Updated 15 June, 2002
Some airlines list their destination as Coron and some list it as Busuanga. Regardless, you are going to fly for an hour south-southwest from Manila to the YKR (Yalu King Ranch) airport in the middle of Busuanga Island. The airport is 28 kilometers and about 45 minutes by road from the town of Coron. All scheduled flights are met by an airline ground service representative and an open jeepney for the PHP 150 / ~$3.00 US ride into Coron town.
Ask the airline representative / Driver to point out (stop at) the place you will be staying at most accomodation will be easily accessed from where the jeepney will drop you off.
If you are carrying full diving equipment to Coron, and especially if you are with a group of divers each carrying full diving equipment to Coron, you should read about Airline Checked Baggage Limits and Excess Weight Charges. Dive Right can steer you around the pitfall of booking a seat and getting your baggage bumped if the plane is overweight.
Flights and seats are limited and you may be told by the airline that a particular flight is fully booked during peak season. The airlines sell blocks of tickets to travel agents who book EXPENSIVE RESORTS and the airlines lose control over those seats. If those tickets are unsold they are turned back to the airlines at the last moment and are available to waitlisted passengers. We know the travel agents holding these blocks of seats and may be able to book your flight through them. Please make your reservations as early as possible.
Dive Right will make your travel arrangements based on current flight and ship schedules and advise you about the most effecient routing. We are very experienced in making travel arrangements for divers folowing your schedule.
You should let Dive Right make your travel reservations as soon as possible. At peak travel times these flights are booked out and full three to seven days in advance. You should certainly confirm these flight schedules and ticket prices by e-mailing Dive Right before making firm plans. Dive Right can make your flight reservations and you can pay us. You will pick up your tickets at the Seair ticket office located at the front corner of the departure building before you enter the building for your flight. Seair's ticketing office opens at 6 AM and the check-in time for the morning flights is at 6:30 AM. or we will arrange delivery to your hotel if you are staying overnight in Manila.
If you can't get a flight see "Travel by Ship" and contact us immediately!
Airlines to try are Seair with flights from:
MANILA-BUSUANGA-MANILA and MANILA-BUSUANGA-EL NIDO-PUERTO PRINCESA-EL NIDO-BUSUANGA-MANILA
These flights use a 19 seat LET 410 aircraft for 2,300 pesos one-way.
Seair's ticket office is in the "Old Domestic Airport" complex. The ticket office is on the corner of the building where vehicles exit the parking lot. Seair flights use the check-in and waiting areas of the "Old Domestic Terminal" building. The domestic departure terminal is entered through the door facing the parking lot.
It is now possible to connect from Busuanga Island in the Calamian Island Group to resorts in the El Nido, Palawan area and on to Puerto Princesa, Palawan with Seair departing Busuanga at 0855 on Monday and Friday.
Seair's flight schedule is: (Please check with us as this chages frequently)
MANILA-BUSUANGA (PHP 2,300)
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
07:45 07:45 07:45 07:45 07:45 07:45 07:45
11:30 11:30 11:30
14:00 14:00
15:45
BUSUANGA - MANILA (PHP 2,300)
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
09:10 09:10 09:10 09:10 09:10
09:50 09:50
12:55 12:55
15:05
16:35 16:35
17:10
17:15 17:15
BUSUANGA - EL NIDO (PHP 2,100) - PUERTO PRINCESA (PHP 1,700)
Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun
09:10 09:10
Asian Spirit currently has a flight Manila to Busuanga return Manila which departs from Manila at 0830 on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday to arrive at the YKR airport at 0930. The return flight will depart Busuanga at 0945 and land in Manila at 1045.
This flight also uses a 19 seat LET 410 aircraft with a promotional ticket price of PHP 2,370 pesos plus PHP 150 insurance one-way. The round-trip price is PHP 4,740 plus PHP 300 for insurance. There is also a PHP 100 terminal fee to pay in Manila and a PHP 150 charge for ground transportation from the Busuanga airport into Coron town or from Coron town back to the Busuanga airport.
Asian Spirit's flight schedule is:
MANILA-BUSUANGA (PHP 2,520) Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 08:30 08:30 08:30 08:30 08:30 BUSUANGA - MANILA (PHP 2,520) Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun 09:45 09:45 09:45 09:45 09:45
Please also note there is a 10 PHP terminal fee at Busuanga
If you want to Wreck Dive on the same day that you arrive in Coron
We don't get a chance to see you in the water on a shallower dive before we drop you in on the wrecks. Please have your advanced diving certification or at least 20 dives of experience. Please have made and logged a dive within the previous 12 months (within 6 months preferred if you have only 10 to 20 logged dives).
Our normal departure time for diving on the wrecks is 9 AM. If you arrive unannounced and unanticipated on a morning flight all the wreck diving boats will have left the dock by the time your ground transportation arrives in Coron Town. You can still dive around Coron Town, Coron Island and CYC Island on the day you arrive without giving us advance notice.
If you wish to dive the wrecks on the day you arrive you should book the morning Seair flight and let us know what day you will be arriving. We will have to arrange a chartered van at your cost of P1,200 for your pickup at the airport. The van will bring you straight to Dive Right. We will hold the dive boat about an hour to wait for you.
The open air airline service jeepney that meets each flight at the YKR airport can't depart the airport to carry the arriving passengers to Coron until the aircraft takes off for the return flight back to Manila. Anyone wanting to wreck dive on the same day they arrive in Coron must be met with an air-conditioned chartered van for P1,200 to make the 45 minute trip to Coron town immediately upon landing.
Contact Dive Right - Coron or a travel agent as early as possible for flight and room reservations.
If you can't get a flight reservation it is still possible to travel to Coron by ship. A ship to Coron departs from Manila's North Harbor, Pier 4 on Friday at 4 PM, (WG&A Our Lady of Medjugorje). These trips are overnight and you arrive in Coron about 6:00 AM Saturday morning.
These are often delayed or cancelled due to operating problems or weather, timings are also subject to change frequently
There is also a ship from Isla Putang Bato out on the breakwater behind Pier 2 on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 2PM, (San Nicholas Lines). The San Nicholas Lines ships at Isla Puting Bato are "Backpacker Class" only!