The 5 Best Wreck Dives in Southeast Asia ⚓️🌊
⚓ Introduction: Exploring the Ghosts of the Deep
A diver exploring a wreck in Malaysia
There’s something undeniably captivating about wreck diving. Beneath the surface, time slows, history whispers, and nature reclaims what was once man-made. Rusted hulls and forgotten cargo ships become living reefs, teeming with marine life — a fusion of past and present that few other dive experiences can match.
In Southeast Asia, these underwater time capsules are scattered across some of the world’s most biodiverse seas. From World War II wrecks resting in the Philippines to modern artificial reefs off the coast of Thailand and Malaysia, each site tells a story — of conflict, trade, or transformation. Schools of snapper swirl through portholes, soft corals cascade down masts, and curious turtles glide past decks once walked by sailors.
What makes wreck diving so special isn’t just the history — it’s the atmosphere. Descending onto a wreck feels like stepping into another world. The light shifts, shadows dance, and every corner hides a sense of mystery. For underwater photographers, it’s a dreamscape of texture and contrast. For divers, it’s a chance to explore the ocean’s secret museums — places where human legacy and marine life intertwine in stunning harmony.
Whether you’re a history buff, an adventure seeker, or simply in love with the underwater world, wreck diving in Southeast Asia offers some of the most hauntingly beautiful and thrilling experiences you’ll ever have beneath the waves.
🌊 Why Wreck Diving Is So Popular
Few dive experiences stir the imagination quite like descending onto a shipwreck. There’s a quiet thrill in seeing something once so human — a vessel built for the surface — resting peacefully on the ocean floor, transformed into an underwater ecosystem. Wreck diving combines exploration, history, and nature in a way that captivates divers of every level.
A Journey Through Time
Each wreck tells a story. Some were casualties of war, others victims of storms or accidents, and many were deliberately sunk to create artificial reefs. When you swim through their corridors or hover over their decks, you’re not just diving — you’re stepping back in time. The faded outlines of propellers, rusted anchor chains, and weathered plaques evoke powerful images of the past.
In Southeast Asia, where trade routes and naval battles once crisscrossed the seas, these relics offer a window into history — from WWII supply ships in Coron to old cargo freighters in Bali now reborn as vibrant habitats.
Underwater Museums of Life
Over time, the sea transforms every wreck into a living reef. Steel and timber structures become the foundation for soft corals, sponges, and sea fans. Schools of batfish, fusiliers, and trevally dart through open hatches, while lionfish and moray eels claim the nooks and shadows as their homes.
For underwater photographers, wrecks offer incredible opportunities — bold shapes, dramatic lighting, and marine life in abundance. It’s this blend of decay and renewal that makes wrecks so mesmerizing to capture.
Adventure Meets Tranquility
Despite their dramatic appearance, wreck dives have an oddly serene atmosphere. The muffled silence, the play of light through torn metal, and the sensation of floating through history all create a meditative calm. Yet there’s still that spark of adventure — a sense that you’re uncovering a hidden world only a handful of people ever see.
Whether you’re exploring a shallow wreck in Bali or penetrating the dark holds of a deep WWII warship in the Philippines, every dive is unique — part exploration, part reflection.
A Perfect Challenge for Every Diver
Wreck diving caters to every skill level. Beginners can explore shallow wrecks like the USAT Liberty in Bali, while experienced divers can tackle deeper or more complex sites in Coron or Subic Bay. The variety of conditions, depths, and history makes Southeast Asia one of the best regions on Earth for wreck enthusiasts.
⚓ Top Wreck Diving Destinations in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia’s warm waters hold some of the world’s most fascinating shipwrecks — from coral-encrusted World War II relics to purpose-sunk artificial reefs that now burst with life. Whether you’re after haunting history, easy-access dives, or big schools of fish sweeping through the decks, these are five wreck dives every diver should add to their bucket list.
