The Pacific Boxer lies at a depth of 63 metres, upright and at an angle of approximately 5 degrees upwards to the bow. The vessel sank during anchor handling after two collisions with the stern anchor flukes of the barge Mantorek.
This is a deep wreck and even to look into the bridge windows (left) or to inspect the towing lights (right) requires diving deeper than 50 metres. The mast is intact and rises nearly to 40 metres, which provides a good reference point well above the bottom silty layer. Despite a similar appearance to the Petani Mistral (57 m long), this wreck (39 m long) has an entirely different character; basically, it lies 15 metres deeper. Arriving on the top of the superstructure puts the diver at about 51 metres. There are no schools of pelagic fish, although many smaller fish are around (see photos). Narcosis is ever present and a very limited bottom time occupies too much of the diver's awareness for a truly enjoyable dive. Panaga Divers have only dived this wreck four times. Once in 1993, again in 1995, 2002 and 2004. In 1993 and 2002, the wreck was found on the coordinates supplied above. In 2004, an alternative location was found (100 m away)! A slick of escaping fuel oil also revealed the presence of the wreck in 1993, and in 2004, it was still there and easily smelled!
As chance would have it, we dived in July 2003 with Steve Harris, the Swire manager from Singapore. We told him about our wrecks and he admitted to being the Captain of the Pacific Boxer, although, at the time of the sinking, he was on one of the other 'Pacific' vessels. Steve enjoyed diving on the platforms and he kindly sent us drawings of the Pacific Bloodhound, sister vessel of the 'Boxer.
The mast is an excellent feature on which to tie the transfer line to the shot (left - 2004). If one had a sufficiently powerful torch, the wreck would appear in a startling red riot of tubastrea, the most common growth (centre - 2002 SH; rihgt - 2004 JE).
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