Japanese Shipwreck

The History

A WWII-era vessel sitting upright in 2 to 12 meters of water in Banyuning Bay. Completely colonized in coral. Accessible, calm, and consistently underrated. What makes this wreck interesting is that none is able to explain its origin story.

The Wreck

The structure of the ship is less preserved and more broken apart than the Liberty Shipwreck. But it is still intact enough to read as an actual ship.

Every surface is covered in soft coral, hard coral, and encrusting growth that has been accumulating since the 1940s.

Current can be variable in the bay and occasionally runs strong on certain tides. Visibility runs 15 to 25 meters in good conditions. On a clear, still morning with good light this wreck is exceptional. The best visits are early, when light angles through the coral growth and fish activity is at its peak.

Similar to most of Amed, the oceanscape surrounding the ship is a gradual slope that descends at a shallow angle into the blue. Other coral heads and notable reef structures can be found around the ship.

The Life

Leaf Scorpionfish on the hull coral. Ghost Pipefish hovering in pairs near the sea fans. Large schools of Trevally can sometimes be seen working the water column above the wreck in tight formation. The contrast between the critter-rich stillness of the wreck and the active fish life overhead makes for a more varied dive than the shallow depth alone would suggest.

Before You Dive

The shallow depth makes this an excellent freediving site. A beginner can explore from surface to the deepest section of the wreck and back without urgency.