The F4U Corsair is a remarkable intact airplane that sank after engine problems during a training flight in 1946.
| Name divesite: | Corsair |
| Depth: | 100-110ft (30-33m) |
| Visibility: | 30-120ft (9-36m) |
| Accessibility: | Shore, Boat |
| Time to visit: | All year long, best at its leeward side |
| Inserted/Added by: | Island Divers Hawaii |
| Specifications: |     |
The Corsair is one of the deepest regularly visited wrecks on Oahu at 110ft. Besides the obvious attraction of visiting a sunken W.W.II era plane, the dive site has the added bonus of being the only Oahu site where one can visit a field of garden eels.
Probably the most famous of Oahu's wrecks. It is small but definitely worth a visit since it is remarkably intact and good airplane wrecks are rare! It has been down there since 1945 when the pilot ditched it after engine problems during an exercise.
The propeller stands tall, although a bit bent, and makes for a good photo subject. It is possible to have a sit in the cockpit but sometimes it is well guarded by a huge moray so make sure you check. Some of the instruments and glass are still there.
It is a deep dive with a maximum depth of 107'/32m and with air that makes the bottom time about 15 minutes. Don't worry though, that is plenty of time to explore the wreck and there isn't much else down there. Don't forget to look out over the sand, however, because the wreck is surrounded by hundreds of garden eels halfway out of the sand.
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| Name: HAWAIIscubadiving.com | Date: 2008-08-29 10:58:56 |
| The pilot of this Corsair ran out of fuel on a training mission in 1946 and ditched his aircraft. Luckily for us it was on a perfectly calm day and had created one of the islands original wrecks. It settled intact in 107 feet of water. The white sand bottom reflects plenty of light in waters that have rarely less than 100 feet of visibility. With the tips of its blades bent back from the impact, the propeller settled into the sand up to its shaft, while the aft landing hook and taxi wheel is still fully exposed, encrusted with a brilliant orange sponge. The port wing is buried almost to the fuselage, but the starboard one remains accessible to the marine community. A large Antler Coral has established itself just behind the open cockpit, with schools of tropicals swimming the oasis amidst an oceanic desert. Green sea turtles, reef sharks and eagle rays also visit this artificial reef for shelter and to seek food. Besides the depth, the main drawback is the strong current that picks up within three hours of the tidal shift. | |
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