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Four orange anemonefish with a white head stripe nestled among the pale tentacles of a rust-red anemone — Rabaul & Simpson Harbour

Rabaul & Simpson Harbour · Papua New Guinea · Wreck

Hakkai Maru

A coral-covered cannon still mounted on the stern

Area photo: Barry Peters from Greer, SC · CC BY 2.0

The Hakkai Maru is a large Japanese support ship from the Second World War, 130 m long, lying in 25 to 30 m inside the Rabaul caldera. Coral has grown over the hull and fish life is rich, and the size of the ship together with a depth most divers can reach makes it one of the best wreck dives in the area.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Hakkai Maru: typical dive 25–30 m (82–100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit25 m30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

No published position for this site — the map shows Rabaul & Simpson Harbour and its other sites; operators know the mooring.

The dive

The hull lies between 25 and 30 m, so the whole dive stays in that range along a ship 130 m long. Rich coral growth covers the structure and fish crowd the wreck. At the stern stands a large cannon, itself now overgrown with coral, one of the most impressive sights on the wreck.

The wreck

Vessel
Hakkai Maru
Type
Japanese support ship
Length
130 m (427 ft)
Sunk
1944
Cause
Hit by an American skip-bomb on 17 January 1944
Lies
In 25–30 m of water inside the Rabaul caldera

The Hakkai Maru was a Japanese support ship of the Second World War. An American skip-bomb sank her on 17 January 1944. The ship's clock stopped at 17:20, the moment of impact, and it is now kept in the local museum, while the hull itself has become one of the area's best wreck dives.

Marine life and season

  • Reef fish swarms
Month-by-month season rating for Hakkai Maru
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
FairFairFairGoodPrimePrimePrimePrimePrimePrimeGoodFair

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

What certification does the Hakkai Maru wreck in Rabaul need?+

The hull lies between 25 and 30 m, so Advanced Open Water or equivalent deep training is the usual requirement for this wreck.

Sources

  1. Diving Rabaul’s Wrecks, Reefs and Jetties — Indopacificimages
  2. Your Essential Rabaul Diving Guide — Underwater Asia

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