Karin : Messages

The oil tanker Okikawa Maru or Taiei Maru, from her size the most massive and impressive wreck on the place, is resting in 26 meters of water in a perfect upright position at only 15 minutes north-east of Akitsushima. Heavily damaged and burning after the air raid, Okikawa Maru was floating for nearly 3 weeks in the area; finally, another air strike of the US-Air-Force caused a huge explosion at the bow-section and sent her down. The bow is nearly completely ripped off the rest of the ship, facing now to port.

The top of this 160 meter long superstructure is the most shallow part, nicely covered with hard and soft-corals and under good conditions sometimes even visible from the surface. An extraordinary rich and diversified fish life and plenty of macro-stuff, particularly along both hull-sides, makes this dive phenomenal for underwater-photography and naturalists. There are also amazing penetrations through the thrilling propeller-shaft, the former accommodations and the oil-tanks offering wreck-diver-specialists unforgettable dives. Like on the other specified wrecks, the conditions of visibility varies, but especially exceedingly fierce currents on Okikawa Maru sometimes might present you quite challenging diving. Therefore, best to check the conditions first and sometimes it is not a bad idea to cancel this dive, especially for beginners, and wait for better conditions on another day.