Flying Boat Wreck — Nuku Hiva
Dive site
A WWII-era PBY Catalina flying boat rests on a sandy seabed at 28 metres in a sheltered bay on the north coast of Nuku Hiva. The aircraft is largely intact, with both wing floats, the hull, and one engine nacelle visible. It was identified by French archaeologists in 2009 and is believed to have ditched during a navigation error in 1944. Encrusted with hard and soft corals, the wreck now serves as an artificial reef hosting lionfish, moray eels, and schools of glassfish. The calm, sheltered bay makes conditions predictable year-round, and the site is accessible to Open Water certified divers.
Conditions
Depth
22 to 32 m
Advanced depths
Current
Usually gentle
Can pick up on the edge
Visibility
20 to 35 m
Clearest in the calm season
Water
24 to 29°C
5mm full
Month by month
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water (°C) | 27 | 27 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 |
| Vis (m) | 18 | 18 | 15 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| Current | calm | calm | calm | calm | calm | Gentle | Gentle | Gentle | calm | calm | calm | calm |
Field journal
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