This is about Daryl & Laurel Fisher and their cruising adventures on the catamaran "Cool Bananas"...


Tuesday, 31 May 2011

Coron, Philippines. May 2011


Daryl was excited to get up to Coron as the area has a wide range of dive sites from shallow reefs to advanced wreck diving. The major attraction, however, is undoubtedly the wrecks of the Japanese supply fleet sunk in September 1944.

Their history began at 6:00 am on 24th September 1944, 80 Hellcat and Helldiver planes took off from carriers and headed for Coron. At the time this was the longest range for an air attack ever launched from aircraft carriers. They started approx. 340 miles (over 500km) from the target, over 120 planes met in midair and then went on to Busuanga. Some planes were airborne for more than 6 hours. Several planes were lost after running out of fuel on the return trip and some were shot down by guns from the Japanese fleet and from gun placements on the islands around Coron Bay.
At 9:00 am the planes reached Coron and located the 12 (or 18?) large Japanese vessels and started their attacks. After a 40 minute attack the planes left, leaving a scene of devastation behind. The main concentration of the ships were sunk in the bay in between Sangat Island and Lusong, some started to leave and were sunk near Manglet island. One ship, the Kamoi (a oiler) made it to Hong Kong. The reports show that some ships were sunk by direct hits - others by bombs that breached the hull under water.

The cargo holds are empty. Just about all the ship that were sunk in this attack have had their engines, propellers, portholes and in fact, anything of value, already salvaged.

Mermaid Restaurant.............................................Cool Bananas in Coron Harbour

Dive Bangka...........................................................Bbq lunch cooking on the dive boat

Asian sized toilet.....................................................Moored in Santo Nifio Bay


The 160m long Japanese civilian tanker Okikawa was hit by bombs, caught fire and sank. After the first attack part of the ship was still visible, but after a second attack on the 9th October the ship sank to the bottom. She is now lying upright in 26m of water. The decks being at a depth of 10-16m. On our second dive we entered the wreck via the propeller shaft hole and stayed in the wreck for most of the dive, as the current was strong.

Turtle cruising on deck.........................................Amber swimming through a companion way.

A rudder post.........................................................Ladder into the hold

Amber in the ship jail (brig)................................Daryl exiting the wreck via the ventilation shaft

Amber coming out of the ventilation shaft.........Daryl surfacing by the bangka outrigger


The Akitsushima is a 113m long seaplane tender with a crane used to lower the planes down into the water. The planes (Kawanishi) would then take off from there. On deck you can still see parallel lines. There is a radio mast all covered with black corals and sponges. Close to the mast are gun placements pointing to the bottom. Also the crane for the seaplanes is still intact. She is lying on her side in 38m of water. She was the only actual warship sunk in Coron Bay.

machine gun at the base of the crane.................Daryl on the machine gun controls

Amber's turn on the controls.........................Amber making a call from the communication's tower

The sea plane crane..............................................The crane gears



The Irako a 200m long refrigeration /navy provision store ship, was already damaged before reaching Coron Bay. During the attack by the US Air Force the bombs hit the bridge. She is lying on upright in 43m of water.We entered the wreck at the machine shop compartment, where an old-style metal lathe, bench drill and other metal production machinery can still be seen.

Daryl photographing the fish................................Brass port hole

One of the many lion fish........................................Amber ascending


The origin and name of this 160m long cargo vessel is not really known but is commonly known as the Olympia Maru. The square cargo bays are an ideal way to enter the wreck and swim through it. From the second entrance to the left you can swim into the bridge area and out through the big bomb hole. She is lying upright in 25m of water with the decks at around 18-20m

At the bow..............................................................Machine gun placement

Spot the stonefish..............................School of spade fish

More lionfish


The Kogyo Maru, a 180m Japanese navy auxiliary supply ship, was ordered from Manila to Coron Bay, arriving there just a day before the attack. Hit by several bombs she sank with 39 sailors on board. In the cargo holds, we saw a bulldozer, cement bags and rolls of wire. The masts and the superstructure were very nice to swim through.
Anti-aircraft guns placement remains are still visible on the decks of this wreck. She is lying on her side in 34m of water.

Engine room mounts............................................Bulldozer

Concrete mixer..................................Exiting a hatch


The Sangat submarine hunter, a 43m boat, was thought to be a small gunboat until the recent discovery of an onboard sonar unit. This information now indicates, however, that this vessel was probability a sub-chaser. She is lying bow to the beach the reef in 3m of water and the stern in 19m deep. The stove in the galley was clearly visible.

Daryl entering through a deck hatch

Hard plate coral.....................................................Amber looking down the funnel

Looking down into the galley..............................Stove

Mooring rope guide...............................................Spanish dancer (nudibranch type)


The Lusong Wreck is also a Japanese subchaser, although smaller. The stern breaks the surface at low tide and the bow is in 10m. At 35m long, this wreck is very open and sponges and corals cover it nicely. Laurel, also, was able to snorkel it. We saw one of the biggest nudibranches I’ve ever seen.

Moored at the Lusong wreck..............................Laurel checking out the wreck

Daryl diving past soft corals.................................Cute soft corals

Port hole..................................................................and hatch


The Skeleton Wreck is a landing craft wreck at Malcatop Island. It starts at 2m to max. depth of 18m. It lies on a coral reef. All that is left is a skeleton outline and some bags of cement which presumably were it’s cargo. It was an easy dive, on a beautiful day. It had loads of coral, sponges and plenty of large fish.

At the bow.............................................................Bags of cement

Posers

Photographers at work


The Morazon was a 140m Japanese freighter. She is lying on her side in 26m of water and it is easy to see why she went down. There is a large hole from a bomb in her mid ship. The big cargo rooms and the engine room allow easy penetration of this wreck. You can pass behind the boilers and see the damage resulting from one of the bomb strikes that disabled the ship. Hard coral blankets the port side along with giant groupers, sweet lips, sea snakes and turtles. Scorpion fish were also frequently spotted. It is possible to do a swim-through and pass from bow to stern without exiting the ship.

.Many spotted sweetlips..........................................Nudibranch

Amber exiting the bomb blasted hole................Fire bricks

Moorish idols cruising the deck..........................School of razor fish


As is often the way, the weather determines when the time is right to move on. A typhoon is on its way, although it will pass well north of us it will, however, bring with it some wind. So if we want to dive at Apo Reef we need to get moving.