The Jake and Pete wrecks lay on the bottom of Kavieng’s harbor and in total there are three Japanese WWII “Jake” sea-planes and two “Pete” float-planes.
All the five wrecks are in sheltered locations and are easily dived but, because they are right in the harbor, the visibility is often quite limited – which makes photography a bit of a challenge…
However they are still good dives, and well worth exploring, as it’s not everyday you get the chance to dive on a WWII aircraft wreck!
Of the five wrecks, the easiest to dive and the one with the best visibility, is the Jake sea-plane that is located just off the southern tip of fringing reef around Nusa Lik island.
In just 12m of water and usually visible from the surface, the plane is quite intact apart from the twin floats and the cockpit canopies which have since gone.
The two Pete float-planes are in 18m of water and are believed to have been sunk during the massive Allied bombing raids in February 1944.
Both planes are upside down, with one largely intact and the other having a broken back, and both wrecks have been colonized by numerous fish and critters.
All five wrecks are best dived on an incoming tide…