Usukan Bay and the Kudat Wrecks

 

 

 

 
I first dived these wrecks with Simon Cartmer in May 2002. Simon chartered the liveaboard 'Scuba Explorer' and we travelled from Kudat to Banggi Island and then down the west Sabah coast to Kota Kinabalu. There's more than half a dozen good wrecks in this area and I've scanned rough details and sketches from my log book.            

Pirates of the South China Sea

 

The Usukan Bay wrecks lie approximately 31 n.miles NNE of Kota Kinabalu around 6o 28' N 116o 14' E. They are about 7 n.miles offshore from Usukan Bay that lies west of Kota Belud. The three wrecks, that lie within a kilometre of each other, appear to be Japanese from World War II. They are called locally, the 'Rice Bowl Wreck', the 'Upside-down Wreck' and the "Usukan Bay Wreck'. The latter might as well have been called the "Lying on its port side wreck'! The excellent detailed sketches come from an unknown source but are carried to this day in the better dive boats.

 

I got to dive the Usukan Bay wrecks again in March 2006. These wrecks are rarely accessed from KK, and on the dive boat there were four paying customers and eight dive guides from various dive shops, all keen to dive on these large (c. 5000 ton) wrecks.

 

The group of three wrecks are the Usukan Bay wrecks. The wreck off Kudat is the 'Kudat Wreck'; in the north Borneo channel the 'Ka Hing' and furthest north the 'Nippo Maru'.

 

 

 

The Kudat Wreck

 

Often afflicted by strong currents and lying on a silty bottom, this wreck in 20 metres can be quite a challenge in the low (2 - 8 metre) vis. We had several divers blown off the wreck requiring the chase boat to pick them up. It is, however, an interesting, medium-sized (2,000 ton?) ship lying on its port side. The aft superstructure has fallen off the wreck leaving access to the engine room.

 

Ka Hing

Lying right at the north of the Kudat Peninsula, this wreck is swept by the daily out- and in-pouring of the South China Sea. Currents exceed three knots here and a line full of decompressing divers will be easily dragged under water. This is a smallish (70 metre length, 1,200 tons wreck) lying on its starboard side in 30 metres. The two holds forward of the aft bridge and superstructure are full of cement bags. There is a crane between the two holds.

 

 

 

Nippo Maru

 

By far the biggest wreck in Borneo, this whale factory ship lies in 50 metres on its port side and is reputed to be some 17,000 tons and nearly 200 metres long. Sadly, the propeller and rudder have been removed, however, the stern ramp, and the basic layout of the ship is very much like an oversized 'Blue Water Wreck'. This will always be a deep dive and the side of the ship rises to no more than 28 metres. The shelter deck below the main deck runs most of the length of the ship. There are many exits towards the bow from war damage and general decay.

 

 

 

The Usukan Bay Wrecks

 

All these wrecks are in the order of 2,000 - 3,000 tons ? They call  out for Nitrox since they all lie in the 26 - 40 metre range. If you dive on air, be prepared for decompression dives, and watch it on the second dive. All computers rack up deco. time at an alarming rate on the second decompression dive of the day. The visibility was 30 metres on the descent in May 2002 with a low vis. (4 metre) layer close to the bottom. In May 2006 (below), the vis. was clear on the surface but dropped to a greenish few metres at 20 metres, opening out to 5 - 10 metres on the wreck.

 

 

Usukan Bay Wreck

 

Lying in 40 metres on its port side, this wreck is covered in soft corals, abundant black corals and schools of fish. The rudder and propeller are in place as is a boiler and a large reciprocating steam engine amidships.

 

 

Upside-down Wreck

 

This wreck is not quite upside-down but heavily canted over the vertical to port. There's a pleasant, longish swim through amidships with quite some machinery hanging above you!

 

 

The Rice Bowl Wreck

 

The 'upright' wreck! Well collapsed and broken near the bow that is twisted over to starboard. The propeller and rudder are in place at about 37 metres. The stern is a bit confused, but moving forward, a large reciprocating steam engine can be seen. The starboard side of the ship towards the bow has fallen down onto the sea-bed. There is a broken twist before the bow section. In the bow, that can be entered from the break or from the hatch near the peak, the room with the rice bowls can be entered. These are heavily broken and cemented into the general hard coral. There are the usual Japanese sake and beer bottles.

  

 

 

Sphyraena sp., This barracuda was well over a metre long and moved amongst a school of five others. They stayed around the decompression line for three hours!!

school

steam engine

moving aft

 

This wreck is covered in soft corals, abundant black corals and schools of fish. In May 2002, 50 or more cuttlefish had aggregated and laid millions of hanging eggs in the black coral.

Cuttlefish aggregation   Sophie Rennie videos the wreck