EILEEN RACHEL - Subic Bay
The Eileen Rachel is an anomaly, and we love it for that. This isn't your deep, dark wreck; she’s right on the surface, practically sunbathing. Sunk during Typhoon Ruby in '88, she broke loose and grounded hard. Now, most of her is above water, but what’s submerged is a fantastic little playground. We’re talking about a maximum depth of one metre here, making it perfect for snorkelers, freedivers, or even just a very casual SCUBA splash. What we really enjoy is how accessible she is. You can literally walk up to parts of the wreck, then just dip your head under and see schools of small jacks darting through the twisted metal. It’s like a living art installation. The shallowness means the light penetration is incredible, painting the coral growth in bright colours you rarely see on deeper wrecks. You'll spot colourful nudibranchs, tiny crabs tucked into crevices, and juvenile fish hiding in the shadows of the engine room – which is surprisingly intact, considering its a surface wreck. It’s our pick for a leisurely afternoon, especially if you want to combine a bit of exploring above and below the waterline.
- Location
- Subic Bay, Philippines, Southeast Asia
- Coordinates
- 14.573500, 120.979670
- Type
- wreck
- Maximum Depth
- 1m
Marine Protected Area: Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA)/Las Piñas-Parañaque
Best Time to Dive in Subic Bay
The warmest water temperatures in Subic Bay occur in May, averaging 31.4°C. The coolest conditions are in February at 28.2°C.
Monthly Water Temperatures
- January: 28.4°C
- February: 28.2°C
- March: 29.4°C
- April: 30.5°C
- May: 31.4°C
- June: 31.3°C
- July: 30.8°C
- August: 29.8°C
- September: 30.0°C
- October: 30.4°C
- November: 30.4°C
- December: 29.4°C
Nearby Dive Sites in Subic Bay
- BALDER CHUANCHOW - 4m (wreck)
- BCL - 6m (wreck)
- CAPTAIN UFUK - 8m (wreck)
- CEBU CITY - 27m (wreck)
- CLYDESDALE IV - 5m (wreck)
- Coral Garden (reef)
- DA'KUDOS Beach Resort
- DONA CORAZON II - 0m (wreck)
- Douglas Skyraider (Wreck) - 31m (wreck)
- El Capitan (USS Majaba) - 20m (wreck)
- FEOSO SUN - 24m (wreck)
- FERNANDO J-1 - 20m (wreck)
- FU SAN - 5m (wreck)
- GENERAL SANTOS CITY - 25m (wreck)
- HIJMS Kumano (wreck)
Nearest Dive Centres to EILEEN RACHEL
- Arizona Dive Shop - PADI
- Blueworld Dive Center - ["PADI"]
- Camayan Divers - ["PADI"]
- Dive Buddies Philippines - ["PADI"]
- Divers Point
- Ocean Deep - Diver Training Center (PADI)
Marine Life in Subic Bay
Home to 63 recorded species including 49 reef fish, 6 seagrass & algae, 5 hard corals, 2 sharks & rays, 1 sea snails & nudibranchs.
Notable Species
- Flagfin Mojarra (Gerres filamentosus) - Reef Fish
- Species code: Ea (Enhalus acoroides) - Seagrass & Algae
- Crescent Grunter (Terapon jarbua) - Reef Fish
- Bar Eyed Goby (Glossogobius giuris) - Reef Fish
- Green Rrough-backed Puffer (Lagocephalus lunaris) - Reef Fish
- Silver Sillago (Sillago sihama) - Reef Fish
- Common Ponyfish (Leiognathus equula) - Reef Fish
- Toothed Ponyfish (Gazza minuta) - Reef Fish
- Blacktip Ponyfish (Eubleekeria splendens) - Reef Fish
- Honeycomb coral (Favites abdita) - Hard Corals
- thalassia (Thalassia hemprichii) - Seagrass & Algae
- halodule (Halodule uninervis) - Seagrass & Algae
- Six-banded Rock Cod (Epinephelus sexfasciatus) - Reef Fish
- Silverfish (Trichiurus lepturus) - Reef Fish
- Silver Javelin (Pomadasys argenteus) - Reef Fish
- Staghorn coral (Acropora millepora) - Hard Corals
- Canif (Aeoliscus strigatus) - Reef Fish
- Butterfish (Scatophagus argus) - Reef Fish
- Puntang Goby (Exyrias puntang) - Reef Fish
- Giant Herring (Elops hawaiensis) - Reef Fish
Recommended Packing List for EILEEN RACHEL
Based on average water temperature of 30.0°C, currents 3 cm/s.
- Shorty or Rashguard - warm 30°C water needs minimal exposure protection
- 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