Maumere Bay WWII Wrecks

Maumere Bay holds one of Southeast Asia's most diverse wreck fields, where Japanese and Allied vessels sunk during the Pacific War lie in depths between 12 and 50 meters, their superstructures now thoroughly colonized by some of the most biodiverse hard and soft coral communities in Flores. Whale sharks visit the bay seasonally, cruising over the wreck tops in surreal juxtaposition with the coral-encrusted steel. The bay's nutrient-rich water supports extraordinary nudibranch diversity — over 70 species have been documented here — alongside rare pygmy seahorses and leaf scorpionfish tucked into the wreck's crevices.