🇮🇩 1. USAT Liberty, Bali – History in the Shallows
Just a few fin kicks from the black-sand beach of Tulamben, on Bali’s northeast coast, lies one of the world’s most iconic wreck dives — the USAT Liberty. What makes it so remarkable isn’t just its accessibility, but the way it blends wartime history, volcanic drama, and thriving marine life into one unforgettable dive.
Originally a U.S. Army cargo ship, the Liberty was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine in 1942 while transporting supplies between Australia and the Philippines. Heavily damaged, she was towed toward the shore but ultimately beached at Tulamben. For two decades, the ship sat rusting above the tide line — until Mount Agung erupted in 1963, shaking the island and pushing the 120-meter vessel back beneath the waves, where she still rests today between 5 and 30 meters deep.
The site’s gradual slope and calm conditions make it perfect for divers of all levels — from first-time wreck explorers to seasoned photographers. By day, shafts of sunlight pierce the broken hull, creating cathedral-like beams that illuminate swirls of glassfish and shimmering anthias. At night, the same corridors come alive with hunting lionfish and flashlight fish, making it one of the rare wrecks that’s equally mesmerizing after dark.
Over the decades, the Liberty has been completely reclaimed by the sea. Soft corals, gorgonians, and sponges blanket its surface, while crinoids wave lazily from the railings. Resident bumphead parrotfish patrol the deck at dawn, and pygmy seahorses cling to fan corals near the bow. Look closely and you might spot ghost pipefish, nudibranchs, and ornate shrimp tucked into crevices, all framed by the dramatic outlines of the ship’s skeletal remains.
It’s this mix of accessibility, beauty, and history that makes the USAT Liberty such a timeless favorite — a wreck that feels alive in every sense, where divers can literally watch the ocean write its own story across the scars of the past.
📝 Highlight: Easy shore entry and spectacular sunrise dives make this a must-do in Bali.
🇵🇭 2. Coron Wrecks, Philippines – WWII’s Sunken Fleet
Few places on Earth combine history, mystery, and marine life quite like Coron Bay, located off the northern tip of Palawan in the Philippines. Beneath its turquoise waters lies a fleet of Japanese supply ships — relics of World War II that have been slowly reclaimed by coral and time. Today, they form one of the largest collections of accessible wrecks in the world, drawing divers from across the globe.
The story of Coron’s wrecks begins on September 24, 1944, when American aircraft launched a surprise attack on the Imperial Japanese Navy’s supply fleet hiding in the bay. In a matter of hours, more than a dozen ships were sent to the seafloor. Now, these once-mighty cargo ships, oilers, and gunboats rest silently in depths ranging from 10 to 40 meters, creating an underwater graveyard that doubles as a thriving reef.
Each wreck tells its own story — and offers its own experience. The Akitsushima, a seaplane tender still complete with massive crane arms, sits upright and perfectly preserved. The Irako, a refrigeration ship, is a favorite for its swim-throughs filled with schooling batfish and snapper. Then there’s the Olympia Maru, where divers can still see anchor chains, cargo holds, and corals cascading down the deck like draped curtains.
Inside, beams of sunlight filter through torn hulls, illuminating rusted ladders, engine rooms, and corridors draped in soft coral. For penetration-certified divers, the interiors are otherworldly — twisted steel passageways glowing in filtered green light, teeming with sponges, lionfish, and flashlight fish. For others, the outer decks and masts are no less captivating, covered in sea fans, anemones, and black coral forests.
The marine life here is as impressive as the wrecks themselves. Schools of jack, barracuda, and fusiliers sweep over the ships, while turtles, scorpionfish, and nudibranchs linger along the beams. On calmer days, visibility can reach 20 meters, offering breathtaking panoramas of entire wrecks framed by cobalt-blue water.
What makes Coron truly special is how it balances accessibility with adventure. Whether you’re a novice hovering over shallow wrecks like the Kogyo Maru, or an advanced diver weaving through the deeper Irako, each dive feels like a blend of archaeology and exploration. It’s not just diving — it’s time travel beneath the sea.
📝 Highlight: A world-class wreck diving destination where wartime history meets vibrant marine life — every dive feels like exploring a living museum.
