REGENT OAK - Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
The Regent Oak isn't just another wreck; it's a colossal piece of history, slowly dissolving into the Pacific off Hanga Roa. We love how the sheer size of this bulk carrier creates its own mini-ecosystem. You’re not just swimming over a sunken ship, you’re navigating corridors of rust and steel. Dropped in 1983, she’s now well-colonised. The ship’s bow is our favourite part, reaching a shallow 15 metres, making it accessible for most divers. You can spend a whole dive just exploring the deck machinery and the cavernous holds, now home to schools of black triggerfish and swarms of colourful surgeonfish. We’d suggest looking for the moray eels often tucked into crevices along the collapsed hull plates. Visibility here is usually excellent, giving you clear views of the scale of the wreck. It’s a site that suits divers who appreciate the skeletal beauty of a large wreck and the surprising amount of life it attracts. Just be mindful of the currents, which can pick up around the wreck, particularly on an incoming tide.
- Location
- Easter Island (Rapa Nui), Chile, South America
- Coordinates
- -27.145834, -109.435555
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 15m
Marine Protected Area: Coral Nui Nui
Best Time to Dive in Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
The warmest water temperatures in Easter Island (Rapa Nui) occur in January, averaging 23.4°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 23.4°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 23.4°C (air: 22.2°C)
- February: 23.4°C (air: 23.0°C)
- March: 23.4°C (air: 22.7°C)
- April: 23.4°C (air: 21.7°C)
- May: 23.4°C (air: 20.7°C)
- June: 23.4°C (air: 19.4°C)
- July: 23.4°C (air: 18.4°C)
- August: 23.4°C (air: 18.1°C)
- September: 23.4°C (air: 17.9°C)
- October: 23.4°C (air: 18.2°C)
- November: 23.4°C (air: 19.6°C)
- December: 23.4°C (air: 20.9°C)
Nearby Dive Sites in Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
- Buceo Orca
- Cathedral - 12-25m (cave)
- Centro de Buceo Mike Rapu
- Motu Nui - 10-30m
- The Needles - 5-20m (pinnacle)
Nearest Dive Centres to REGENT OAK
- Atariki Rapa Nui
- Mike Rapu Dive Center - ["PADI"]
Marine Life in Easter Island (Rapa Nui)
Home to 36 recorded species including 24 reef fish, 5 hard corals, 3 sea cucumbers, 1 sea urchins, 1 sharks & rays, 1 whales & dolphins.
Notable Species
- Big long-nosed Butterflyfish (Forcipiger flavissimus) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma lutescens) - Reef Fish
- Trumpet (Aulostomus chinensis) - Reef Fish
- Glasseye Snapper (Heteropriacanthus cruentatus) - Reef Fish
- Cauliflower coral (Pocillopora verrucosa) - Hard Corals
- Ranger (Pseudocaranx dentex) - Reef Fish
- Stony coral (Porites lobata) - Hard Corals
- Porcupine (Diodon holocanthus) - Reef Fish
- Burrowing urchin (Echinometra mathaei) - Sea Urchins
- Pinkfish (Holothuria edulis) - Sea Cucumbers
- Brim (Kyphosus sectatrix) - Reef Fish
- Spotted Puffer (Arothron meleagris) - Reef Fish
- Parrotfish (Thalassoma purpureum) - Reef Fish
- Blue Spotted Wrasse (Anampses caeruleopunctatus) - Reef Fish
- Starry petaloid coral (Psammocora stellata) - Hard Corals
- Transverse coral (Leptastrea transversa) - Hard Corals
- Cauliflower coral (Pocillopora damicornis) - Hard Corals
- Scarlet Soldierfish (Myripristis pralinia) - Reef Fish
- Green wrasse (Notolabrus inscriptus) - Reef Fish
- Speckled moray (Gymnothorax dovii) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for REGENT OAK
Based on average water temperature of 23.4°C.
- Wetsuit (3-5mm) - comfortable for 23°C water
- Mask - essential for every dive
- Fins
- BCD - buoyancy compensator
- Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
- Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
- Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
- Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
- Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories