E Imorigue Island Shark Fin Bay 11*09.57’N 119*32.86’E Casian Island 11*1.9’N 119* 43’E Binulbulan Island 11* 14.8’N 119* 37.2’E West Bay Linapacan Island 11* 26.7’N 119* 44.0’E North West Bay Linapacan Island 11*27.67’N 119*46.2’E North Bay Linapacan Island 11* 29.7’N 119*50.0’E North West Coast Corong Corong 11* 10.06’N 119* 23.6’E El Nido 11*11.16’N 119* 23.17’E

Can approach from Tay Tay Bay or Shark Fin Bay. Watch for isolated reef and rocks. Care needed travelling through Shark Fin Bay. Can also access from the north, passing along west coast of Imorgue Is. Easy, watch shoal at entry to bay

Excellent – 8M over mud & sand. Excellent – level bottom at 13 M over sand.

Easy approach, watch for fringing reef

Excellent – 7 M over sand

Easy but have to skirt pearl farm SW of bay

Possibly not good holding, 20 M over rubble/mud 8-10 M over coral rubble.

Easy, a small pearl farm on west side of entrance, some rocks in bay. Anchor on coral shelf off small beach. Easy but bypass pearl farm to anchor further east, to north of small islet.

Excellent – 10 M in sand/mud

13M over sand/mud

Excellent for all directions but north.

None but patchy IC.

Completely protected from all directions except from S across Shark Fin Bay. Excellent for all directions but S

None but patchy IC.

Good NE to S protection, swell from N will make it rolly & uncomfortable. Excellent all round except for NW

Beaches, IC, snorkeling. Only 2-3 family huts here, but in 2013 a small pearl farm was established on west coast of island. No facilities but beautiful beaches nearby. No IC.

Very well protected – open only to north.

Large town on NE side of bay, some beaches, several options for “very secure” anchorages. Patchy IC. No facilities but pearl farm buildings and village .5km away. Patchy IC. Caves on eastern headland of bay.

Easy access, shoal/reef in east of bay

Reported not good holding, 10-12 M

Good protection from N thru E & S to W, but if strong E winds, bullets gust into bay++ Excellent for all wind/swell but southerly

Extensive low reef across the bay but access past reef via marker buoy at western end.

3-5 M over sand/rock

Excellent but open to N/NW.

45

Large village, IC

Beach for dinghy parking, road access, small shops, good market, laundry, fuel, tricycle to El Nido, IC. Swimming beaches nearby. Bars/restaurants, shops, airport, bus to PP, laundry, WiFi, IC

Cabulauan Islands

Calamian Islands

Nacpan/Bucana Beach 11* 19.9’N 119* 25.5’E Nangalao Island 11*25.69’N 120*10.16’E

Easy, stop before fringing reef

12 M over mud/sand

Excellent from N to E, good from E to S

Beautiful beaches.

Easy from south but watch for isolated low reefs in bay.

12M over sand.

Beautiful bay/lagoon between Nangalao and Magranting Is. Large village on Nangalao. No IC.

Cabulauan Is. 11* 23.4’N 120*06.0’E Halsey Harbour Culion Is,NthArm 11*47.5’N 119*57.8’E Halsey Harbour South Arm 11*44.25’N 119*57.27’E Popototan Island 11*59.6’N 119*51.4’E

Easy access – wide and deep bay, gently shoaling.

10M over sand & coral rubble.

Good protection – open W to SE thru S,& NE to N but reef stops swell across here. Protected from NW thru N to SE.

Easy access via both N & S entrances to harbour. Care within bays - several islets, rocks, shoals. Easy access, watch for reef on corners of middle island. Most electronic charts are sl. “out” here. Easy, skirt round reef on corners of bay

15M over mud

All round protection but ?some minimal fetch from E & S

12-14 M over rock/coral

Virtually all-round protection.

16M over mud or moorings

Good protection NE thru W to SW

Pamalacan Is. 12*05.04’N 119*52.58’E Calauit Inlet 12*16.15’N 119*53.07’E Pangauaran Riv. Port Caltom 12*10.48’N 120*05.71’E

Relatively easy but several reefs and shoals nearby

8 M over sand

Some protection but open to Sth China Sea

Easy access but watch reefs on corners of inlet entrance and corners. Easy access – Port Caltom is deep and wide. River entrance upstream from this anchorage has wide shallow bar

10 M over mud

Excellent protection all directions except west. Excellent protection from all directions.

Gently shoaling 18 M over mud.

