Diving for ship wrecks in Subic Bay
In case you do happen to tour Subic Bay, DO NOT ever pass the chance to go ship-wreck diving.
Subic has one of the best all-around diving spots along this side of the Pacific, offering something for both novice and experienced divers.
Top of the list is the USS New York, an 1891 battle cruiser that was scuttled during the heydays of World War II. She now lies on her port side beneath 88 feet of water, with her canons still intact.
A great dive that’s perfect for snorkeling is the El Capitan , a 3000-ton freighter that sank off Ilanin Bay. Its top is only 16-40 feet below the surface, and one can do a swim-through amid shafts of light beaming down through gaping holes in the side. Although the hull has been ruined by ash and sand from the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, there’s an incredible array of marine life, so its good for taking photographs too.
San Quentin is also a popular dive spot because of its history -
the oldest known wreck, it was a wooden gunboat scuttled in the Spanish-American War in 1898 in a futile attempt to prevent the US Navy from entering the channel between the Grande and Chiquita islands.
Another site worth visiting is the Oryoku Maru, the “Hell Ship” that sunk in an air attack, with more than 1600 American POWs on board.
Subic also has some good coral dives. Grande Island, formerly an exclusive US military R&R resort, has some worthwhile wall diving, and Triboa Bay has a good coral garden at Nabasan Point. The best time to dive is between February and June. Accommodations are plentiful between Olongapo City and Barrio Barretto, a popular laid-back tourist retreat. Subic has the country’s oldest established recompression chamber, one of only three available to sport divers.
[Source: WOW Philippines; Photos: Divernet.com]
Tags: diving spots, Philippine culture, Philippine tourism, Subic Bay
4 Comments
they have almost 20 wreck dive sites in Subic. Really the best place to go wreck diving in Pinas. Grabe, kinda eerie nga lang pero wow!
hi Melissa,
so you went and dived? cool, how was it like? do give us more tidbits to pass on to our readers who might love to go there too.
Good diving for wrecks although visibility is hit or miss. I hav heard rumors of Vietnam Era Jets off of the runway??? Also we were able to dive on a FEDEX plane that missed the runway at the old Naval Air Station. We will be going back to try and find the F4 AIrplanes I heard about from some ex-Seals..
the jets are deep so not all the dive center dive them. check the site http://www.subicbaydive.com for dive centers. the link here has some photos http://www.colours.dk/anders/diving/wrecks/f4/f4.html