Lusong Gunboat
Also known as: Lusong Gunboat Shipwreck, Lusong Wreck
An unidentified Japanese gunboat beached at Lusong Island in 1944, one end at the surface at low tide, the other at 10 to 12 m, black coral on its frames.
Last updated October 2026
The dive
Ribs and beams stand open on a reef slope, the hull angled on its side, and a diver moves between them through wide gaps where the far side stays in view. Accounts differ on which end is shallow: operators put the stern at the surface at low tide and the bow at the deep end, 10 to 12 metres, while one first-hand report has the bow rising to about 3 metres, so ask your guide which end is up on the day. Estimates of her length run from about 25 to about 30 metres.
Black coral grows in big bushes among the frames, lionfish move through at about hand height, and the anemones on the hull hold anemonefish and porcelain crabs. The small end of the dive is macro work, nudibranchs and jawfish among them, and a giant cuttlefish has been found a few feet off the wreck.1
What makes it special
Tide decides how much of her there is. At low water part of the hull is out of the sea, and at high water all of it is under, so the wreck can be picked out from the boat on one state of the tide and not on the other.
It also explains the traffic. Snorkellers and island-hopping boats stop here as well as divers, because the top of the hull sits in snorkel depth, and the same wartime wreck stays within Open Water limits from top to bottom.
Know before you go
The top of the wreck is at the surface, so snorkellers and tour boats are directly above the dive. Look up for the whole ascent, surface close to your own boat and carry an SMB.
No working recompression chamber is confirmed in Coron, so plan the day as one profile and hold insurance that covers hyperbaric treatment and an evacuation flight.
Wear a full thin suit or a rashguard, because the collapsed frames have rusted edges and you are close to all of them in shallow water, and a shorty leaves too much skin exposed. Lionfish and scorpionfish sit at hand height, so hover, keep hands and fins off the frames and stay out of the crevices.
Why Dive Lusong Gunboat
What makes this dive site stand out.
- A war wreck at Open Water depth
A Japanese gunboat or subchaser in 12 m or less, with no true overhead to commit to
- The tide changes her
At low tide part of the hull breaks the surface and can be seen from the boat; at high tide all of it is under
- Open swim-throughs
Wide gaps in a collapsed hull, with the far side in view before you commit
- Black coral on the frames
Big bushes of black coral grow over the steel, with lionfish moving through
- Wide angle and macro
The frames and black coral suit wide angle, and nudibranchs, jawfish and anemone crabs suit macro
Depth & Profile
Location
11.9688°N, 120.0235°E
Conditions & difficulty
Diveable year round. December to April is the settled window and July to September the wettest and least reliable.
Operators list Skin Diver and Open Water Diver for this wreck, and with all of it above 18 m an Open Water card covers every part of the dive. Skin divers see the top of the hull from the surface. What the dive asks for is control: behind a guide through open frames you cannot hurry, so you need to stop and hold position with steel close by.
Summary
Shallow water, no true overhead, and gaps you can see the far end of before you enter them. The grade belongs to this wreck alone and says nothing about the big hulls elsewhere in Coron.
Safety considerations
What can go wrong here, and what divers do about it. Conditions change - take the briefing from the operator on the day.
- Structure and sharp edges: Only the basic structure of the hull remains, and the collapsed frames and rusted edges are never far from a diver on a wreck this shallow.Wear a full thin suit or a rashguard and hold position clear of the steel with good buoyancy.
- Marine life: Lionfish work through the frames in numbers and scorpionfish are reported on the structure, both at the height a diver reaches.Hover, do not settle, and keep hands and fins off the structure and out of the crevices.
- Surface and boat traffic: Part of the wreck is at the surface and the site is a snorkelling and island-hopping stop, so swimmers and boats are directly above the dive.Look up through the whole ascent, surface close to your own boat and carry an SMB.
- Remote location: No working recompression chamber is confirmed in Coron.Plan the whole day as one profile and hold insurance that covers hyperbaric treatment and an evacuation flight.
Marine Life
Regulations
Under Republic Act No. 10066 a site at least fifty years old is cultural property, everything in an underwater one belongs to the State, and disturbing it takes written authority and National Museum of the Philippines supervision. Being unidentified lowers none of that protection. A municipal tourist and environmental fee is collected in Coron; amounts change, so ask what a trip already covers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Lusong gunboat the Uruppu Maru?▾
No record says so. The one account of her loss, worked from US Navy after-action reports and Japanese defence archives, names no ship. One operator titles her the Uruppu Maru on its dive-site list, with no naval record or registry behind the name. Treat her as an unidentified Japanese gunboat or subchaser.
Is the Lusong gunboat a wreck penetration dive?▾
One diver who has done several Coron wrecks describes it as swim-throughs, with the far side in view, and not as penetration. The catch is pace. Newer divers tend to speed through swim-throughs, and behind a guide you cannot, so you need to control your kicks, stop and hold position beside the steel. That control, more than a certification card, is what the wreck asks of you. The big hulls in the bay are a different dive and this grade does not carry to them.
References
- 1.X-Ray Mag, August 13, 2019 — Philippines: Wrecks of Coron
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