46

Beautiful island with clear water. Large village ashore. No IC. Interesting fishing boats here. Very protected harbour with many inlets & bays. Patchy IC, prawns & crabs for sale from fishermen in NW corner anchorage. This anchorage is on a small patch of coral in a deep passage – careful sounding may be needed to find it. No IC or other facilities. Small resort – bar, restaurant, home reef, walking trails. Yachtees charged a fee for day use (300 p per person in 2014). Poor IC but Wifi in resort. Good lunch or calm weather anchorage only. No inhabitants, no facilities but good IC. Very calm, quiet anchorage, close to entrance of Safari Park. No facilities, no IC. Several good anchoring options in this and other nearby coves. Small town at river mouth. Good IC.

Dupuyoi Bay Busuanga Island 12*1.37’N 119*58.9’E

Easy, reef corners buoyed. Reef across left half of channel as you enter inner bay. Port & stbd channel markers present.

Moorings in 3 VG protection all to 6M scattered directions except W thru bay. (250 p per day)

Culion Town 11*53.05’N 120*01.34’E E Tanget Island 11*59.24’N 120*04.57’E

Enter bay to east of town between obvious markers

14 M over mud

Good protection from all directions but N.

Easy, but need to sound around for bommie to anchor on – general depth here is 20 – 24 M. Easy but again need to sound around for small bommie to anchor on. Easy but watch for reefs

On small bommie at 12M General depth in bay is 20M. 10-12 M on top of small bommie On top of a large coral bommie at 6M Good holding in 10 – 14M. Many bangka moorings + reef 6-7 M over sand./mud

Fairly well protected but open to S to SE.

Easy access but watch depth on corners of islets

20 M over sand

Very good protection from all directions

Easy access but watch for reef off the headlands and a 1M spot offshore. Fringing reef in bay.

7-8 M over sand/coral

Good protection from N thru E to SE. Some wind over the island if NE’s are strong.

SE Tanget Island 11*58.56’N 120*04.99’E Uson Is, Sth Bay 11*58.26’N 120*10.62”E Coron Town 11*59.7’N 120*11.6”E Discovery Island, Coron Town 12*00.17’N 120*11.3’E Nth Coron Island 11*56.81’N 120*12.36’E Ditaytayan Is. 11*43.8’N 120*6.06’E

2 access passages - easier via Pt Usen approach if coming from west. Watch for reefs and mooring buoys in harbour. Easy access from Pt Usen or town anchorage. Buoyed reef on Discovery Island.

47

Slightly more open than anchorage above. Open to S thru SW to W. Good protection from all directions, but “bullets” off hills. Very good protection from all directions.

3 small resorts with bar, restaurant, pool, all welcome visitors. Bus to Coron Town (2 hrs). Some phone coverage and poor internet – Globe is best here. No shops/markets here. Small town – sari sari stores, historical church & fort. Good IC. Quiet bay, opposite small resort on Apo Is. Close to shallow gunboat wreck & good snorkeling along rock walls of Tanget Is. No IC. Opposite gunboat wreck and not far from small sandy beach with excellent coral for snorkeling. No IC. Quiet bay, deep anchorage except for several large bommies. No facilities but close to beaches. ?IC. Main town, shops, airport, market, banks + ATMs, bars & restaurants, good IC, boat transfers to El Nido. Longer dinghy ride to town but much less wash from passing boats and more protected from NE wind. IC. Friendly resort with bar. Excellent anchorage for exploring bays, lakes, beaches of Nth Coron coast. No facilities or IC. Lovely bay, white sandy beach, clear water, reef for snorkeling, sand spit. “Security guard” may charge 150 pesos per night to anchor. IC.

El Rio y Mar 12*11.51’N 120*5.93’E

Easy access but watch reefs & islets to NE.

Approx. 40 M off resort, less at end of bay. Moorings avail.

Malpagalen Is. 12*13.52’N 120*06.14’E

Easy access, shoal on southern end of islet.

16 M over sand, Poor protection – less over coral good for day closer to islet. anchorage in good weather.

48

Good protection from N thru W to S

Moorings provided for 200 pesos per night, which allows 30% off food & beverages at the resort, which has a pool, games room, wifi, book swap, restaurant/bar, sat. TV. Beautiful sandy islet with small arch. Great for swimming, OK snorkeling. Close to local resorts, Pt Caltom.

