A list of the Top Wreck Dives in the beautiful Philippines, ideal for history buffs, adventure seekers, and wreck enthusiasts alike. These sites span WWII warships, freighters, airplanes, and even a sunken luxury yacht—offering a thrilling mix of history and marine life.
🛳 1. Top Wreck Dives Coron Bay, Palawan
Best for: WWII history, multiple wrecks in one trip
Depth: 10m–40m
Highlights:
- Irako Maru – Intact refrigeration ship with engine room penetrations.
- Akitsushima – Japanese seaplane tender, big guns still visible.
- Olympia Maru – Covered in coral and teeming with batfish and groupers.
Why Go: One of the world’s best wreck diving destinations with 10+ Japanese WWII wrecks sunk during the 1944 air raid.
🛥2 . Top Wreck Dives Puerto Galera, Mindoro
Best for: Wrecks, macro life, and drift diving
Depth: 15m–30m
Highlights:
- Alma Jane Wreck
Type: The Alma Jane is a scuttled Filipino cargo vessel approximately 32 meters long and weighing about 60 tons. It was intentionally sunk in 2003 to serve as an artificial reef and diver training site.
Depth: The wreck lies upright on a sandy bottom at around 25 to 30 meters depth, with the upper deck accessible at approximately 22 meters.
Conditions: Visibility is typically good, ranging from 15 to 30 meters. Currents are generally mild, although they can vary depending on the tide.
Marine Life: The wreck is heavily colonized by corals and sponges, attracting an abundance of marine life. Divers frequently spot sweetlips, batfish, rabbitfish, snappers, lionfish, scorpionfish, trumpetfish, frogfish, leaf scorpionfish, nudibranchs, crabs, pipefish, mantis shrimp, and cuttlefish.
🐠 Why It’s a Favorite Among Divers
The Alma Jane is a popular wreck for both wide-angle and macro photographers. Its relatively intact structure makes it easy to capture full-ship shots, while the dense marine growth and cryptic creatures hidden in nooks and crannies offer excellent opportunities for macro work.
Swim-throughs are safe and straightforward, with natural light filtering in through openings and skylights. The wreck is ideal for divers with Advanced Open Water and/or Nitrox certification due to its depth and duration at the bottom.
Over time, the structure has continued to develop into a vibrant artificial reef, home to schooling batfish, sheepshead, and a growing diversity of invertebrate and fish life. The Alma Jane offers a compelling mix of exploration, history, and marine biodiversity—right off the coast of Puerto Galera. - Sabang Wrecks (3 in total) – Small wooden and steel boats, perfect for night dives.
- St. Christopher – Artificial wreck teeming with nudibranchs and frogfish.
Why Go: Ideal for training dives and critter photography in wrecks.
🌊 3. Top Wreck Dives Apo Reef (off Mindoro)
Best for: Remote diving with a side of wreck exploration
Depth: ~30m
Highlights:
- Kyokuzan Maru – WWII Japanese freighter off North Busuanga, upright and intact.
Why Go: Often overlooked due to distance, but excellent visibility and fewer crowds than Coron.
✈️ 4. Top Wreck Dives Mactan & Lapu-Lapu, Cebu
Best for: Convenient wreck dives near a major city
Depth: 15m–30m
Highlights:
- Shangri-La Plane Wreck – Artificially sunk small aircraft near a resort.
- M/V San Juan Ferry – Former passenger ferry sunk during a typhoon.
Why Go: Great for beginners or wreck practice before heading to deeper sites.
⚓ 5. Top Wreck Dives Subic Bay, Zambales
Best for: Accessibility, technical and recreational dives
Depth: 5m–55m
Highlights:
- USS New York – Armored cruiser from the Spanish-American War, massive twin cannons.
- El Capitan – Easy shallow dive perfect for beginners.
- San Quentin – Spanish gunboat scuttled in 1898, now a shallow reef.
Why Go: Subic Bay, located in Zambales on the west coast of Luzon, is one of the most fascinating wreck diving destinations in the Philippines. What makes Subic truly exceptional is its layered maritime history—once a strategic naval base for both the Spanish and Americans—and the sheer diversity of wrecks accessible to divers of all levels. With over 20 wreck sites, Subic Bay offers a unique underwater museum filled with warships, freighters, gunboats, and planes spanning more than a century of naval activity. - Subic Bay’s reputation as the wreck diving capital stems not only from the number of wrecks but also their accessibility. Most sites are just a short boat ride from shore and range from shallow beginner dives to deep technical penetrations. Visibility is generally moderate (5–15 meters), but the sheltered bay allows year-round diving with minimal current—ideal for exploring aging steel hulls and historical artifacts.
- 🏴 Spanish Naval Legacy
- The earliest layer of wrecks dates back to the Spanish colonial era. In the late 1800s, Subic was developed as a Spanish naval base to counter increasing foreign influence in the region. The most famous Spanish-era wreck is the San Quentin, a wooden gunboat intentionally scuttled by the Spaniards in 1898 to block the entrance to the naval yard from American forces during the Spanish-American War. Lying at just 5–10 meters deep, the San Quentin has since become an artificial reef, now covered in hard corals and home to batfish, sweetlips, and other reef life.
- 🇺🇸 American Military Powerhouse
- After defeating Spain in 1898, the United States turned Subic into a major naval and air base, further expanding its strategic value. For most of the 20th century, Subic served as a key US Navy facility in the Asia-Pacific region. Many of the wrecks here, including aircraft, landing ships, and cargo vessels, date from this American period.
- The most iconic of these is the USS New York (ACR-2)—an armored cruiser launched in 1891. This 8,200-ton steel warship was scuttled in 1941 by US forces to prevent capture by the Japanese. It now rests on its side at about 30 meters deep and is a favorite among tech divers, with swim-throughs, massive twin turrets, and a haunting atmosphere.
- Other notable wrecks include:
- El Capitan – a WWII-era freighter lying on its port side at 5–20 meters, perfect for recreational divers.
- LST (Landing Ship Tank) – a partially intact ship used during amphibious landings.
- Japanese patrol boats and aircraft wrecks scattered across the bay floor.
- ⚓ A Dive Through Time
- Subic Bay offers more than just wrecks—it offers a dive into Philippine, Spanish, and American naval history. Each wreck has a story, and many are easily explored with only an Advanced Open Water certification. Subic is also a hub for PADI Wreck Diver and technical diving courses, making it ideal for those looking to expand their skills.
- Whether you’re a history buff or a wreck enthusiast, Subic Bay provides a rare opportunity to dive through centuries of naval conflict and transformation—all in one destination.
⚠️ Tips Before You Dive Wrecks in the Philippines
- Certification: Most sites require Advanced Open Water Diver or higher.
- Penetration diving: Take a Wreck Diver Specialty Course before entering enclosed spaces.
- Conservation: Don’t touch or take anything. Many wrecks are war graves.
- Conditions: Always check for currents, depth, and visibility—especially in Subic and Coron.