KINUGAWA MARU

Best months: Jul–Oct

Protected Area

Komarindi

Why dive here

With 391+ marine species recorded in the area - including barracuda, blacktip reef sharks, grey reef sharks, humpback whales and orcas - KINUGAWA MARU offers some of Iron Bottom Sound's richest wreck diving. Water ranges 29-31°C, warmest January, April, December.

Best timeJul–Oct

WetsuitA 3mm shorty or thin full wetsuit

Marine lifeBarracuda, Blacktip Reef Sharks, Grey Reef Sharks, Humpback Whales and Orcas · 391+ species recorded

Water29-31°C · warmest January, April, December

CharacterWreck dive · max 45m

StandoutExceptional marine biodiversity

Diving the Kinugawa Maru is a raw, visceral experience. We love this wreck precisely because it’s still so recognisably a ship, broken but not disintegrated, lying on its side in 45m. The bow is an absolute mess, a twisted knot of steel where the torpedo hit, but the stern is surprisingly intact. That’s where you’ll find the two Type 95 Ha-Go tanks, their barrels still pointing out into the blue. It’s an eerie feeling, seeing them there, completely out of context. We always make a point of looking for the ship’s bell, though it’s pretty well encrusted now. Inside, the holds are open, revealing stacks of sake bottles and scattered pottery – incredible to think they’ve been there since 1942. The resident sweetlips are bold, swimming right up to your mask, and we’ve seen barracuda circling high above the superstructure. It’s a dive for experienced wreck enthusiasts who appreciate history and don't mind a deeper profile. Come prepared for limited visibility if there’s been a lot of rain, but honestly, it just adds to the atmosphere here.