On Monday , January 8, 2001, a long-held dream of Boracay’s diving community finally came true: a ship called "Camia II" was sunk 1 km due west of the center of the White Beach. 

The valve was opened by BASS President Mike Labatiao, with the kind participation of Vice-Mayor Cawaling and some Coast Guard officers. The valve was opened 9.56 a.m. sharp and the official time of sinking was 1:20 p.m., making a total sinking time of 3 hours and 24 min.
Whoever was there at the time will never forget that once-in-a-lifetime experience of seeing a dive site being created.

The Camia II was kindly donated by the President of the Frabelle Fishing Corporation, Mr. Francisco Laurel Jr. 
This former fish-catch carrier is 37 meters long, 7 meters wide and has a height at the top of its crane tower of 12 meters. 
It is made of steel and languished for years in the Navotas Fishing Port in Metro Manila.

Thanks to the persistent "search and convince" tactics of Mike Labatiao, the owner of Frabelle Fishing Corporation was persuaded to donate the ship to the BASS. 
It was towed down at the expense of Frabelle from Manila Bay and it arrived in front of the White Beach on the evening of December 23 at approximately 11 p.m. The final towing and anchoring was accomplished by the M/Y Tabibuga, a local liveaboard yacht.

Although the Camia was originally scheduled to be sunk on Dec. 26, a close inspection of the ship revealed some residual oil in hard-to-reach compartments. 
It was the BASS board members, whom between Christmas and New Year, removed and disposed of thousands of liters of old oil from the vessel.

The wreck now lies underwater in an upright position, the deepest part of the stern at 29 meters, the bow at around 20 meters. 
Notice to all tourist divers: although all efforts have been made to make the Camia II a "diver-friendly" wreck, like the painting in of signs and marker arrows, please be aware that entering any wreck or overhead environment is potentially very dangerous and should only be by divers with a wreck diver certification.

Ask about the Wreck Diver Specialty certification at your favourite dive shop on the island.

LATEST CAMIA NEWS !!

The Camia II has now been resting on the seabed for 5 years. She has become home to numerous species of fish and invertebrates including . Some of her more unusual residents are...

Mimic octopus, as far as we know the first ever to be spotted around Boracay. This amazing animal can change its colouration and body shape to mimic other animals in order to confuse a potential predator.

Harlequin ghost pipefish,

A school of large squid can be seen hovering around the mooring lines or above the white crane mast. If you are very quiet they will allow you to get up close for a good look.

This wreck has become one of the most dived sites in Boracay. Due to the great success of this project, the BASS is in the process of creating another artificial Reef using concrete Reef Modules. The original 50 reef modules were sunk in 2005. Click here to read more

Thanks To the BASS for Boracay’s first artificial wreck!

President
Debbie Ngo

Vice-President
Richard Lane


Treasurer
Victor Ocskai


Secretary
Djilla Winebrenner


Officer
Mike Labatiao


Officer
Carlos Blanch


Officer
Andy Haberl