A lionfish spotted at the artificial reef at Kapalai - although not a traditional wreck it has many of the same features to explore!
🇲🇾 3. Kapalai House Reefs, Malaysia – Artificial Reefs with Life to Spare
Floating between Sipadan and Mabul Island on the edge of the Celebes Sea, Kapalai isn’t a true island at all — it’s a sandbank perched above crystal-clear shallows, crowned by a collection of overwater chalets and surrounded by some of the richest marine biodiversity in Southeast Asia. But just beneath those turquoise waters lies something even more extraordinary: a diver’s playground built around a network of artificial reefs and small wrecks, home to a dazzling world of macro life.
Unlike the massive steel hulls of historic wrecks, the Kapalai house reefs are made up of purpose-sunk wooden boats, steel frames, and even sections of the old jetty — all placed intentionally to attract marine life and create an underwater sanctuary. These structures now brim with coral growth, soft sponges, and swaying anemones, offering refuge to a huge variety of species.
For underwater photographers and muck-diving enthusiasts, Kapalai is nothing short of paradise. Every square meter hides a surprise. Peer closely and you’ll find frogfish blending into coral, flamboyant cuttlefish flashing neon colors, and ornate ghost pipefish hovering near feather stars. Blue-ringed octopus, nudibranchs, and orangutan crabs make regular appearances, along with juvenile sweetlips performing their signature shimmy over the sand.
The shallow depth — often between 5 and 18 meters — means divers can take their time, perfect buoyancy, and linger over the small stuff without worrying about no-decompression limits. The calm water and easy access also make these sites ideal for beginner divers or anyone fine-tuning their macro photography skills.
What makes Kapalai unique is how life thrives in the unexpected. The structures may have been placed by humans, but the transformation is entirely nature’s doing. In just a few years, bare frames have turned into vibrant coral havens, proving that even the simplest materials can become a refuge for the ocean’s most extraordinary tiny creatures.
And after your dive? There’s nothing quite like surfacing to see your chalet perched on stilts above a glassy sea, with turtles gliding below your fins and the hum of the reef continuing just out of sight.
📝 Highlight: Calm, shallow dives perfect for photographers and macro lovers — proof that even man-made reefs can become living works of art.
🇹🇭 4. HTMS Chang, Thailand – A New Home Beneath the Waves
Off the coast of Koh Chang, in Thailand’s eastern Gulf, lies the country’s largest and most impressive shipwreck — the HTMS Chang. Once a U.S. Navy tank landing ship (USS Lincoln County), this 100-meter giant served in multiple conflicts before being decommissioned and intentionally sunk in 2012 to create an artificial reef. In just over a decade, it’s transformed into a colossal underwater ecosystem, and one of the most rewarding wreck dives in Southeast Asia.
Descending along the mooring line, the silhouette of the Chang materializes slowly through the blue — a vast, shadowy shape that seems to stretch forever. She rests upright in around 30 meters of water, her decks, passageways, and towering structure now draped in soft corals and sea fans. The sense of scale is awe-inspiring: you can spend multiple dives exploring different sections and still feel like you’ve only scratched the surface.
The main deck sits at about 20 meters, making it accessible to advanced open-water divers, while the bridge and gun turrets offer fantastic photo opportunities. More experienced wreck divers can penetrate the cargo holds and lower compartments, where ambient light filters through portholes, illuminating schools of snapper, fusiliers, and glassfish.
Marine life has fully embraced this artificial reef. Massive schools of barracuda, batfish, and trevally circle the mast, while lionfish and scorpionfish perch on railings coated in sponges. Giant groupers sometimes lurk in the shadows, and you may even spot hawksbill turtles gliding effortlessly through the open corridors. During certain months, whale sharks have even been known to pass through the area, adding to the wreck’s mystique.
What sets the HTMS Chang apart is its combination of accessibility, adventure, and atmosphere. It’s large enough to feel like a full-scale exploration dive but manageable enough for recreational divers to enjoy without technical gear. The wreck is also constantly evolving, with corals expanding year by year and more marine species taking up residence — a living, growing testament to how artificial reefs can become thriving underwater metropolises.
