Barracuda Lake, Coron: swimming and diving the thermocline

How this page is built: we compile operator pages, published research and government notices. Each figure names its source and the month we checked it. Nothing here is first-hand, and we do not rank tours or dive shops.

Figures marked "reported by" come from secondary guides. Fees on Coron Island are collected for the Tagbanwa (also spelled Tagbanua) community, and we found no official public rate schedule, so carry cash and confirm with your operator before you go.

At a glance

Partner link Coron Super Ultimate listings on Viator

What happens in the water

KissDiving Coron describes the top 4 m as warm fresh water with salt water below, and says you can see thermoclines at 4 m and 14 m, with temperatures in the lake ranging from 28 to 38 °C. At 34 to 35 m, the same page says, the water turns from clear to tea brown from the tannic acid of fallen leaves. Coron Easy Diving's listing on PADI Travel calls it a halocline and thermocline with water up to 39 °C.

Not every source describes the water the same way. Paolyn Houseboats and Journey Era call it a fresh water lake, while the dive shops describe fresh water over salt water. The 14 m layer is deeper than Coron Freediving's one-day beginner course goes (12 m).

The lake is not a reef. Journey Era says it is not teeming with barracudas or many other fish, and KissDiving mentions a single barracuda about 1.5 m long that, it says, likes to guide divers around.

Which Coron tours stop at Barracuda Lake

Experience Coron Travel & Tours splits the three Coron Island lakes across its routes, so the tour name matters:

Tour names are Experience Coron's and prices are per person. Budget Tour A goes to Kayangan Lake instead, and Ultimate Tour C to Kayangan Lake and Twin Lagoon. Budget Tour B pairs Barracuda Lake with Twin Lagoon, Skeleton Wreck or Malwawey Reef and Reef Garden. The Super Ultimate covers all three lakes plus Skeleton Wreck or Malwawey Reef, Reef Garden and CYC Beach, and both stop for lunch on a white sand beach.

The Super Ultimate page lists hotel pickup between 8:00 and 9:00 am, return to Coron town at 5:30 pm, 15 to 25 guests per boat, and includes entrance fees and taxes, lunch, a guide and a life vest. A snorkel mask (PHP 150) and fins (PHP 150) are extra. Other operators name their routes differently, so check that Barracuda Lake is on the stop list before you pay. Every route, with prices from more than one seller, is compared on our Coron island tours page.

Direct link Coron Super Ultimate day tour on GetYourGuide

Entrance fee and who collects it

Paolyn Houseboats, which operates on Coron Island, publishes the per-person fees it says go to the Tagbanua Tribe Association. Its page carries a 2021 copyright line, so we checked it against Van Hire Palawan's guide, last updated Apr 14, 2026, which gives the same lake figures:

Older guides show a lower figure: Journey Era, third in our Google check on Oct 23, 2026, gives PHP 150 "as of 2020". Dive trips price it their own way. Coron Easy Diving's listing on PADI Travel lists national park or marine park fees of USD 8 as mandatory and payable on site for its two-dive trip, and Coron Freediving includes entrance fees in its session price.

The lake fee is separate from Coron's municipal environmental fee, which the mayor put at PHP 200 per adult and PHP 150 per minor in Apr 2023 (Brigada News). All of Palawan's fees are listed on Palawan fees.

Coron Island is Tagbanwa ancestral domain

Coron Island and its surrounding waters are the ancestral domain of the Calamian Tagbanwa. Sampang (2010) records that the DENR issued a Certificate of Ancestral Domain Claim in 1998, which included ancestral waters (the chapter calls the Calamian Tagbanwa the first indigenous people granted an ancestral water claim), and that the island received its Certificate of Ancestral Domain Title in 2004. The chapter puts the domain at 7,320 ha of ancestral land and 16,958 ha of ancestral waters. The same chapter says the island's lakes are sacred and that only two were open to tourism: Kayangan and Luluyuwan, also known as Barracuda Lake.

Writing for the Tagbanwa Foundation of Coron Island in 2003, Aguilar described a Visitor Management Program through which the Tagbanwa manage visitors to Kayangan and Luluyuwan directly, to protect the environment and their cultural integrity (LakeCon 2003). Both papers are 16 to 23 years old, so treat them as background, not as current rules.

Swimming, scuba and freediving

Swimming and snorkeling. Shared tours stop at the lake for swimming and snorkeling, and Experience Coron includes a life vest on its Super Ultimate. We found no lifeguard service on the operator pages we read. The UK government says beaches in the Philippines are unlikely to have lifeguards or warning signs and advises asking your hotel or local residents first.

