I was back to the Philipines for wreck scanning – actually I am planning a wreck collection for an exhibition.
Subic Bay in the Philippines is one of the most interesting wreck diving areas in Southeast Asia. For decades, the bay served as a major U.S. naval and air force base, especially during World War II and the Vietnam War. After the withdrawal of U.S. forces in the early 1990s, the area was opened for civilian use and quickly developed into a popular destination for divers.
Beneath the surface, Subic Bay is home to numerous wrecks from different historical periods, including Japanese ships from World War II, U.S. supply vessels, aircraft, landing craft, and deliberately sunk industrial and harbor structures. Many of these wrecks lie at moderate depths between 18 and 40 meters and are well preserved due to the bay’s protected location and generally calm conditions.
Today, the dive sites of Subic Bay combine military history with rich marine life. The area is especially popular among wreck, technical, and history-focused divers.
Sive sites
I’ve dived and scanned the following dive sites:
- Japanese Patrol Boat
- El Capitan
- LCU – US Landing craft
- LCU – Upside down
- LCM – small landing craft
- LST – Big US Landing craft
- Sky Raider – Airplane fighter
- San Quentin – Historical Steam + Sail ship
- USS New York – Battleship built for the 1st World War
- Phantom Airplane Fighter
- Lanikai – Historical and famous sailing ship
- Banshu Maru – Japanese ship
- Tabby DC3 Airplane
- Steam Tug boat
- Beer Barrels – A strange maritime construction
- Seian Maru – Japanese Frighter
- Cage and Barrel – Another strange maritime construction