Just back from an incredible trip to Palau with a fine bunch of hard core tek divers.
I was able to visit most of the wrecks I wrote about 10 years ago in Dive Palau – the Shipwrecks, to see what changes had happened since. In fact, there weren’t many at all – lying in a protected lagoon, the wrecks are very much still as they were.
On one day, I managed to get a 3rd dive (after dives on the 15,000grt IJN fleet oiler IRO and the requisitioned transport ship BICHU MARU) on a largely intact Corsair fighter-bomber out at west reef that wasn’t being dived when I last visited. the plane is left exactly as it was when it went down. The pilot survived the ditching, was picked up by a Catalina PBY flying boat under enemy fire – and went on to survive the war.

Here’s a short video about the wreck.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzh47k-RLrU

The BIG SCUBA podcast I did with Ian and Gemma is now available – link below. It was a lot of fun reminiscing about some of the amazing times I have had submerged over the last wee while. I hope you enjoy it!

https://www.thebigscuba.com/podcast/episode/3769c56a/episode-227-rod-macdonald-author-and-shipwreck-explorer

Had a lot of fun with Ian & Gemma recording the BIG Scuba podcast. It will shortly be available for download on Monday 18 May 2026

Ian & Gemma have been hard at work editing our free ranging chat about diving and shipwrecks into a 1-hour podcast that they aim to publish on 18 May.

Heading back to Palau shortly – for the 1st time since we launched Dive Palau – the Shipwrecks at Sam’s Tours on Koror in 2016.

After a return to Truk in the years that followed, Covid then hit and stopped travel. By the time Covid eased, I was focussing on the updated 2nd edition of Dive Truk Lagoon – the Japanese WWII Shipwrecks.

Looking forward to diving the Japanese wrecks again and seeing what changes there have been in the intervening 10 years …. along with the amazing sharks, coral and fish of Blue Corner and the Blue Holes – and heading back to Peleliu. Got a great group of like minded divers to keep me company. Can’t wait!

Just had a fun couple of hours recording a podcast with Ian and Gemma, co-hosts of the BiG Scuba Podcast. It’s now in the edit process, and is due for release in 3-4 weeks

My author copies have just arrived from Pen & Sword. Very impressed with the production, it’s a beautiful book – and the underwater images (which often suffer when you go to print) have turned out really well. It’s frankly always amazing to see how your crazy idea from a few years ago turns out in the end.

My new book has just been released – pre-orders on their way shortly from publishers

Looking forward to talking about some of our local WWII shipwrecks, victims of the Battle of the East Coast, tomorrow night Thursday 19 Feb at 1900 at the Skateraw Hall in Newtonhill. Its open to the public if anyone fancies an evening at the bottom of the North Sea!

I’m giving an illustrated talk to a local heritage group about some of our local shipwrecks.

The talk is open to the public – poster attached.