📝 Highlight: Thailand’s biggest wreck — teeming with life, rich in atmosphere, and perfect for those wanting a wreck with scale and soul.
🇲🇾 5. Kudat Wrecks, Sabah, Malaysia – Remote WWII Relics
Tucked away off the northern tip of Sabah, in Malaysian Borneo, lie the haunting and little-explored Kudat Wrecks — a hidden gem for adventurous divers. These World War II-era wrecks rest in relative obscurity, scattered across the South China Sea, far from the crowds of Sipadan or the bustling resorts of Semporna. For those who make the journey, Kudat offers raw, untouched wreck diving with a sense of discovery that’s rare in today’s well-mapped diving world.
The most famous of these sites, often called the Upside-Down Wreck, is believed to be a Japanese vessel that sank during the latter stages of WWII. True to its name, it lies completely inverted on the seafloor — a dramatic, eerie sight that sends plumes of silt swirling as you descend along its barnacle-encrusted hull. Penetrating the wreck reveals a labyrinth of steel ribs and twisted beams now overtaken by coral, sponges, and schools of glassfish that shimmer in the torchlight.
Other nearby wrecks, including a few smaller cargo and patrol vessels, have become natural reefs in their own right. Soft corals, black coral trees, and sea fans drape over the decks, while lionfish, moray eels, and juvenile batfish weave in and out of the metal framework. On good visibility days, the scene is almost cinematic — shafts of sunlight filtering through rusted openings, revealing decades of marine colonization in rich detail.
The currents around Kudat can be unpredictable, making these dives best suited for experienced divers comfortable with navigation and changing conditions. But the reward is unmatched solitude — you’ll likely have the site entirely to yourself, a rarity in Southeast Asian diving. There’s an intoxicating mix of history and isolation here; it feels less like visiting a dive site and more like discovering one.
Kudat itself retains a laid-back charm, with small seaside villages, fishing boats bobbing in the harbor, and sunsets that seem to last forever. Diving here isn’t just about the wrecks — it’s about the journey, the quiet, and the connection to a time long past.
📝 Highlight: Remote, atmospheric WWII wrecks where adventure, history, and solitude meet — perfect for divers who crave something off the map.
Other Notable Mentions 🌍
Anilao, Philippines – smaller wrecks, great for macro photographers.
Similans, Thailand – wrecks mixed with granite seascapes.
Lembeh Strait, Indonesia – small wrecks in muck environments, filled with weird critters.
⚓️ Wreck Diving Tips & Safety
Exploring a shipwreck is one of the most exhilarating experiences in scuba diving — part adventure, part time travel. But wrecks demand a little extra care. Whether you’re gliding over a shallow coral-encrusted hull or venturing inside the dark corridors of a sunken warship, proper technique and awareness are key to staying safe and protecting these historic sites.
🧭 1. Know Your Limits
Divers exploring a coral encrusted wreck in Southeast Asia
Wreck diving can range from gentle exploration to advanced technical penetration. Always be honest about your comfort level and experience. If you’re new to wrecks, start with non-penetration dives like Bali’s USAT Liberty or Thailand’s HTMS Chang. Penetration dives should only be attempted with specialized training and a reel line — wreck interiors can be disorienting and silt easily stirred up.
🔦 2. Bring the Right Gear
A reliable torch or dive light is essential, even during daytime dives — interiors and shaded sections can be surprisingly dark. A backup light, cutting tool, and reel are also vital for navigation and safety. For photographers, a wide-angle setup helps capture the full grandeur of a wreck while minimizing backscatter.
🤿 3. Perfect Your Buoyancy
Good buoyancy control isn’t just about comfort — it’s about preservation. Many wrecks are fragile and covered in delicate corals or silt. A single misplaced fin kick can damage structures or cloud visibility for everyone. Hover slightly above the wreck, keep your fins up, and use slow, deliberate movements.
🪝 4. Mind Your Surroundings
Wrecks are filled with potential hazards — sharp metal edges, fishing line, loose cables, and narrow spaces. Avoid squeezing into confined areas, and watch for entanglement points when using reels or cameras. Always have an exit plan and maintain visual contact with your buddy.
