Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
A view of Brașov’s Old Town.
Romania • 12 days, 11 nights
Legends of Romania: Castles, Ruins & Culinary Delights
from
Balkans road trip
Bosnia and Herzegovina • 9 days, 8 nights
Balkans Road Trip: Serbia, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
The ‘Old Secretariat’ government building in New Delhi.
The 'Old Secretariat'
This set is inspired by a Roman arena.
Bozdağ Film Platolari
The Sea Water Distilling Plant.
Sea Water Distilling Plant
Contemplative paths.
Ayo Rock Formations
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
The pavlova comes crowned with jewel-like fruit.
Central Park Boathouse
The Village Tavern of Long Grove - exterior.
The Village Tavern
Hunter House Hamburgers
L’Escamoteur
Names on the bartop.
The Dive
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Wortley built the wooden backpack she used while retracing Alexandra David-Néel’s journey from a chair she found on the street in London.
How Elise Wortley Climbed Mont Blanc in 1830s Women’s Attire
30 days ago
Simplicity is key: Just a slice of bread with a sprinkling of salt and pepper is the perfect accompaniment.
The Sweet Second Life of Creole Cream Cheese
about 1 month ago
My rendition of frog legs, popping mushroom curry, pad prik khing with salted egg yolk, and sweet khanom thuai.
Recreating My Favorite Meal From Thailand
about 1 month ago
Inside London’s Gorgeously Curated ‘Art Restaurants’
about 1 month ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Hawaii Honolulu Corsair Plane Wreck Dive Site

Corsair Plane Wreck Dive Site

This WWII plane died a quiet death, and is now a garden eel playground.

Honolulu, Hawaii

Added By
Kris Livingston
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
It can occasionally get sort of crowded.   Flickr / tobze
It can occasionally get sort of crowded.   Flickr / tobze
Corsair wreck 9   Flickr / tobze
Exploring the wreck.   Flickr / Tobze
Surrounded by Divers   Flickr User: Matt Kieffer
Exploring the wreck   Flickr / mikepmiller
Fish abound!   Flickr: mattkieffer
A diver approaches   Flickr: mattkieffer
The tail section.   Flickr: mattkieffer
Exploring the wreck.   Flickr / Tobze
The corsair wreck off of the coast of O’ahu.   Flickr User: Matt Kieffer
  Flickr User: Matt Kieffer
  Flickr User: Matt Kieffer
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

While many wrecks are intentionally sunk off of the O'ahu to serve as artificial reefs, this wreck was the real deal.

Despite being a true plane wreck in its original location of doom, the Corsair Plane didn't have a very dramatic end, at least as far as plane crashes go. A routine mission in 1948 ended abruptly when the WWII aircraft started to sputter. As the engine began to fail, the seasoned pilot managed to make a smooth water landing, wheels up, flaps slightly extended. The pilot was rescued bobbing nearby in his lifejacket, the plane wasn't even damaged.

But even though the aircraft was intact, it wasn't buoyant. Despite the soft landing, it still ended up at the bottom of the ocean. After decades underwater, the plane is no longer such a pretty corpse, but of course that's a matter of opinion. Divers, photographers, and a unique garden eel population beg to differ. 

The dive site is considered advanced, and boats and a guide are required. The wreck lies at about 115 feet in an area known for unpredictably strong and swift currents. Divers must descend using the anchor line and swim about 30 feet to the wreck. The depth of the site produces a short bottom time of about 15 minutes and four-minute decompression stop so divers should monitor their air gauges closely. Along with the garden eels, jacks and stingrays frequent the site.

Related Tags

Underwater Airplane Graveyard Airplanes Aircraft World War Ii Military

Know Before You Go

The Corsair airplane wreck of O'ahu is located approximately 3 miles out from the Hawai'i Kai marina which is on O'ahu’s south-east side. The Corsair plane wreck sits in 115 feet of blue Pacific Hawaiian waters in an upright position facing south west with the tail of the airplane pointing towards Koko Head.( 151 feet (46.02 meters) above sea level) Getting out to the Corsair plane wreck takes about 15 minutes so as long as you are departing from the Koko boat marina located in the Hawai'i Kai shopping center.

Community Contributors

Added By

shakespeareternal

Edited By

Rachel

  • Rachel

Published

May 16, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • Corsair Hawaii
  • http://www.corsairwreck.com
Corsair Plane Wreck Dive Site
Honolulu, Hawaii, 96825
United States
21.218661, -157.741356

Nearby Places

Spitting Caves

Honolulu, Hawaii

miles away

Shangri La

Honolulu, Hawaii

miles away

Amelia Earhart Memorial Plaque

Honolulu, Hawaii

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Honolulu

Honolulu

Hawaii

Places 17
Stories 1

Nearby Places

Spitting Caves

Honolulu, Hawaii

miles away

Shangri La

Honolulu, Hawaii

miles away

Amelia Earhart Memorial Plaque

Honolulu, Hawaii

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Honolulu

Honolulu

Hawaii

Places 17
Stories 1

Related Stories and Lists

The Fantastical Beauty of Sunken Ruins

ruins

By Dylan Thuras

8 Plane Wrecks That Have Become Their Own Memorials

airplanes

By Eric Grundhauser

Related Places

  • Restored Victory Belle Cockpit

    West Sussex, England

    Wings Museum

    This WWII aircraft museum presents its wrecks like taxidermy, complete with recreations of the crash sites.

  • opijnen

    Opijnen, Netherlands

    McCammonplein

    A unique World War II memorial commemorates where the American B-17 bomber Man-O-War crashed.

  • Zephyrhills, Florida

    Zephyrhills Museum of Military History

    This facility, now a museum, once housed and trained U.S. Army Air Force pilots who flew during the Allied invasion of Normandy.

  • Schorfheide, Germany

    Finowfurt Aviation Museum

    This former Soviet military base has over 10 original aircraft and an enormous amount of memorabilia on display.

  • Glasgow, Scotland

    Spitfire LA198

    An icon of the Battle of Britain is frozen in flight in a grand Victorian museum.

  • The WWII planes lie within the jungle around the abandoned runway.

    Talasea, Papua New Guinea

    Talasea Airstrip

    Two World War II aircraft lie within the jungle around this abandoned runway.

  • The H-4 Hercules, aka “Spruce Goose.”

    McMinnville, Oregon

    The Spruce Goose

    The wooden airship was the largest flying boat ever built.

  • A Douglas B-23 Dragon Bomber.

    McCall, Idaho

    B-23 'Dragon Bomber' Wreckage

    The secluded site of a 1943 plane crash and amazing rescue is only accessible by hiking through the woods.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.