Malayan Wreck

8.8750°N 119.8917°E · wreck

Depth
20 m
Level
Advanced
Entry
liveaboard
Type
wreck

Malayan Wreck is a historic wreck dive in Philippines Tubbataha Reefs, Asia.

Overview

The Malayan Wreck rests on the southwest edge of Tubbataha’s North Atoll, a freighter believed to date from the WWII era whose coral-encrusted hull now shelters harlequin sweetlips, giant morays, and resident harlequin ghost pipefish. Before you even reach the wreck, grey reef sharks, whitetips, and occasional hammerheads cruise the coral wall alongside it, while rainbow runners and trevally swirl overhead. Night dives here are legendary — Spanish dancers pulse across the sandy bottom and bumphead parrotfish sleep wedged into crevices throughout the wreck.

Site Information

  • Location: Philippines Tubbataha Reefs, Asia
  • Entry Type: liveaboard
  • Site Type: Wreck dive
  • Difficulty Level: Advanced
  • Maximum Depth: 20 meters

Sources: Bluewater Dive Travel Tubbataha Reef, Divehappy Tubbataha Reef Guide, Dive The World Tubbataha Philippines, WWF Tubbataha Reef Diving, Guide to the Philippines Tubbataha Diving. Last updated 2026-04-04.

Depth profile
0m · surface−20m max
Ocean conditions
27.8–31.5°CWater temp (yearly range)
0.4–1.4 mWave height
MayWarmest
MayCalmest seas
32°27° JFMAMJJASOND

Sea-surface temperature and wave height from Open-Meteo Marine (ERA5 reanalysis, monthly averages).

Recorded marine life nearby

145515 verified species observations (62 species) logged within ~11 km of this site between 2023 and 2023, from the Ocean Biodiversity Information System.

Chordata · 35Cnidaria · 4Echinodermata · 1Arthropoda · 2Other · 3
  • Chordata
  • Mammalia
  • Actinopteri
  • Chlorurus
  • Naso
  • Caesio lunaris
  • Chrysiptera
  • Lutjanus bohar
  • Scarus
  • Parupeneus indicus
  • Oxycheilinus bimaculatus
  • Chrysiptera brownriggii

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.

Dived here recently?

Conditions change with the tide and the season. If you have dived this site, share what it was actually like — date, visibility, current, and what you saw. Real, recent reports from divers are exactly what this guide is built to collect.

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reef
Coral reef · illustrative · photo credit

Nearby dive sites in Tubbataha Reefs

Source: OpenStreetMap via dive-vibe-community (ODbL) · Last updated 2026-07-17