YAMAHAGI MARU - Kenting National Park
The Yamahagi Maru is a beast of a wreck, completely different from anything else in Kenting. We’re talking about a former steamship, nearly 126 meters long, bombed by US aircraft in 1944. It sits shallow, around 2 meters, making it less about the challenge and more about the sheer history you can soak in. What we love about the Yamahagi Maru is how accessible its history feels. You can swim right over the bow, peering down into vast cargo holds where schools of fusiliers often swirl, so thick they almost obscure the bottom. The metal is heavily encrusted, painted in a mosaic of corals and sponges. Look for the resident moray eels peeking from crevices. It’s a great site for photographers, especially on a sunny day when the light penetrates deep into the wreck's interior. We'd suggest going early to avoid the crowds, as it can get busy. It suits anyone keen on exploring a significant piece of wartime history without needing deep dive certifications.
- Location
- Kenting National Park, Taiwan, East Asia
- Coordinates
- 22.616667, 120.250000
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 2m
Marine Protected Area: 台南市四草野生動物保護區
Nearby Dive Sites in Kenting National Park
- ANGEL - 50m (wreck)
- ASIAN MARINER - 36m (wreck)
- Banana Bay (reef)
- Beauty Hole
- Ceasars Rock
- Chia Ming - 1m (wreck)
- CHIEN-NAN NO 10 - 34m (wreck)
- CHIN HUNG - 35m (wreck)
- Feed Fish Area
- FV LIEN CHUN FA NO.6 - 28m (wreck)
- GOOD UNION (POSSIBLY). - 19m (wreck)
- HAI AN (POSSIBLY) - 15m (wreck)
- HM FOUNDATION - 0m (wreck)
- Hojie
- Hong-Chai
Nearest Dive Centres to YAMAHAGI MARU
- A Whale Man - SSI
- Azure Journey Dive - SSI
- CJ Bluebay Dive Resort - ["PADI"]
- Dive New World Center - ["PADI"]
- Drifters’ Diving Club
- Enjoy Islands Diving Center - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Kenting National Park
Home to 546 recorded species including 442 reef fish, 75 hard corals, 9 sharks & rays, 6 sea cucumbers, 5 sea snails & nudibranchs, 3 other.
Notable Species
- Giant trevally (Caranx ignobilis) - Reef Fish
- Common Ponyfish (Leiognathus equula) - Reef Fish
- Malabar grouper (Epinephelus malabaricus) - Reef Fish
- Estuary Cod (Epinephelus coioides) - Reef Fish
- Fluorescence grass coral (Galaxea fascicularis) - Hard Corals
- Honeycomb coral (Favites abdita) - Hard Corals
- Lesser valley coral (Platygyra lamellina) - Hard Corals
- Montipora coral (Montipora venosa) - Hard Corals
- Coral Blenny (Istiblennius edentulus) - Reef Fish
- Closed brain coral (Leptoria phrygia) - Hard Corals
- Black-lined Blenny (Istiblennius lineatus) - Reef Fish
- Brain coral (Platygyra daedalea) - Hard Corals
- Lesser star coral (Cyphastrea microphthalma) - Hard Corals
- Cauliflower coral (Pocillopora verrucosa) - Hard Corals
- Brain coral (Platygyra sinensis) - Hard Corals
- Spine coral (Hydnophora exesa) - Hard Corals
- Stony coral (Porites lutea) - Hard Corals
- Larger star coral (Favites pentagona) - Hard Corals
- Starflower coral (Astreopora myriophthalma) - Hard Corals
- Encrusting pore coral (Montipora aequituberculata) - Hard Corals