Malapascua · Philippines · Wreck
Doña Marilyn
A 1988 ferry wreck lying on her starboard side at 33 m
Area photo: Petter Lindgren · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Doña Marilyn is a 97.6-metre passenger ferry that sank in Typhoon Ruby in October 1988 and now lies on her starboard side, hull at 33 metres and shallowest structure at around 17. She is dived as a deep boat trip out from Malapascua, with medium and sometimes stiff current, glassfish filling the openings and whitetip reef sharks over the plating.
Also known as MV Doña Marilyn, Dona Marilyn.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Malapascua and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
This is a boat dive some distance out from Malapascua and not a shore dive, whatever some listings say. The ferry lies on her starboard side with the hull at 33 metres and the shallowest point of the wreck at around 17 metres, so a visit is a deep dive of roughly 25 to 40 metres with a short bottom time. Currents here are medium and stiff at times, which usually decides which end of the wreck the descent goes in on.
Most of the dive is spent working along the hull. Thousands of tiny glassfish shoal in the openings, with colourful sweetlips, scorpionfish, batfish and nudibranchs over the plating, while whitetip reef sharks and blue-spotted stingrays patrol the wreck and an eagle ray turns up occasionally. Some of the ship's features are missing: the wreck has been illegally salvaged for scrap metal over the years. Visibility is often 20 metres and more.
The wreck
- Vessel
- MV Doña Marilyn
- Type
- Passenger ferry
- Length
- 97.6 m (320 ft)
- Built
- 1966
- Sunk
- 1988
- Cause
- Sank in strong winds and giant waves caused by Typhoon Ruby
- Lies
- On her starboard side at 33 m, shallowest point around 17 m
Built in July 1966 in Japan as the Otohime Maru, the ship later sailed as the MV Doña Ana before becoming the Doña Marilyn. She went down at around 2pm on 24 October 1988 on the Manila to Tacloban run, when strong winds and giant waves caused by Typhoon Ruby overwhelmed her. The wreck site has since had some of its features go missing, lost to illegal salvaging for scrap metal.
Marine life and season
- Reef fish swarms
- Reef sharks
- Stingrays
- Eagle rays
- Nudibranchs
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Malapascua: Threshers visit Kimud Shoal all year. March to May is calmest and clearest; October to January brings rough seas, green water and the most cancelled crossings.
Know before you go
- Currents on the wreck are medium and stiff at times, so the descent and ascent are made on a line and the dive is planned around them.
- The profile runs to 40 m on a wreck stripped in places by salvaging, so plan gas and no-stop time before the dive rather than on it.
Dive videos
Dona Marilyn Wreck Dive Malapascua GoPro HD · Colin Snow on YouTube
Doña Marilyn Wreck · Butch Khan Dives on YouTube
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Doña Marilyn wreck?+
The hull sits at 33 metres on its starboard side, with the shallowest point of the wreck at around 17 metres. Dives on it are planned as deep dives of roughly 25 to 40 metres.
What certification do you need for the Doña Marilyn?+
Operators list PADI Advanced Open Water or CMAS 2* as the minimum. It is a deep dive with medium and at times stiff current, so recent deep experience counts as much as the card itself.
Sources
- MV Doña Marilyn — Wikipedia
- Doña Marilyn wreck dive site — Divezone
- Diving in the Philippines — Wikivoyage
In The Logbook
- Deep wreck diving: where recreational stopsWrecks · 8 min read
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