Penghu Islands · Taiwan · Wreck
Lingyun Shipwreck
Huge marble rays living inside a navy transport's hull
The Lingyun Shipwreck is a decommissioned Taiwanese Navy inter-island passenger and cargo vessel of the Lingyun class, sunk due south of Qimei as a fish aggregation device. It lies in open sea in southern Penghu, with little coral growth but plenty of fish, and divers go for the hull, its swim-throughs and the large marble rays that live inside.
Also known as Lingyun Wreck, Lingyun.
Where it is and how deep
23.1761° N, 119.4536° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wreck sits in open water, so when the current runs the boat drops divers upstream and they drift down onto the ship, then tuck in on the lee side, in its current shadow. The ship rests on its starboard side in the middle of a large sand pit at 30 m.
The deck has a few large holes that open into easy swim-throughs. Any of the spaces inside may already hold a group of huge marble rays that live in the ship, and fish crowd the structure even though coral growth on it is thin.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Lingyun-class navy transport
- Type
- Inter-island passenger and cargo vessel
- Cause
- Decommissioned by the Taiwanese Navy and sunk as a fish aggregation device
- Lies
- On its starboard side in the middle of a large sand pit at 30 m
Marine life and season
- Stingrays
- Reef fish swarms
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair |
Season follows Penghu Islands: No month stands out as the best; April to September is the busy season, and October to February is very windy.
Know before you go
- The wreck lies in the open sea, so some current runs over it; the lee side of the hull offers shelter.
Questions divers ask
What certification does the Lingyun Shipwreck need?+
Advanced Open Water: the hull rests on a sand bottom at 30 m in the open sea, where some current runs over the wreck.
Sources
- Dive into Taiwan: Penghu — X-Ray Mag
- Taiwan wreck dives (Line Today) — Line Today
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