Rabaul & Simpson Harbour · Papua New Guinea · Wreck
George's Wreck
An upright wartime hull running down a slope straight off the beach
Area photo: Barry Peters from Greer, SC · CC BY 2.0
George's Wreck is a Second World War ship lying upright on a steep slope just off a beach near the tip of the Gazelle Peninsula. Many consider it the best remaining wartime wreck at Rabaul: the hull is in very good condition, corals cover it, and current flowing over it has turned it into a busy artificial reef.
Also known as George’s Wreck.
Where it is and how deep
4.3238° S, 152.3979° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.
The dive
The wreck starts close to shore: divers swim off the beach to the bow, which sits at 12 m. From there the hull runs upright down the steep slope, and the stern lies at about 60 m. Healthy corals add colour along the structure and marine life is plentiful throughout.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Toyo Maru (probable)
- Type
- Japanese minesweeper
- Sunk
- 1943
- Cause
- Sunk in April 1943 by the RAAF or a USAAF B-24 Liberator
- Lies
- Upright on a steep slope off the beach, bow at 12 m and stern at about 60 m
The wreck takes its name from George Tyers, an Australian hard-hat diver based in Rabaul who found it in 1971. It has never been firmly identified, but it is believed to be the Japanese minesweeper Toyo Maru, sunk in April 1943 either by the RAAF or by a USAAF B-24 Liberator. Rich current flows over the hull have since turned it into an artificial reef.
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 | Fair | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Rabaul & Simpson Harbour: May to October is the best stretch; December to March is the wettest, though only marginally wetter than the rest of the year.
Questions divers ask
Is George's Wreck at Rabaul a shore dive?+
Yes. The wreck sits just off the beach near the tip of the Gazelle Peninsula, with the bow at 12 m and the stern down the slope at about 60 m.
Sources
- Diving Rabaul’s Wrecks, Reefs and Jetties — Indopacificimages
- Your Essential Rabaul Diving Guide — Underwater Asia
- OpenStreetMap — OpenStreetMap
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