Scuba. Coron Easy Diving's half-day trip on PADI Travel pairs Barracuda Lake with Twin Peaks or Siete Pecados, leaving at 8:30 am and back around 12:00 to 12:30 pm, or leaving at 1:00 pm and back around 5:00 pm. It asks for Open Water certification and a minimum age of 10, with up to 4 divers per guide. Gear rental (USD 10), a dive computer (USD 5) and nitrox (USD 10) are extra. KissDiving recommends Open Water certification and says divers wear sandals or tennis shoes for the climb and carry their fins strapped to the tank.

Freediving. Coron Freediving runs its one-day Discover Freediving course (PHP 7,900, to a maximum of 12 m) with practice at Barracuda Lake. A coaching or fun session of 1.5 to 2 hours costs PHP 3,650 and includes the boat, a safety diver, entrance fees and rental gear; a whole-day trip is PHP 6,500.

The UK government's advice for scuba in the Philippines is to check a dive operator's credentials and insurance, make sure oxygen is on the boat, and ask whether divers can be moved to a hyperbaric chamber. Coron Easy Diving says its boats carry emergency oxygen, a first aid kit and a marine radio. Travel advisories for Palawan are summarized on Is Palawan safe?.

Why it is called Barracuda Lake

The Tagbanwa name for the lake is Luluyuwan, and "Barracuda" is the name used by non-Tagbanwa, as Aguilar (2003) put it. Travel with CMT reports that the English name traces back to old stories of giant barracuda and a large barracuda skeleton reportedly found in the lake. KissDiving describes a single resident barracuda, about 1.5 m long.

When to go

PAGASA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the Coron station show 2 to 4 rainy days a month from January to April, against 19 to 21 rainy days a month from July to September, when each month gets 470 mm of rain or more. January figures are on Palawan in January, and every month on Best time to visit Palawan.

Getting to Coron first

Flights to Coron land at Busuanga, listed by Philippine Airlines as Coron (Busuanga). Flights, ferries and the airport van are on How to get to Coron, and the ferry from El Nido on El Nido to Coron. If you are choosing between the two bases, El Nido vs Coron compares them.

Related pages

• Coron island tours
• Palawan fees
• How to get to Coron
• El Nido to Coron
• El Nido vs Coron
• Palawan in January
• Best time to visit Palawan
• Is Palawan safe?

Last checked Oct 2026. Sources are listed at the end of this page. Fees and tour prices are as each operator published them on Oct 23, 2026; depths and temperatures are the dive operators' own figures, not official measurements.

FAQs

Why do they call it Barracuda Lake?

Its Tagbanwa name is Luluyuwan, and "Barracuda" is the name non-Tagbanwa use (Aguilar, 2003). Travel with CMT reports that the English name comes from stories of giant barracuda and a barracuda skeleton reportedly found in the lake, and KissDiving describes one resident barracuda about 1.5 m long.

How much is the Barracuda Lake entrance fee?

PHP 200 per person on the Tagbanua fee list published by Paolyn Houseboats, the same figure Van Hire Palawan reports in its Apr 2026 guide (checked Oct 23, 2026). Some tours include it: Experience Coron's Super Ultimate lists entrance fees in its PHP 1,900 price. Coron's municipal environmental fee is separate.

Can you swim in Barracuda Lake?

Yes. Shared Coron Island tours stop there for swimming and snorkeling, and Experience Coron includes a life vest on its Super Ultimate. We found no lifeguard service on the operator pages we read, so ask your guide about the day's conditions before you go in.

Do you need a diving license for Barracuda Lake?

Not to swim or snorkel. For scuba, Coron Easy Diving asks for Open Water certification and a minimum age of 10 on its half-day trip, and KissDiving recommends Open Water. Coron Freediving runs its one-day Discover Freediving course there to a maximum of 12 m.

How hot is the water in Barracuda Lake?

KissDiving gives 28 to 38 °C, with the layers visible at 4 m and 14 m, and Coron Easy Diving says up to 39 °C. These are the dive operators' figures; we found no official measurement.

What airport do you fly into for Coron?

Busuanga, which Philippine Airlines lists as Coron (Busuanga). Routes, ferries and the van into town are on How to get to Coron.

What is a must see in Coron?

We do not rank sights. Kayangan Lake, Twin Lagoon and Barracuda Lake are the three lake stops on Experience Coron's routes, and only its Super Ultimate covers all three in one day (PHP 1,900).