Akitsushima

War grave: the Japanese seaplane tender Akitsushima (about 118 m), the only warship among the Coron Bay wrecks, sunk in the 24 Sep 1944 raid. She lies on her side, nearly split in two, with the bottom at about 35–36 m. An intact crane on the sand, a gun mount and the engine room with its four engines are the highlights.

Facts

• Region: Coron Bay & Busuanga – Palawan
• Area: Coron Bay wrecks
• Depth: 17–36 m
• Level: advanced
• Current: low
• Type: wreck
• Coordinates: 11.98697, 119.97362 (approximate)
• Highlights: seaplane tender, crane, anti-aircraft gun, batfish, barracuda, giant groupers, tuna
• Permit: Wreck dives are done with a Coron dive operator, who collects the local/marine-park fees as part of the package (Pirates Diving Center states marine park and entry fees are included in its listed prices; the amounts and whether a separate municipal tourism fee applies were not verified from an official source). Taking anything from the wrecks is not allowed.
• Issuer / contact: Your Coron dive operator (collects local fees)
• Unverified: Position varies slightly between sources (about 0.01 minute); treat as approximate.
• Tips: Advanced Open Water; Wreck Diver for penetration. Depths differ between sources (min about 17 m, max 35–38 m). Wrecks are war graves: look, photograph, take nothing. Remaining munitions: do not touch.

Sources

• https://piratescoron.com/dive-sites/
• https://philippinesislandhopping.com/blog/shipwreck-diving-in-coron/
• https://www.starfish.ch/dive/print/Sangat-print.html
• https://scubatechphilippines.com/scuba_blog/the-shipwrecks-of-coron-wreck-diving-philippines/
• https://californiadiver.com/attack-on-coron-bay-exploring-world-war-ii-shipwrecks-in-the-philippines-518/