wreck

Log This Dive

Monkey Wreck

Monkey Wreck, tucked just off Maricaban Island, is one of our favourite dives in Anilao for a reason. It’s not some grand, intact vessel, but a relatively small, broken-up cargo ship. We reckon it’s around 30 metres long, maybe a touch more, lying broken in two main sections on a sandy slope. The bow points toward the shore, the stern out to sea, and you can swim through the main hold, which is now home to schools of batfish. The real joy here is the macro life. Every rusty plate and beam is encrusted with nudibranchs you probably haven’t seen before – we’ve found everything from vibrant *Hypselodoris* to the more cryptic *Flabellina*. Keep an eye out for ghost pipefish near the sand and frogfish camouflaged on the broken superstructure. It’s a photographer’s dream, particularly in the mid-morning when the light filters down through the calmer surface, illuminating the smaller details. We’d suggest going slow, really taking your time to scan the nooks and crannies. It’s not a deep dive, around 20 metres, so you get ample bottom time to explore every inch.