Japanese Ship Wreck
11.3412°N 124.1079°E · wreck
Japanese Ship Wreck is a historic wreck dive in Philippines Malapascua, Asia.
Overview
The Japanese Ship Wreck is a WWII-era vessel lying in the passage between Malapascua and Leyte, its hull heavily colonised by soft corals and encrusting sponges that make every surface glow orange and pink under torch light. The wreck sits with its shallowest decks around 18 meters and the keel touching 33 meters, giving intermediate divers a manageable bottom time before ascending to pick through the superstructure. Schools of batfish hover over the bow, and lionfish are almost always lurking in the shadowed doorways and cargo holds.
Site Information
- Location: Philippines Malapascua, Asia
- Entry Type: Boat dive
- Site Type: Wreck dive
- Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Maximum Depth: 33 meters
Sources: Malapascua Thresher Shark Divers - Dive Sites, ZuBlu Thresher Sharks of Malapascua, Thresher Shark Divers Resort, Diving Squad Malapascua Guide, Divernet Malapascua Diving Guide. Last updated 2026-04-04.
Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).
539 verified species observations (204 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 1908 and 2025, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.
- Alopias pelagicus
- Sphenanthias
- Cetorhinus maximus
- Bathycongrus
- Clavelina moluccensis
- Goniobranchus reticulatus · チリメンウミウシ
- Nembrotha cristata · トサカリュウグウウミウシ
- Tambja morosa · ミドリリュウグウウミウシ
- Hypselodoris variobranchia · カグヤヒメウミウシ
- Thuridilla lineolata · ソライロミドリガイ
- Nembrotha kubaryana · アカフチリュウグウウミウシ
- Hypselodoris bullockii · ゾウゲイロウミウシ
Scientific survey records skew toward sampled taxa (molluscs, corals) and do not reflect what you are guaranteed to see on a dive.
Source: OBIS (obis.org), aggregated Darwin Core occurrence records.
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