wreck

Log This Dive

KANAZONO MARU

Okay, the *Kanazono Maru*. Let's be straight, this isn't a WWII wreck. She ran aground in '68, a much newer vessel, which means she’s not encrusted in the same way the Operation Hailstone wrecks are. Still, we love her for a different reason: the sheer scale of the break-up. She’s completely dismembered across the reef in fairly shallow water, offering a fantastic opportunity to really grasp the forces at play when a ship meets its end. The stern lies upright in the sand, while the bow is a crumpled mess, spilling cargo and twisted metal plates everywhere. You’ll find massive pieces of hull plating, the huge propeller shaft, and even sections of the engine room machinery scattered over a wide area. What’s really cool is how the hard corals have taken hold on the more stable sections. Look for large plate corals covering bulkheads, and schools of fusiliers darting between the mangled steel. It’s an easy, relaxed dive, perfect for photographers wanting to capture both marine life and the raw power of the ocean’s destructive force. We’d suggest going in the morning; the light penetration through the shallow water is beautiful.