Daily diving to Gaya Wreck, 50m deep! Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia
Are you interested in some leisure technical diving during your next dive trip, scuba diving holiday to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia? Then go on a scuba diving trip to the Gaya Wreck - a large, deep wreck located off the West side of Pulau Gaya near Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. The large Gaya wreck sits upright in 36m - 50m of water. The wreck is generally intact and there are lots of interesting exploration and wreck penetration opportunities for technical divers with suitable experience and training.
Borneo Dream are currently the only Dive Operator providing wreck diving, scuba diving trips to the Gaya wreck. We also offer wreck diving trips to the Usukan Bay wrecks - all are suitable diving trips for technical divers, tech diving from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia.
Whilst the identify of the wreck has not been confirmed, it is believed to be the Nittetsu Maru. On October 14th 1944, Submarine Dace (SS-247) sank two Japanese merchant tankers, the Eikyo Maru and Nittetsu Maru, and damages merchant ore carrier Taizen Maru off North Borneo, 06°05'N, 115°55'E". The description of this wreck matches that of the Nittetsu Maru. We have provided further information on the sinking of the Nittetsu Maru below.
"On the morning of 13th October 1944 American submarine USS Dace SS-247 sights a Japanese seven ship convoy. The convoy consisted of three large oil tankers and four large cargo vessels with three escorting destoters heading South from the Balabac Islands in the Palawan channel towards the coast of Borneo.
At 18.30pm the Dace rendezvous with USS Darter to plan their attack of the convoy. At 01.00am on the 14th October 1944, at a location of 06-00N 115-55, they commence firing torpedoes on the convoy. Over the next few minutes explosions are heard and seen at regular intervals. Nineteen minutes later the Dace reports "five large ships one of which badly damaged but still afloat and one escort heading south to Kimanis Bay, one ship crippled and remaining stopped at position of attack possibly a tanker with two of the escorts standing by and taking off the crew from the doomed ship and one cargo ship noticeably absent".
Post action reports states the Dace sunk the Nittetsu Maru (a cargo ship of 5,993 tons), the Eikyo Maru (an oil tanker of 6,948 tons) and heavily damages the cargo ship Taizen Maru (5,396 tons). Many thanks to Terry Dukes for sharing information on the suspected identify of the Gaya wreck.
Find out more about the itinerary for this trip, what is included and diver requirements for our dive trips from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo. Please note - minimum 2 persons per scuba diving trip to the Gaya Wreck.
If you would like to book a scuba diving, tech diving trip to the Gaya Wreck for the next time you visit Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia then please contact the Borneo Dream Team.
