Truk Lagoon (Chuuk)

The wreck diving capital of the world. Truk Lagoon (also known in the local language as Chuuk) was the site of a major bombing campaign by the Americans on Japanese shipping during World War Two. Operation Hailstone was a massive 2 day bombing offensive by US planes on 17 – 18 February 1944 that sank more than 40 ships and 100s of aircraft. The vast majority of the ships were merchant shipping but included warships as well.

As Chuuk is a large atoll, the vast majority of these wrecks lie inside the protected lagoon. With most of the wrecks lying at least partly in recreational diving depths, the area has become a veritable mecca for wreck divers. As the wrecks lie fairly close to one another, it’s easy to dive several different ships on the same day. Most of the popular wrecks lie in less than 40m (130ft) of water and don’t need decompression procedures to dive. Other wrecks have deeper depths and are the perfect sites for technical divers. “Tech Weeks” are a common theme in Chuuk and draw wreck enthusiasts from around the world.

Divers of all levels enjoy the diving in Chuuk as the wrecks are beautiful as well as historical. Many of the sites are covered in colorful soft corals, anemones, and fish life. It’s easy to spend a week diving on the wrecks without participating in any penetration diving due to the incredible marine life. Removing artifacts from the wrecks is strictly prohibited by law.

Time to Go

Chuuk is a year round diving location, however, the months of June to October are considered the storm season. Chuuk does experience the rare tropical typhoon and more often than not it will happen during these months.

Climate and Temperature

Chuuk is a tropical diving destination with a near constant water temperature of 28-30C (82-86F) The June to October time period is also considered the rainy season, although rain is to be expected year round.

Signature Sites

Fujikawa Maru – Possibly the most famous of Chuuk’s wrecks, the Fujikawa is home to the oft photographed “R2D2” compressor. Covered in soft corals, this 135 meter (450 ft) long wreck sits in relatively shallow depths of 35m (115 feet). The holds of this freighter include spare parts for Zeros plus the obligatory sake bottles. A large and photographic gun covered in coral can be found on the bow.

Betty Bomber – This shallow wreck is one of a number of intact planes that can be found inside the lagoon. This bomber is located in shallow water and is a perfect site for a third dive of the day. The engines of this plane are located almost 100 meters away due to the force in which the plane crash landed in the water.

San Francisco Maru – The San Francisco Maru is one of the deeper wrecks in the lagoon and is a favorite of tech divers. Lying in 42-64m of water (140 – 210 feet) this passenger/cargo ship is 117 m (385 feet) long. Features of the wreck include 3 small tanks lying on the deck and several trucks in the holds.

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