A 35 m submarine-chaser lying in very shallow water off East Tangat, with a depth range of 3 to 19 m that puts the whole wreck within reach of divers of any level. Her position and condition suggest the crew scuttled her before going ashore, and the shallow half of the hull sits in enough light to be worth a slow pass.
Also known as East Tangat Gunboat.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Coron and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
The wreck runs from 3 m down to 19 m, so a single dive covers the whole ship without much thought given to the computer. Work the deep end of the hull first and leave the last stretch for the shallows over the wreckage, where the light is strongest. Visibility varies here and tops out at about 15 m, so it is worth agreeing on a route along the hull before you drop.
The still water in and around the hull suits fish that would rather not be pushed about. Batfish hang in it, lionfish move slowly over the plating, and mandarinfish, crocodilefish and groupers all use the wreck. Because the depth is so forgiving, this is a site where you can stop and look rather than watch the gauge, which is what makes it a sensible first wreck dive in the bay.
The wreck
- Vessel
- East Tangat Gunboat
- Type
- Submarine-chaser
- Length
- 35 m (115 ft)
- Sunk
- 1944
- Cause
- Position and condition suggest the crew scuttled her before going ashore
- Lies
- In very shallow water off East Tangat, from 3 m down to 19 m
The gunboat went down with the other vessels in Coron Bay on 24 September 1944, when the third air fleet of US Task Force 38 struck the anchorage. Her case is not quite the same as theirs, though. The position she came to rest in and the condition she is in both suggest that the crew scuttled her and went ashore, rather than that she was sunk where she was hit.
Marine life and season
- Mandarinfish
- Groupers
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Prime |
Season follows Coron: Dry December to April brings glassy seas and the best visibility; in the wet months bad weather sometimes stops diving.
Know before you go
- Visibility swings and reaches only about 15 m at its best, so agree on a route along the hull before you drop in.
Dive videos
Freediving East Tangat Gunboat | Coron, Philippines | GoPro · Omni Reef on YouTube
DSD: East Tangat Wreck (Gunboat) · Myka on YouTube
Sources
- Diving sites Philippines Coron — Dive The World
- Coron-Bucht — Wikipedia (German)
- Coron Bay — Wikipedia
Photo credits
- Encrusted metal hull fittings of East Tangat Wreck rising through green water with a small fish overhead by brownpau, CC BY 2.0, via Openverse
In The Logbook
- WWII wrecks you can dive, by theatreWrecks · 7 min read
- Your first wreck dive: what to expect and whereFirst dives · 6 min read
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