Sea of Cortez · Mexico · Wreck · Artificial reef
Fang Ming Wreck
A scuttled smuggling ship with multi-level penetration at 21 m
Area photo: ProtoplasmaKid · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Fang Ming is a 56 m Chinese cargo ship seized by the Mexican navy and deliberately sunk near Isla Ballena on 18 November 1999 to build an artificial reef. She sits in about 21 m of water with the 36 m Lapas 03 put down alongside her the same day, and Cortez Club rates the wreck an ideal setting for a wreck-diver specialty.
Also known as Chinese Wreck.
Where it is and how deep
24.4303° N, 110.3744° WPublished position for this site.
The dive
The wreck lies at 21 m (70 ft), which keeps the whole dive inside recreational limits but leaves little slack for a long interior tour on a single tank. Cortez Club describes the hull as offering full penetration across multiple levels, so the sensible pattern is an outside circuit of a 56 m ship first and whatever time is left for the openings, with the depth watched rather than the route improvised.
The Fang Ming does not sit alone. Lapas 03, 36 m long, was sunk beside her on the same day in November 1999, so the site is really two hulls close together and the second one absorbs whatever a first pass leaves over. Both were put down deliberately rather than lost to weather or grounding, which is what makes the multi-level penetration Cortez Club describes possible in the first place.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Fang Ming
- Type
- Chinese cargo ship
- Length
- 56 m (184 ft)
- Sunk
- 1999
- Cause
- Deliberately scuttled as an artificial reef after seizure by the Mexican navy
- Lies
- In about 21 m off Isla Ballena, with the 36 m Lapas 03 sunk alongside
ScubaGo records the Fang Ming as a Chinese cargo ship seized by the Mexican navy in 1995 while attempting to carry 88 undocumented Chinese migrants toward California, which is why divers still call her the Chinese Wreck. Rather than scrap the seized vessels, the Mexican government gave them a second use: on 18 November 1999 the Fang Ming and the smaller Lapas 03 were deliberately sunk near Isla Ballena to form an artificial reef off La Paz.
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 | Good | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Fair |
Season follows Sea of Cortez: Water warms June-November for the best hammerhead and pelagic action at El Bajo; winter is cooler with rougher boat crossings.
Know before you go
- Penetration means overhead time inside a metal hull with several levels: carry a light, keep an exit in sight, and stay with a wreck-trained guide unless you hold the specialty.
Questions divers ask
How deep is the Fang Ming wreck?+
About 21 m (70 ft), which keeps it inside recreational no-decompression diving but limits how long you can spend inside the hull.
Why was the Fang Ming sunk?+
She was seized by the Mexican navy in 1995 over a people-smuggling attempt and later scuttled, on 18 November 1999, to create an artificial reef near Isla Ballena.
Sources
- Fang Ming (Wreck) — ScubaGo — ScubaGo/SSI
- Dive Sites — Cortez Club — Cortez Club
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