Malapascua · Philippines · Wreck
Mogami Maru
An upright WWII Japanese wreck reserved for technical divers
Area photo: Petter Lindgren · CC BY-SA 3.0
The Mogami Maru is a Second World War Japanese wreck off Malapascua, probably a trawler converted into an auxiliary submarine-chaser. It sits upright on its keel beyond recreational limits, so it is a technical dive, planned with decompression and several gases for time on the hull.
Also known as Pioneer Wreck.
Where it is and how deep
11.3750° N, 124.1067° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wreck sits upright on its keel. The deck lies at 46 to 47 m and the seabed at 52 to 56 m, past the reach of recreational diving, so any useful time on it means a planned decompression dive on several gases. The stern is heavily damaged, which suggests the ship was carrying depth charges when she went down.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Mogami Maru (tentative identification)
- Type
- Trawler converted to auxiliary submarine-chaser
- Sunk
- 1944
- Cause
- Sunk by a US bomber off Cebu
- Lies
- Upright on its keel, deck at 46 to 47 m, seabed at 52 to 56 m
The wreck has never been firmly identified. Records show a ship downed by aerial attack in this area in 1944, which is why it is called the Mogami Maru, and the sinking of a vessel by a US bomber off Cebu is documented on 12 September 1944. The best guess is a Japanese trawler converted into an auxiliary submarine-chaser during the war, and the damage around the stern points to depth charges aboard.
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| 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.
Dive videos
The Mogami Maru - Pioneer Wreck from WWII at Malapascua · SkyHighNature on YouTube
Questions divers ask
What training does the Mogami Maru wreck need?+
Technical decompression training. The seabed lies at 52 to 56 m, beyond recreational limits, and a dive with real time on the wreck is planned on 4 tanks and multiple gas mixes.
Sources
- The Mogami Maru Revisited — Evolution Diving Resort
- Never mind the Threshers! — Divernet
- Divesites — Aabana Beach Resort
- Malapascua Dive Sites — Thresher Shark Divers
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