PHOTOGRAPHY: ADOBE STOCK; GETTY IMAGES; ALAMY; SHUTTERSTOCK
Voyage Edit
Asia’stopwreckdives
CHUUK LAGOON, MICRONESIA
With 60 shipwrecks and 250 aircraft wrecks from the
Second World War, this site is perfect for recreational
and technical divers alike. Must-dives include
Fujikawa Maru, which has intact fighter planes in its
holds, and the Shinkoku Maru, which is colourfully
decorated with soft corals and sponges.THE KING CRUISER,
PHUKET, THAILAND
In May 1997 the 85-metre passenger ferry King
Cruiser strayed several kilometres off course and
hit the Anemone Reef. The vessel now sits upright
between 12 and 35 metres, and its multiple decks
are home to bigeye trevally, yellowtail barracuda
and a hawksbill turtle that interacts with divers.CORON BAY, PHILIPPINES
An American air reconnaissance mission discovered a
camouflaged fleet of Japanese warships in September
1944 and duly destroyed 24 of the boats. Considered
to be some of the world’s best-preserved Second
World War wrecks, 12 can now be explored by divers.
Highlights include 140-metre Kogyo Maru, home to
giant pufferfish, and 160-metre Mamiya Maru, on
which you can still see the anti-aircraft guns.USATLIBERTY, BALI, INDONESIA
ThisformerUS Army ship was torpedoed by a Japanese
submarinein1942 and remained beached on Bali until a
volcaniceruption in 1963 moved it into the water. Now on
theseabedat 30 metres, the 120-metre vessel acts as a
havenforsoftcorals and sea fans, populated by tropical
fishincludinggoby, lizardfish and barracuda.233