On 24 September 1944, a squadron of US bombers located the Japanese supply fleet hiding among the islands, and proceeded to blow it apart. At the time this was ground breaking as it was the furthest range air attack ever launched from aircraft carriers, 340 miles from target and with planes flying for over 6 hours. Several planes were lost after running out of fuel on the return trip; some were shot down by the Japanese fleet in Coron Bay.
As a result, there are well preserved wrecks of gunboats, supply ships complete with building materials, tanks and ammunition, aircraft carriers and planes lying on the sandy bottom in the bay, many of which are between 100-200m long, covered with coral growth and easily penetrable.
The Akitsushima Wreck is a former Seaplane Tender sunk in Coron Bay in Palawan. This former war ship is 118m long and is now one of the best dive site around Coron. It is located not far from another great spot, the Okikawa Maru Wreck.
The Akitsushima has been sunk on September 24 1944 during World War 2 by an American Air attack. It now lies in good shape on her port side 36m deep. The shallowest point of the wreck is 22m deep.
There are several penetration possibilities especially in the engine room where you can observe the machinery and the 4 engines. Due to the depth this should only be done by divers with a wreck diving certification.
The Seaplane that the Akitsushima was carrying disappeared in the explosion after she was hit at the stern and then sunk in a few minutes. You can still see the huge crane that was used to lift the seaplane. There is also an antiaircraft gun that you can find near the seabed.
You can spot also an interesting sea life with Barracudas, Tunas and Batfishes patrolling around the Shipwreck but there is not so many fishes.
The Okikawa Maru is the largest wreck of the Coron Bay in the Philippines. It is a former civilian Tanker that was sunk in 1944 during World War II by an American air raid.
It has been misidentified for several years with the Taiei Maru also sunk in the area but by a submarine. The Okikawa Maru is 160m long and you will need at least 2 dives to totally explore it!
The Shipwreck now lies upright 26m deep but the main deck is around 12m deep making a shallow and easy wreck dive if you stay outside of the wreck! However there are many deep penetrations possible especially to the engine room by the propeller shaft! There are also several spectacular swim-through especially at the bow that has been blasted by the bomb.
The Marine Life is pretty and you can usually spot Groupers and Sweetlips around the Okikawa Maru. Lionfishes and Nudibranchs are common too. All around the hull there is nice hard and soft Coral and Sponges.
The Lusong Gunboat Wreck is a popular Snorkelling and Scuba Diving site in Coron Bay. It is a shallow spot with the shipwreck being between 5m and 15m deep. The boat is about 25m long. This shallow wreck dive is ideal for beginners. In addition, the reef life is fantastic with plenty of small fishes all around the Lusong Gunboat. It is usually done as the second relaxing dive of the day.
This spot is great for macro underwater photography as there is plenty of things to see and you will a long bottom time. The hard and soft coral is great on the nearby reef perfect to finish your dive in shallow water, with some luck you can see the big Napoleon, this one is always around this wreck.
