wreck

Log This Dive

MANOKWARI

Manokwari isn’t what most people picture when they hear "Sipadan wreck." Forget deep walls and pelagics for a moment. This is something else entirely. She's a motor vessel, built in '72, resting in the shallows right off the island’s north shore. We’re talking barely a metre deep. We love Manokwari for a snorkel, or better yet, a freedive. You can spend an hour just finning over her, spotting the ghost nets that still cling to the superstructure. The hull is a nursery for juvenile reef fish. Tiny parrotfish nibble on algae, and we've seen baby blacktip reef sharks cruise right over the deck. It’s an eerie, beautiful contrast – this hulking steel vessel slowly being reclaimed by the reef. Look for the way the light refracts through the surface, dappling the deck plates. It’s surprisingly peaceful, a different side to Sipadan’s usual high-octane dives. Our pick? Go at slack tide, early morning, before the dive boats stir up the sand. You’ll have her mostly to yourself.