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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

Pete's Bi-Plane

A three-bladed propeller still in place on the nose

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

Pete's Bi-Plane is a Japanese reconnaissance biplane that was shot down while at anchor and now lies largely intact in 30 m just off a beach near the tip of the Gazelle Peninsula. Its intact propeller is one of the most familiar images of Rabaul diving.

Also known as Pete’s Bi-Plane, Pete biplane.

Where it is and how deep

Depth profile of Pete's Bi-Plane: typical dive to 30 m (to 100 ft) 18 m · Open Water30 m · Advanced40 m · Recreational limit30 mtypical dive
Depths on a shared scale to 40 m (130 ft); dashed lines mark common certification limits.

4.3238° S, 152.3979° EApproximate position — the dashed circle shows where the site lies; your operator's briefing has the mooring.

The dive

Divers enter from the beach and head out to the aircraft, which rests near the shore in 30 m. The plane is largely intact, and its three-pronged front propeller is still in place.

The wreck

Vessel
"Pete" reconnaissance biplane
Type
Japanese reconnaissance aircraft
Cause
Shot down while at anchor
Lies
Largely intact in 30 m just off the beach near the tip of the Gazelle Peninsula

Marine life and season

The sources we used don't single out particular species here.

Month-by-month season rating for Pete's Bi-Plane
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

Can Pete's Bi-Plane at Rabaul be dived from the beach?+

Yes. The biplane lies just off the beach near the tip of the Gazelle Peninsula, in 30 m, so it is a shore dive for divers trained to that depth.

Sources

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

More dive sites in Rabaul & Simpson Harbour

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Atun Wreck

A whole fishing boat sitting upright with its mast still standing

to 21 mintermediate

Wreck

George's Wreck

An upright wartime hull running down a slope straight off the beach

12–60 madvanced

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Hakkai Maru

A coral-covered cannon still mounted on the stern

25–30 mintermediate

Wreck

Manko Maru

Twisted wreckage that still shows the damage of the attack that sank her

to 25 mintermediate

Wall

Submarine Base

A caldera rim where wartime submarines unloaded right beside the shore

5–50 m · max 250 madvanced

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A cargo hull upright at 30 m, lit through its own skylights

to 30 madvanced

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American Wreck

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USS Salute: a 56 m minesweeper mined in 1945, broken in two at 22–32 m in Brunei Bay

22–32 m · max 33 madvanced

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Australian Wreck

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SS De Klerk: an 85 m Dutch steamer on her port side at 28–34 m in Brunei Bay

28–34 madvanced

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Base 1

Florida & Russell Islands · Solomon Islands

The cut-off bow of the cruiser USS Minneapolis in a war junkyard

to 26 mintermediate