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| exploring the very tip of the bow |
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| strange coral shapes along the ship railing |
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| through the wheelhouse |
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| resident batfish |
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| army vehicle in the hold, depth around 104ft |
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| another swim through |
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| a view of the upper deck |
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| near the mast |
Busuanga, Northern Palawan is famous for its World War II ship wrecks in Coron Bay. There are at least 11 that are easily reached by the average diver. One wreck in particular, the Kyokuzan Maru, was a supply vessel for the Japanese Army. The vessel sailed from Manila to Palawan during the liberation of the country in September of 1944. It then hid from American spy planes flying over Coron and later, it was deliberately scuttled to avoid enemy capture. All the ship wrecks in Coron Bay were bombed by the US Air Force except for this one. It sits in an upright position which makes for easy penetration.
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| looking down at the cargo hold, around 130-140ft |
What makes the Kyokuzan Maru unique is the ship and its cargo remain relatively intact. Army vehicles with white side wall tires are still visible in its hold. It was also carrying building material including a load of asbestos. The asbestos is seen as a milky, suspended substance inside the open cargo hold. An eerie, ghostly aura emanates as you look straight down into this large, dark space. Not too many divers dare venture into this lower part of the ship. It is quite deep and beyond recreational diving limits. The thought of diving into a soup of asbestos is also not very appealing.
The vessel is large, 450ft in length and requires two dives to fully explore just the upper portions. Nitrox is advisable as most of the interesting sections are at 80-110ft in depth. The wheel house and galley are particularly fascinating— clam, batfish, and numerous hard coral have made this their home.
The ship wreck is situated in the northeastern side of Busuanga, close to Dimalanta Island, in a calm, protected bay. It is also known as the Dimalanta wreck. On the way there, you pass the heavily guarded Jewelmer Pearl Farm. Visibility underwater is remarkably clear because the area is sparsely populated. It is a wreck dive not to be missed!
2 comments:
I've always wondered what it woukd be like to enter a sunken ship...eerie with ghosts? Fascinating?
this shipwreck was deliberately sunk by the japanese so there were no casualties. no ghosts but quite eerie nonetheless. it's almost 70 years old, definitely fascinating!
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