wreck

Log This Dive

Epave Catalina

The Epave Catalina dive, just off Moorea, is one of our favourite wreck dives in French Polynesia. It’s not a huge wreck, but there's a real intimacy to it that we find captivating. Dropping down, the Catalina flying boat appears almost ghostly, settled upright in about 25 metres, its wings largely intact. The cockpit is often home to schools of glasseye snapper, their big eyes reflecting our torch beams, and we've seen honeycomb groupers tucked into crevices. Explore the fuselage and you’ll find plenty of smaller things – the way the light filters through the portholes, illuminating a lone Celebes longfin eel, is a moment we always appreciate. This isn’t a drift dive; it’s a site for leisurely exploration, perfect for photographers wanting to capture both the wreck’s history and the life that now calls it home. We’d suggest going in the morning; the water can be calmer, and the light better for photographs.