VERY SECURE ANCHORAGES

Balabac/Palawan Islands

Anchorages Cabugan Islands 8* 23.8’N, 117’ 15.8’S Rio Tuba 8*31.6’N 117*24.6’E Puerto Princessa 9*47.12’N 118*43.8’E

Linapacan Island

Calamian Islands

Bay Point Coves 10*39.26’N 119*38.15’E Tanguingui Channel between Shark Fin & Tay Tay Bays 11*03.07’N 119*33.52’E North West Bay Linapacan Island 11*27.68’N 119*46.82’E Halsey Harbour – Nth Arm: 11*47.5’N 119*57.8’E Halsey Harbour – Sth Arm:

Access Motor between 2 islands to anchor behind long mangrove strip. Stay L side of river after passing the town, take left turn at 3way. Should have 3-4 M water at LWS Enter creek from N side of Cana Island at Nth end of harbour. Ask locals re best access at creek entrance. North of Dumaran Passage – then west - negotiate around reef to gain access to coves. Access via Salanga Bay (in Tay Tay Bay) or Shark Fin Bay. Watch for fringing reef & isolated rocks and reef.

Facilities None, no IC.

Details Surrounded by tall mangroves, min. fetch - excellent for all wind & swell.

None, but town is 1km down river. Good IC.

Easy access through the main bay – watch for rocky islets and fringing reef.

Large town on eastern shore of bay

Careful navigation around islands, reef and rocks thru harbour

None but village 1km away

Beware several mud banks on R side of river past the town. Some fetch from W. Hug to mangroves for wind protection. Past first turn of creek is wide area – depth approx. 4M. Large mangrove creek system provides several anchoring options & variable protection Good depths within coves and all round mangroves offer good protection, esp in 3rd cove. Located in long mangrove-lined passage, approx. 300 metres wide and 1.0 kms long. Ends “close off” for excellent protection. Depth 5-10M Watch for rock in centre of channel. Tight bay at end of North West Bay – protected from all directions. Reported depth of 16 M. Several other small coves nearby. Cove surrounded by small islands and hills within a huge harbour. 15 M over mud with good holding.

Careful navigation through narrow passages and around

None but village 1 km away. Small

49

None, but town 1 km away. Good IC.

Small villages in first 2 coves. No IC. None

Widening section of passage between tall hills, little fetch. Bottom sounded as

11*43.55’N 119*58.17’E Halsey Harbour – Sth Arm: 11*44.25’N 119*57.27’E Calauit Inlet 12*16.15’N 119*53.07’E Dipuyoi Bay Busuanga Island 12*01.65’N 119*59.03’E Kalalalingday Bay Culion Island 11*54.55’N 119*58.78’E Bay between Apo & Busuanga islands 11*59.5’N, 120*6.5”E Uson Island Inlet 11*58.74”N 120*10.4’E

reef – generally stay to middle of tight passes. Careful navigation and sounding needed into this small bay & to find shallow patch of reef.

Minangas Bay East coast Busuanga 12*09.0’N 120*14.6’E Pt Borac East coast Busuanga 12*2.28’N 120*18.89’E

Access by north & east channels – east one deep & easy, north channel navigable but has many reefs and seaweed farms. Easy access. No pearl or seaweed farms, no fish traps. Some fringing reef.

Relatively easy – keep to right side of entrance. Watch for reefs at entrance & within bay. Easy access thru main bay then keep left once round resort into next bay. Access thru narrow but deep channel. Watch for isolated reefs within the bay. Easy access no less than 13M to bay. Watch for reef on north corner as you enter bay. Easy access but watch for fringing reef both side of entrance and within inlet.

50

group of huts on northern shore. None but village 0.5km away

flat & 5-6M in this section. 18-24M depth in centre of passage en route. Fairly tight bay with 2 navigable entrances. Most depths here 22-24M but coral/rock patch at 10-12M. Good protection from virtually all directions. None but unsealed Large bay surrounded by mangroves. road access to Several anchoring options give excellent Coron from inlet. protection from all winds. Resort with bar, Deep channel under mooring buoys restaurant, pool but close to mangroves – 6 to 3M depth. no IC, bus to Coron. Rest of this bay shallow. Bay closed to all directions of wind. None but Culion 2 Medium sized bay surrounded by hills. miles away. Level mud bottom except for isolated reefs. Entrance closes off once you are in bay. This anchorage at 7M. Fair IC. None but Coron 2 Entrance deep. Bay fully enclosed by mile away hills. May get some fetch up length of bay. Watch for reef and shoals within bay. None. Coron 4 miles Chart says depth 10 – 20 M but not away. checked. Fringing reef obvious. Entrance “closed off” if anchored towards end of inlet. None, but several This bay has several coves within it large villages in the suitable as secure anchorages. Some bay. No IC. are deep but several have shoaling ends. Unsealed road access to Coron. None, but sari-sari 360* protection. This position in 5M but stores in large end of bay shoals gently to 3M. Some village in bay. Patchy people living around bay, unsealed road IC. to Coron – approx. 12 kms.