🐠 5. Respect History and Marine Life
Every wreck tells a story — and many are war graves or memorials. Treat them with reverence: never remove artifacts or touch structures. Likewise, marine life has claimed these ships as home; give them space and avoid disturbing resting turtles, schooling fish, or nesting species.
🌊 6. Plan, Communicate, and Ascend Safely
Before the dive, review the site layout, maximum depth, and entry/exit points with your guide or team. Keep communication simple — torch signals and hand signs are your best tools in the dim light of a wreck. Ascend slowly, perform your safety stop, and always account for your buddy before surfacing.
📝 Pro Tip:
If you fall in love with wreck diving (and you probably will), consider taking a Wreck Diver Specialty Course. It teaches mapping, line use, and emergency procedures — skills that open the door to deeper, more advanced wreck exploration safely.
📸 Wreck Diving Photography Tips
Few underwater subjects capture the imagination like a shipwreck. Rusting beams, coral-encrusted guns, and shafts of sunlight cutting through open decks create dreamlike scenes for photographers. But wreck photography also presents unique challenges — low light, silt, and tight spaces demand patience, skill, and good planning. Here’s how to make the most of your time beneath the surface.
🌞 1. Work With the Light
Wrecks are at their most photogenic early in the morning when the sun is low and visibility is often best. Position yourself so that sunbeams filter through openings — doorways, hatches, or broken hull sections — to create a sense of scale and atmosphere. Avoid shooting directly into the light unless you’re going for a silhouette shot.
🧭 2. Think Big — Go Wide
Wrecks are massive, and wide-angle lenses (16–35mm for full-frame or fisheye setups) let you capture their full scale. Get close, shoot upward, and include your dive buddy or a school of fish to give the viewer perspective. Don’t try to capture the entire ship in one shot; focus instead on dramatic sections like the bow, bridge, or propeller.
💡 3. Manage Your Lighting
Bring at least one strobe or video light to illuminate details and restore color at depth. Angle your lights slightly outward to reduce backscatter from silt and particles. For large wrecks, rely partly on ambient light and use your strobes for foreground subjects like divers, corals, or fish. Avoid over-lighting — shadows add depth and mystery.
🪸 4. Capture the Coral and Critters
Over time, wrecks transform into thriving artificial reefs. Look for soft corals, sponges, and macro life that have made their home on railings or deck structures. You might find nudibranchs, frogfish, and ghost pipefish clinging to rusted metal. Switch to a macro setup or compact camera with a wet lens for these intricate details.
🤿 5. Control Your Buoyancy and Fins
The biggest enemy of wreck photography is stirred-up silt. Move slowly, use your frog kick or modified flutter, and hover carefully. Always avoid touching the wreck — not just for conservation’s sake, but because even the lightest contact can send a cloud of debris across your frame.
🕰 6. Tell the Story
Every wreck has a history — a journey from warship or cargo vessel to underwater monument. Look for storytelling shots: a diver’s torch illuminating a corridor, a coral-encrusted wheel, or fish schooling around a mast. Use these moments to convey mood and mystery rather than just structure.
A Scorpionfish hiding in plain sight on the side of a wreck in the Perhentian Islands, Malaysia
📝 Pro Tip:
If you’re serious about wreck photography, shoot in RAW format to preserve color and detail. Wrecks are all about texture and tone — post-processing can help bring out the rich contrasts between metal, coral, and light beams.
🌊 Final Thoughts: Time Travel Beneath the Waves
Wreck diving is more than a dive — it’s a journey through time. Each ship resting on the seabed tells a story of courage, tragedy, and transformation. Once symbols of human ambition and conflict, these vessels have found new purpose beneath the waves, becoming thriving reefs that pulse with life. Coral softens steel, schools of fish swirl through empty passageways, and nature quietly reclaims what history left behind.
