Olympia Maru

The Olympia Maru is a Japanese freighter lying upright in Coron Bay, very close to Tangat Island in the Philippines. The vessel was 122 metres long and nearly 17 metres wide, displacing 5,612 tons, and was built for and owned by Mitsubishi Shoji Kaisha Ltd. Originally steam-powered, it had an oil two-stroke six-cylinder engine producing 582 hp installed between June and August 1930. Requisitioned by the Japanese Defence Forces during the war, it was sunk during the American carrier-based air attack on 24 September 1944, when 180 Grumman F6F Hellcat and Helldiver planes struck at least 18 large Japanese vessels in the Coron area. The wreck is also known historically as the Ekkai Maru, Morazan Maru, and Tangat Wreck — names that caused considerable confusion with neighbouring wrecks for many years.

The wreck sits with a maximum depth of 30.7 metres and deck levels running between 18 and 24 metres. The ship rests upright, and the cargo rooms allow easy penetration, making it a good introduction to wreck diving for those pursuing that style of diving.

Marine life is concentrated particularly around the mast, bow, and stern, where large shoals of banana fish, giant batfish, and giant puffer fish are regularly encountered. Crocodile fish and scorpion fish are also present, so divers should take care where they place their hands on the structure.