Tapilon Wreck

Tapilon Wreck: a named wreck with unresolved identity

Kokay's Malapascua Diving and Thresher Shark Divers list Tapilon Wreck among dives offered from Malapascua. Both describe a broken vessel named for the nearby mainland town. Their accounts give useful context for the dive, but the ship's identity remains unresolved.

Keep the name and history separate

Kokay's heading uses Oakita Maru alongside Tapilon Wreck, while its own description calls the vessel unidentified. Thresher's guide separately mentions Oakita Maru as a possible identity for Pioneer Wreck. These names must not be treated as confirmed identifications or a reason to merge the two dive records. Ask which wreck an advertised trip will visit.

The operators describe Tapilon as a Japanese Second World War cargo carrier damaged by torpedoes and lying in several recognizable sections. This is attributed operator history, not an independently verified identification or sinking account. Kokay credits Lanch of Dive Society for its information, and the two pages use closely similar wording; they should not be counted as independent historical confirmation.

Habitat and reported marine life

Kokay describes black coral and small animals around the wreck, including shrimp, fire urchins and zebra crabs. It also reports frogfish, ornate ghost pipefish and occasional flamboyant cuttlefish. Thresher lists flatworms, nudibranchs, morays, squid and scorpionfish. These reports are not current sightings, verified encounter rates or promises for a particular dive.

Questions before booking

Thresher lists a 22–28 m dive profile, while Kokay's summary gives a 29 m maximum and describes the dive for advanced divers. These are source-reported profiles, not a new survey or a universal qualification policy. Confirm the planned depth, route, supervision and expected experience. Neither account provides a current inspection establishing structural stability or safe penetration access.

Location unresolved: no source-backed site coordinate has been established for this guide, so it has no map marker or navigation point. Present wreck condition, access, current strength, visibility and seasonal suitability remain unverified here. Confirm the intended site and conditions with the operator; no local-diver verification has been recorded.

A dated diver report and a travel listing

A ScubaBoard post by the member Kupu, dated 6 January 2012 in a thread about a June 2011 Malapascua trip, identifies the wreck another poster had dived as the Oakita Maru, aka Tapilon, calls it a WWII cargo carrier located close to the mainland, quite broken up but still an interesting dive, says a few 2-3 inch artillery shells are not difficult to locate at the site, gives 22-28 meters and recommends nitrox because bottom times are short on air. That is one diver's recollection and naming, not an identification record. LiveAboard.com's Malapascua page, captured on 7 October 2026, describes Tapilon as a Japanese wreck from World War Two sunk by a torpedo, with black coral bushes, nudibranchs, flatworms, cuttlefish, fire urchins and sometimes ornate ghost pipefish and large marble rays; its content follows the operator accounts closely and is not counted as independent.

Logistics in the current operator pages

Kokay's page, re-captured on 7 October 2026, lists a 30 minute distance, current usually none and a location of Tapilon, Cebu, and adds huge marble rays sometimes seen, plus squat lobsters and Coleman's shrimp alongside the fire urchins. Thresher Shark Divers' page also lists 30 minutes travel and, in its wreck FAQ, places Tapilon among dives for more advanced divers at 22 to 28 metres. The 29 m and 28 m maxima remain two operator figures, and the artillery-shell report is a reason for caution, not for handling anything on the wreck.