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Madang Diving Wongat Island
Island off the coast.Cessna 402
This is not a WWII era wreck. Ten seater, twin engined plane that ran out of fuel and ditched in 1991. With a wingspan of 12.2 meters and a length of 11 meters, the plane is powered by two 300hp Continental flat-six engines (like a Subaru’s engine). Owned by North Coast Aviation (NCA), was flying to Madang when it ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean near Pig (Tab) Island off Jais Aben Resort.
Henry Lieth
Freighter
Length
115'
Ship History
This is not a WWII era wreck. Located near Jais Aben Resort. Scuttled as a dive site and it is perfectly placed in terms of depth and location. Maximum depth on the wreck is about 20 meters on the sand under the stern. The wreck has soft corals, sea whips, gorgonias, sponges and anemones growing on it. As well, the fishlife is quite good, with numerous firefish, coral trout, trevally, wrasses and triggerfish swimming in, over and around the wreck. One can penetrate the wreck in safety.
60'
14m bridge
16m deck
18m hold
Coral Queen
Freighter
Length
150'
Ship History
Note: This is not a WWII era wreck. Built 1958 by the Pacific Islands S.B. Co Ltd in Hong Kong. Powered by two eight cylinder 212kw Gardner diesel engines through twin props.Used as a ferry and general cargo vessel for the High Commissioner for the British Solomon Islands Protectorate. Used as an inter-island freighter in New Guinea, Solomon Islands, New Hebrides, Gilbert and Ellice Islands. In the early 1960s ownership was transferred to the Western Pacific High Commission, also of Honiora. Presumably this was the same organization with a new name.
From 1966 to 1971 the Coral Queen was unregistered and in the latter year was registered as being owned by Seaworm Pty LTD of the United Kingdom. I presume that it was still used in the Pacific, but exact whereabouts is not yet known to me. For the next 22 years the vessel remained in the same ownership but after 1993-94 she was no longer registered. Sunk off Madang.
Wreckage
There are some beautiful soft corals here and along the side. There is also quite good fishlife on the wreck. This wreck is also well known for another thing, in fact it is more often dived not because it is a wreck, but because it has flashlight fish. I have dived this wreck three times now, twice at night. of flashlight fish Anomalops kataoprton is exciting. These fish are about 100 mm long and below the eye there is a “luminous organ”. Unique night dive.The forecastle has two entrances, with quite a few cabins. You can also go through the starboard doorway and drop down into the forward hold. From here you can swim through the two holds and into the engine room. There are one or two exits to the upper deck from here and a maze of corridors and cabins. Despite this, there is no real risk in exploring the stern section. You can exit back onto the deck or right out through the stern. From the stern, you can drop over the edge and see the twin props, port rudder (no starboard one).
100'
Sepik Reliance
Tug
Length
130'
Rests on a sloping shelf with large pelagic fish. This scuttled wreck is located between Pig (Tab) Island and Massus Island.
According to Michael McFadyen:
"Reliance is intact, and presents a sensational sight as you descend from the reef where the dive boat has anchored. The visibility is excellent, in the order of 40 meters or so, and the ocean surface clearly visible from 60 meters. From the stern, you can swim straight to the bow and look at the silhouette of the tug as the bow sits well clear of the bottom, balanced by the heavier stern. The bridge and cabin area can be examined and the engine room entered. The engine is missing, but the multi-directional prop is prominent under the stern."
120'
43m
53m bow
60m seafloor
Ninsa II
Freighter
Length
80'
50-80'
Bagabag Island
East of Kar Kar Island, encircles a sunken crater 36 square km in area and is inhabited. During the war, Japanese used the fjord to hide ships. Several aircraft crashed or ditched in the ocean around the island. Many untouched and undiscovered reefs. Prolific fish and coral life.
