Destinations
Loading...The Dona Marilyn is a 98m long former ferry that sank near Malapascua Island in October 1988 during a Typhoon while sailing from Manila to Cebu. Sadly, many people lost their lives during this tragedy. It is now known as «the most beautiful Wreck of the Visayas».
The Dona Marilyn lies 33m deep on her starboard side with the shallowest point of the wreck at around 17m deep. The good news is that the soft Coral is really healthy and beautiful here. The Marine Life is also good – you have the chance of spotting Whitetip Reef Sharks and Blue Spotted Stingrays resting on the sandy bottom. The Wreck is inhabited by thousands of tiny Glassfishes as well as colourful sweetlips, Scorpionfishes, Batfishes and Nudibranchs. An Eagle Ray might also be spotted gliding by.
Due to the depth and the possible current, it is recommended that you are a Padi Open Water Advanced or CMAS 2* diver to dive this site.
You can dive Dona Marilyn wreck all year long. Access: from the Shore. See the map of Dona Marilyn wreck on the right for the exact location.
Fishes you may spot while diving Dona Marilyn wreck
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Batfish
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Blue Spotted Ray
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Cuttlefish
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Eagle Ray
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Lion Fish
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Nudibranch
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Pufferfish
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Scorpion Fish
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Star Fish
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Sweet Lip
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Whitetip Shark
... and more fishes & sea life, Flatworm, Glassfish, Marble Ray
Photos
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Blue Nudibranch in Lembeh StraitPhoto by Rich Guest -
Lion Fish swimming in crystal clear waterPhoto by Agnes Tjandranegara -
Lion Fish Lembeh StraitPhoto by Jihye Lee -
Black Green NudibranchPhoto by Rich Guest -
Teira BatfishPhoto by Matthieu Billaud -
Two Nudibranch ColorfulPhoto by Jihye Lee -
Pufferfish BelowPhoto by Jihye Lee -
Wonderful Eagle RayPhoto by Matthieu Billaud -
Black Spotted NudibranchPhoto by Jihye Lee -
Zoom Star Fish DivePhoto by Agnes Tjandranegara
Diving Reviews for this region
Malapascua Island
The best place on Earth to see the very rare Thresher Shark! Good chances also to spot Manta Rays and world class macro diving. Very Beautiful pristine Island.
As a relatively new member of the diving fraternity, this was the second wreck, first being Tulamben the Liberty in Bali, and I just love wreck diving. I love that the sea creatures, ferns, corals and all, adapt this man made wreck to their advantage and inclusion in “home”. Along with the history of the wreck, ones imagination can be so fertile with no “blabbering” of above sea sounds to interrupt the imagination. I was SO surprised when one of the people I was diving with said she was bored with wreck dives ???? Each to their own eh? Peeked at a spotted ray under a concrete block at 30 odd metres and then my alarm told me to ascend. Great dive, loved ot
I dived the Dons Marilyn 13 years ago. It certainly isn’t a shore dive so I think you need to correct your information. It is some distance away and usually attracts a premium. There are some stiff currents here at times so it definitely is only for advanced divers and those with a number of dives under their belt. After the tragedy, much of the stuff that made up the boat was removed. It, like many, is testament to the greed of shipping companies. This ferry was overloaded with cargo and passengers. Before she left port, inspectors made some of the cargo and passengers come off. Unfortunately, they left and the unscrupulous owners reloaded it. The result was fairly predictable.