IJN Akitsushima

A seaplane tender near Manglet

MDI Divers describes Akitsushima as a seaplane tender near Manglet Island, between Culion and Busuanga. Its account identifies the crane associated with handling the aircraft as a notable wreck feature. The appeal is the vessel's specialized role and remaining structure, rather than a promise of access to its interior.

Operator descriptions differ

MDI reports a 17–38 m range, while Pirates Diving Resort gives a maximum of 35 or 36 m. The Two Seasons Pawikan menu lists 35 m. The maximum is therefore marked disputed; these descriptions are not interchangeable dive plans.

Features without a fixed route

Published accounts also disagree about which side the wreck rests on. This partial guide does not resolve that orientation or prescribe a route through the machinery. Confirm which exterior features the operator intends to show and the depth involved.

Before booking

Discuss the planned profile, current conditions and required experience with the team conducting the dive. This review does not establish present structural condition, reliable visibility, wildlife frequency or a universal certification threshold. Historical technical specifications and generic gas-mixture recommendations are not used to determine your dive.

Reading the seaplane equipment

The crane gives this wreck a different character from Coron's cargo ships and tankers. MDI describes it lying on the sand beside the hull and links it to the work of lifting the aircraft from the water. The same account identifies the aircraft-handling tracks and a surviving anti-aircraft gun mounting. These reported features help explain the ship's former purpose; the account does not establish their present condition or that every feature will be visible from a particular exterior route.

A dated scan, not a current-condition report

Dive3D documents a visit and scan in September 2025, reporting poor visibility during that outing. The page includes a three-dimensional model and a making-of presentation, offering a way to study the overall wreck shape before comparing it with an operator's briefing. Its description places the wreck at about 36 m and the shallower part around 22 m. Those figures add another attributed account rather than resolving the differing depths above.

Why the observation date matters

The scan records one visit, not the range of conditions across a season. Poor visibility on that occasion does not predict your dive, and the model cannot certify present structural stability or open access. Use it to understand the reported relationship between hull, crane and damaged stern, while leaving the actual outing to a current, site-specific assessment.

A reported ammunition-handling feature

Sangat Island Dive Resort lists shell-loading conveyors among Akitsushima's wreck features. This adds an ammunition-handling detail to the aircraft crane and gun mounting described above. It is an attributed description of surviving equipment, not a current inspection or confirmation that the feature is accessible on an exterior route.