Linapacan | South Island Hopping at Magransing and Mausonoan Islands

White Beach at Mausonoan Island

Being one of the “35 Clearest Waters to Swim Before You Die” from the viral list site of Daily News Dig, has placed the municipality of Linapacan, Palawan in the world map. While the main photo there is a bit misleading (since that one was from El Nido), being part of the list made people curious of this set of remote islands found in between the north Palawan mainland of El Nido and south of Calamianes Archipelago. My curiosity led me to east of El Nido where I had a chance to go island hopping to the southern islands of this famed municipality to see if the claims were true. Are the waters truly clear as they claim?

Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.

On our boat to South Linapacan Islands

Splashy Ride to Magransing Island

We left San Fernando, El Nido mid-morning to our first stop, Magransing Island (Little Maosonan). I was with a company of mostly foreigners, a mix of a Filipina newly wed to an American, their parents and a couple from Australia and UK. It was a splashy ride that took about an hour. We passed by the large Iloc island where we saw a fishing community from the coastal town of Pical. We were supposed to dock on another side of Magransing Island for snorkelling but the waves were strong at that time. We didn’t complain as the small island has a beautiful stretch of white sand beach, blinding and inviting under the mid-day sun. What was stunning was how clear the water was in all its turquoise glory under the cobalt sky. I’ve finally taken a step on the shores of an island in Linapacan. I wasn’t disappointed. I wandered around and found this picturesque branches of trees on the rocky side of the island. In my mind it became my personal landmark to remember it by. I snorkelled and was amazed by the clarity under the water. A few rocks here, some small fishes on the sandy slopes. Just opposite the island are a number of buoys securing a pearl farm owned by one of the country’s tycoons.