Dive site
HMS Prince of Wales
South China Sea, off Kuantan, Malaysia
- Typical depth
- 68 m
- Type
- Wreck
- Level
- Technical
Notes
King George V-class battleship sunk by Japanese torpedo bombers on 10 Dec 1941 alongside HMS Repulse. Inverted at ~68 m; designated war grave under UK Protection of Military Remains Act.
Marine life
- Other
- White Ensign flown from a propeller shaft each Remembrance Day — war grave to over 320 lives
- Pelagics
- barracuda, jacks, tuna
- Reef fish
- snapper, grouper, batfish
- Invertebrates
- soft coral and anemones on the upturned hull
Wreck
- Vessel
- HMS Prince of Wales
- Class
- King George V-class battleship
- Origin
- United Kingdom (Royal Navy)
- Sunk
- 1941 — torpedoed by Imperial Japanese Navy land-based aircraft (Force Z action), 10 Dec 1941
- Length
- 227 m
- Penetration
- Not advised
Site features
- Wreck
- Deep Wreck
- Trimix
- CCR Recommended
- War Grave
- Permit Required
- Liveaboard Only
- Historic
- Battleship
- Inverted Hull
When to dive
- Best
- Mar–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb
South China Sea off the Malaysian east coast — northeast monsoon (Nov–Feb) shuts the site down with heavy seas. Liveaboard-only access from Tioman or Kuantan; calm, clear conditions are needed for the 60+ m descent.
Conditions & access
- Visibility
- 10–25 m
- Water temp
- 27–30 °C
- Current
- Moderate
- Access
- Permit required
- Min cert
- Hypoxic trimix or CCR. Designated war grave under the UK Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 — diving permitted only under strict 'look but don't touch, don't enter' conditions; recovering artefacts is a criminal offence.
Location
3.5667° N, 104.4833° E
Dive clubs that visit this site
2 operators list this site on their website
- Dive Tioman / B&J Diving CentreTioman Island, Malaysia · Dive centre[source]
- GS-DivingSingapore, Singapore · Dive centre[source]
Sources
Curated from 2 sources
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