Dive· Busuanga· Philippines

Okikawa Maru Wreck

12° 1.1′ N · 119° 58.2′ E

The biggest of the Coron wrecks, a 160-170 m Japanese navy oiler lying upright off Concepcion with her deck at 10-16 m, coral-smothered and swarming with batfish and snappers.

Practical

Diver GPS (starfish.ch): 12 01.056N 119 58.171E, bow heading 5 degrees; coronwrecks.com gives 12 01.128N 119 58.176E, about 2 miles south of Concepcion. Bottom 26 m, deck 10-16 m. Sunk in the TF 38 strike of September 24, 1944 (finished off on October 9 after burning for weeks); long mistaken for the Taiei Maru. Strong tidal currents often run over the wreck: dive near slack and use the mooring lines. Penetration up the propeller shaft into the engine room is for trained wreck divers only. It lies just outside the entrance to Busuanga Bay, so it is an easy dinghy or dive-boat hop from the Pearl Bay anchorage. Do not anchor on the wreck.

Best for

The headline wreck dive, shallow enough for long bottom times

Nearby