In Southeast Asia, wrecks hold a special kind of magic. The USAT Liberty glows with morning light in Bali, the Coron fleet sleeps in the Philippines’ turquoise lagoons, and the HTMS Chang looms silently off Thailand’s coast — reminders of how the sea turns even relics of war into works of living art.
For divers, wrecks offer both thrill and reflection: the challenge of exploration and the awe of discovery. They invite you to look closer — at the rivets covered in coral, at the porthole teeming with shrimp, at the interplay between decay and rebirth. Whether you’re photographing beams of light slicing through the hull or simply floating above a shadowed deck, you’re sharing space with history, with memory, and with marine life that has made the past its home.
So next time you giant stride into the blue, think about what lies below: the echoes of time, the heartbeat of the sea, and the quiet stories still waiting to be told. The wrecks of Southeast Asia aren’t just dive sites — they’re underwater museums, sanctuaries of life, and gateways to the past.
❓ Wreck Diving in Southeast Asia – Frequently Asked Questions
Got questions about wreck diving in Southeast Asia? Whether you’re planning your first wreck dive or dreaming of exploring WWII relics hidden beneath tropical seas, here are answers to the most common questions divers ask before taking the plunge.
🧭 Can beginners go wreck diving?
Yes! Many of Southeast Asia’s wrecks are beginner-friendly. Sites such as USAT Liberty in Bali and the Kapalai House Reefs in Malaysia sit in shallow, calm waters that are perfect for open-water divers. Beginners should stick to the exterior areas and dive with an experienced guide. Once you’re confident, a Wreck Diver Specialty course will open up more advanced adventures.
⚓️ Do I need special training to go inside a wreck?
You do. Entering enclosed spaces—known as penetration diving—requires additional skills and safety equipment. The PADI Wreck Diver or SSI Advanced Wreck courses teach navigation, line-laying, and emergency exits. Until you’ve completed one, it’s best to stay outside or explore open swim-throughs, which still offer incredible views and atmosphere.
📸 What’s the best camera setup for wreck photography?
A wide-angle lens (16–35mm or fisheye) works best for capturing the full scale of a wreck. Pair your setup with strobes or video lights angled outward to reduce backscatter, and always shoot in RAW to recover color and contrast in post-processing. For detail work, a macro setup or wet-mount macro lens is perfect for highlighting coral, rivets, or small marine life.
🌤 When is the best time of year to dive wrecks in Southeast Asia?
Weather and visibility vary by location, but the dry season (March–October) generally offers the calmest seas and clearest water.
Bali & Thailand: April–June often delivers the best conditions.
The Philippines: November–May is ideal for wreck and reef diving.
Always check local operator forecasts, as monsoon seasons can differ slightly across regions.
🚢 Are these wrecks real ships or artificial reefs?
A mix of both! Many famous sites—like the Coron Wrecks in the Philippines and the Kudat Wrecks in Borneo—are genuine WWII ships that met their fate in battle. Others, such as the HTMS Chang in Thailand, were intentionally sunk to create artificial reefs. Both types are now teeming with marine life and offer equally fascinating dives.
🐠 What kind of marine life will I see?
Expect schools of barracuda, trevally, and batfish, as well as lionfish, moray eels, turtles, and nudibranchs. Many wrecks are thriving artificial reefs, drawing both large pelagic fish and intricate macro life. Early morning and dusk dives often showcase hunting scenes and massive schools swirling around the structure.
⚠️ What should I avoid when wreck diving?
Don’t touch or remove artifacts — wrecks are living museums.
Avoid entering confined areas without proper training.
Stay alert for sharp edges, fishing lines, or loose cables.
Maintain perfect buoyancy and avoid fin kicks that stir up silt or harm coral.
📍 Where are the best wreck dives in Southeast Asia?
Top recommendations include:
USAT Liberty – Bali, Indonesia
Coron Wrecks – Palawan, Philippines
HTMS Chang – Koh Chang, Thailand
Kapalai House Reefs – Sabah, Malaysia
Kudat Wrecks – Borneo, Malaysia
Each site offers something different — from shallow coral-covered relics ideal for beginners to haunting WWII warships for seasoned divers seeking adventure and history.