Strictly speaking this is not really a new dive site. We have known about it since we first arrived on Malapascua Island, but have never dived it before. The PIONEER WRECK is a WWII wreck very close to Malapascua Island. At 54 meters it is beyond the safe limits of recreational and air diving. As far as we know, no-one else dives there.
But today after weeks of problems with suppliers, we FINALLY managed to fill our twin sets with helium to do our first ever TRIMIX dive at TSD!!!
As we (Andrea and Trevor) made our way out to the dive site, the excitement was building. We have been wanting to dive this wreck for 5 years and it has turned into something of a mythological dive site for us, the stuff of legends, our Atlantis.
We kitted up on the boat, tested our air and checked it was indeed trimix by squeaking to each other in our high-pitched helium-laced voices.
As we made our descent, the dark leapt up to meet us, and I wished I had brought my faithful Kowalski. Down and down we went, 10 meters, 20 meters, 30 meters, 40 meters. When was the dark going to end? Would the bottom ever appear? Did we even have the right place? Was this dark mass of nothing really worth the months of effort that had gone into making this dive possible?
Then at about 42 meters I spotted a white patch below me. All of a sudden the visibility cleared and a whole coral encrusted wreck magically appeared before me!
“Woo-hoo!” I squeaked to Trevor as he beamed back at me.
We had found it!
What a sight. The boat was teeming with fish. Massive schools of small fish darted everywhere over the boat. A school of jacks swam by. Huge barramundi and sweetlips hung over the side, I’ve never seen any so big. And to top it off, three eagle rays glided over the deck without a care in the world.
The wreck was intact, covered with 60 years of coral growth. Incredibly, the massive propeller is still there, although one blade is missing. Further exploration will come soon.
Despite the trimix, our bottom time was up too quickly, and we started to make our ascent.
What an exciting day – two firsts, trimix and the Pioneer.
We will be going back again soon!