Iro Maru Wreck Dive Site

Site Overview

Iro Maru Wreck, within the Koror Area – Wrecks & Macro of Palau, is one of the region's most rewarding dive sites and a highlight of any Micronesian diving trip. A massive 143 m Japanese oil tanker sunk in 1944, sitting upright with a huge engine room and dense coral growth. Geographically the site features wreck and hull formations built from steel and coral substrate, dropping from a shallow top of around 20 metres to a maximum depth of about 40 metres, with an average working depth near 28 metres. Visibility is typically excellent, ranging from 12 to 30 metres, while water temperatures hold between 27 and 30 degrees Celsius year-round. The marine life is the headline attraction. Divers routinely encounter Batfish (Platax orbicularis), Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda), Giant Grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus), Lionfish (Pterois volitans), Glassfish (Parapriacanthus ransonneti), alongside dense reef fish, invertebrates, and the soft and hard corals that blanket the reef. The mix of nutrient-rich currents and Palau's protected status makes Iro Maru Wreck one of the most reliable places in the country to see both abundant macro life and large pelagic visitors on a single dive. Iro Maru Wreck is best enjoyed as part of a boat programme out of Koror, and it rewards wide-angle photographers, naturalists, and adrenaline-seeking drift divers alike. The Palau Protected Areas Network helps keep the reef pristine, so divers are asked to maintain perfect buoyancy and respect the fragile coral at all times.