Akitsushima

The Akitsushima is a Japanese Imperial Navy seaplane tender wreck lying between Culion and Busuanga Islands, near Manglet Island, in Coron, the Philippines (approximately N 11°59.218′, E 119°58.417′). Built to displace 4,724 tons and measuring 118 metres in length and 15.7 metres wide, she was powered by four diesel engines producing 8,000 hp and armed with anti-aircraft guns and 5-inch guns; she also carried one large Kawanishi flying boat. She was struck near the stern, where the flying boat rested on metal tracks, and sank so violently the ship was nearly torn in two — only half the starboard plating and hull bottom kept the stern attached to the rest of the vessel.

The wreck lies capsized on her port side, with the hull at 22 metres and the sandy bottom at 36 metres; average depth across the site is around 26–28 metres. The crane used to lift the seaplane is intact and rests on the sandy bottom. A three-barrelled anti-aircraft gun mounting remains at the front of the flying-boat tracks, and the internal damage throughout the ship is extensive. Wreck-certified divers can penetrate into the engine room to view the four original diesel engines, while the crane's gearing and machinery make the stern penetration a highlight in its own right.

Marine life at the Akitsushima includes schools of giant batfish and barracudas around the crane, giant groupers and additional barracudas sheltering under the bow, yellowfin tuna, lionfish, scorpionfish, and nudibranchs. Water temperature runs 27–30°C, with the best season running December through March.