WWII Plane wreck dive sites in the Pacific?

[Fibonacci]

Just wondering where the best dive sites are to see WWII plane wrecks?
Having dived on a few now in PNG, I've found I enjoy plane wrecks more than shipwrecks!
Solomon Islands springs to mind at first... any resort or LOB recommendations?
Other sites close to Australia?

 

[TravelGas]

Truk Lagoon for Japanese Aircraft.

 

[MB NZ]

I dived at leat one plane in the Solomons. Liveaboard was Solomon Islands Diving Expeditions. It was a good experience.

 

[Doc]

Truk Lagoon for Japanese Aircraft.

Several trips since 1972. Never saw any aircraft underwater. I dove with Kimeo Isaak, maybe he didn’t know of aircraft in the start of dive travel there? We were heliox, interested in the i169 and so we spent limited BTs? Never saw an aircraft.

Terrestrial yes, overgrown in dense vegetation, a few that were destroyed or abandioned while parked. I hear they are now guided stops on ground tours.

In PNG and Bouganville, Hebrides, islets along “the Slot”, yes, many but lying very shallow in 1972 observable and identifiable as aircraft i doubt many remain due to ground swell over the many storms.

We are now in the historical era of metalurgy coalescing with salt water imersion and the passage of time. This is disspperaing from the corporeal world.

Your experience will be very different than mine, but no less valuable and i hope no less emotional than feeling for a moment that physical instant in time when lives were altered.

 

[scubaozy]

I did a couple of dives to a p-47d in Raja Ampat, 1nce from LoB another time from resort. There aren't many other wrecks though.

 

[TravelGas]

I went to Truk in the late 1990’s and did dive the i-169 on air about 140’ FSW.
In fact, I did quite a few dives on air well beyond 180’ on Al80s since that was all the liveaboard had and there was no Nitrox, O2 or Helium available, just air and their compressor leaked oil into your tank.

If I remember right I dove 2-3 aircraft on that trip. There were plenty of war planes shot down so am sure there are more there than the ones I dove on.

With any luck I will go back to Truk next year and dive the Dirty Dozen and hit all the deep wrecks there. Hopefully, with Helium and doubles this time.

 

[dvankirk]

I dove a couple Betty bombers in Truk. I don't think either of them were deeper than 50'. Also did a shore dive in Guam off of the naval base on a Japanese plane.

 

[DiveTucson]

Not the tropical pacific but Brett who is in this board has a list of about 20+ in the waters off Southern California. He is more than happy to share the coordinates for most of them.

 

[Fibonacci]

Loved diving the Zero near Walindi Resort, Kimbe New Britain PNG... its in surprisingly good condition for such a shallow wreck!
(from 1:57)

Pacific Wrecks - A6M2 Model 21 Zero Manufacture Number 8224

Ditched into Wangore Bay east of the Willaumez Peninsula and north of Kimbe Bay off Kimbe and was discovered in 2000 by William Nuli while free diving.

pacificwrecks.com

 

[bakodiver391]

Just finished the aircraft graveyard at the north end of Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands. I've been diving it for 10 years and it never dissapoints. 100+ aircraft of around 10 different varieties in 110 feet of crystal clear water. It's difficult to get to though, we were on a Parks Service survey, the Bikini liveaboards sometimes stop there. There will be some photogrammetry models posted soon, I will post the links when they go up.