Moalboal · Philippines · Wreck · Sand slope · Wall
Copton Point
A two-seat aircraft sunk on sand at 20 m, with a wall beyond
Area photo: Ken Suarez · CC0
One of the few sites in Moalboal with a sandy bottom, and the reason it exists as a dive: a small two-seat aircraft was sunk on that sand at around 20 m as an artificial reef. In front of the plane the ground drops away again, a wall that Scubago traces from 28 m to 80 m and PADI describes as a drop-off to about 50 m.
Also known as Airplane Wreck.
Where it is and how deep
9.9925° N, 123.3696° EPublished position for this site.
The dive
Copton Point is one of the few dive sites in Moalboal with a sandy bottom, and that sand is the whole reason the site was built. The aircraft sits on it at around 20 m: an American two-seater, small enough to take in from one position, put there as an artificial reef rather than lost. Approach it down the slope, circle it once, and the structure has done its job of gathering life onto open ground.
In front of the plane the ground goes again. PADI puts the site at about 22 m with a drop-off to roughly 50 m; Scubago describes a deep wall beginning near 28 m and running to 80 m. Either way, the wall is a place to look over rather than descend into on a recreational plan. Hold the rim, swim it, and use the plane and the sand as the shallow anchor of the dive.
Along the way the coral is a mix of soft and hard, and the fish list is the usual sanctuary-coast one: triggerfish, sweetlips, turtles, nudibranchs and devil scorpionfish, the last worth remembering before you put a hand down anywhere on the slope. Come back up the sand to the shallows and finish there.
The wreck
- Vessel
- American two-seat light aircraft
- Type
- Light aircraft placed as an artificial reef
- Sunk
- 1993
- Cause
- Sunk deliberately by Savedra Dive Center as an artificial reef project
- Lies
- On a sandy part of the slope at about 20 m, with the drop-off just in front of it
The aircraft is not a casualty. It was an American two-seater donated by Lancair and placed on the sandy part of the slope at Copton Point by Savedra Dive Center as an artificial-reef project; PADI dates the placement to the 1990s and Wikipedia's account of Moalboal gives the year as 1993. Its position on sand rather than reef was the point: the plane gave hard structure to a stretch of bottom that had none.
Marine life and season
- Sea turtles
- Nudibranchs
- Macro critters
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair |
Season follows Moalboal: Diveable year-round; the sardine school is present nearly every day regardless of season.
Know before you go
- Devil scorpionfish are reported on the site and sit still on the bottom. Keep hands off the sand and the rubble, and settle nothing on the slope without looking first.
Questions divers ask
What is the Copton Point airplane wreck?+
A small American two-seat aircraft donated by Lancair and sunk on the sand at around 20 m by Savedra Dive Center as an artificial reef. Wikipedia dates the placement to 1993; PADI puts it in the 1990s.
How deep is the airplane wreck at Copton Point?+
The plane lies at about 20 m and PADI gives the dive site as roughly 22 m deep. Beyond it the ground drops away: to about 50 m per PADI, or from 28 m to 80 m per Scubago.
Sources
- Copton Point — Scubago
- Airplane Wreck dive site — PADI
- Moalboal — Wikipedia
More dive sites in Moalboal
Reef
Coral slope that steepens into a wall at about 20 m
Wall
Coral shelf, a wall to 40 m, and a 140 m cave at its foot
A coral wall running from a 5 m shallow top down to 55 m
Muck & macro
Shallow sand and boulders in 5 to 10 m, minimal current
A million-plus sardines holding a short swim off the dive shops
An open-top cave in the northwest wall of a limestone island
Protected wall from 18 m to 55 m, hung with gorgonian fans
Wall
Sanctuary wall with small caves and steady turtle sightings
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