The Nichi Asu Maru or Kuantan Wreck is a Japanese coastal tanker carrying crude oil which sunk in the 1960’s. Situated in the South China Sea about 32 km off the east coast of Peninsula Malaysia and 12 nautical miles from Kuantan it is 80m long and 10m wide. It is covered in coral and encrusting sponge.
The wreck lies on its port side, with the hull about 12m deep from the surface. The deepest part of the wreck is located at around 24m on a sandy bottom. Encounters are common with wreck residents giant marble rays, moray eels and barracudas. There are also large schools of friendly batfish and trevallys.
Do avoid touching the intriguing sometimes mesmerising bubbles of crude oil leaking through the cracks, as it is difficult to remove from your equipment.
Below is an oil tanker known as Simran, which is very similar to the Nichi Asu Maru.
