Olongapo, Zambales, Subic Bay Freeport Zone
Once the site of the biggest U.S. naval base in Asia, Olongapo is fast developing into an industrial and tourism destination through the Subic Bay Freeport Zone under the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).
Definitely the best all-around diving along the coast, Subic Bay in Olongapo also has the best infrastructure and facilities, with the major draw being the wrecks. The main attraction is the USS New York, a battleship scuttled during World War II. A rare, fine example of an 1899 dreadnought, she lies on her port side in 27m of water, cannons intact. Another great dive, the El Capitan is a 130m-long, 3000-ton freighter that went down in the mouth of Ilanin Bay. As the top of the wreck is just 12m below the surface, it is an easy dive. The San Quentin is the oldest known wreck in Subic. This wooden gunboat was scuttled in the Spanish-American War in 1898 in a futile attempt to prevent the US Navy from entering the channel between the Grande and Chiquita islands. It is one of the more popular dives because of the wreck's historical past. Among the many others worth seeing is the Oryoku Maru, the "Hell Ship" that sunk in an air attack, with more than 1600 American POWs on board. Subic also has some good coral dives. Grande Island, formerly an exclusive US military R&R resort, has some worthwhile wall diving, and Triboa Bay has a good coral garden at Nabasan Point. Accommodations are plentiful between Olongapo City and Barrio Barretto.
