In March of 2025 I was able to check a huge box in the travel bucket list. I went wreck diving in Chuuk Lagoon. Chuuk (or Truk as most of the world still refers to it) is a tiny Atoll in the middle of the western Pacific Ocean. It’s part of a larger collection of islands and atolls known as Micronesia. Back in the World War II days, the US Navy bombed the Japanese fleet stationed at Chuuk and sent most all of it to the bottom of a sheltered lagoon surrounding a collection of small islands. Fast forward some eighty years and the wrecks lying on the bottom of the lagoon are consistently considered some of the best wreck diving on the planet.
There are numerous wreck scattered across the lagoon. A few are deep and will require technical dive training, but the majority of the ships and planes are in water accessible to divers with an advanced open water certification. The ships and planes in this post were all at or above the 130-foot maximum depth of an advanced open water certification. Having been in the water in some fairly epic places over the years (Great Barrier Reef, Ghost Fleet on Kwajalein, Sharks in the Bahamas, etc.) I can say without reservation that the wrecks at Chuuk deserve their reputation as world class diving. I was a fantastic experience. (as a side note, if you’re interested in some other pacific diving check out my last post. It contains some of what Kwajalein Atoll has to offer.)
General Information
Weather – The weather on Chuuk in the later parts of March, 2025, was exactly what you would expect from an island in the middle Pacific, relatively close to the equator. The days were warm, with temps in the mid to high 80s, and a muggy feeling. The evenings were cooler, in the low 80s, but without the muggy heaviness.
Depending upon how you view the overall weather distribution, March can be considered as a fairly dry time. I would consider it to be in the middle average for the year. It rains all the time on the islands of the pacific. You get used to it fast, and it isn’t an annoyance. The average rainfall for march is about 6.5 inches, with a lot of it falling during the nighttime hours.
Money – If you’re from any place on the planet that utilizes the US dollar, then you’ll fit right in on Chuuk. US currency is the norm and credit card truncations are done in US dollars.
Passport/Visa – I travel on a standard blue US passport, and had no issues coming or going from Micronesia. You’ll need a valid passport, and Chuuk still stamps passports (which I was quite pleased about. Another souvenir of my travels.). There was an entry visa requirement when arriving at the airport, and when exiting, that I encountered. You’ll need to fill out an entry card, and keep it with your passport while on the island. Truthfully, it’s just a small money grab and nothing to get excited about.
Language Barrier – Much like the currency comment above, if you’re from any part of the world where English is spoken you’ll do just fine. Micronesia does have its own set of native languages, but everybody is basically bilingual. I encountered no language issues when traveling across multiple islands in Micronesia.
Getting In and Out
Unlike other places in the world where I have traveled. This one is pretty straightforward. Unless you own a boat, or charter an outside cruise, there is only one real way to get there. It’s called the United Island Hopper Flight, and it departs Honolulu in an arching route through the Marshall Islands and Micronesia, terminating in Guam. There is only one carrier that flies there. They do it on their own schedule, and they charge OUTRAGEOUS prices for tickets. Consider it part of the cost of admission.
The Island Hopper flies west to Guam and then turns around and flies east to Hawaii. This means that you will need to plan your travel appropriately, as the flights may not be going the direction you want on the day you want to travel.
The Island Hopper making its way into the gate at the Chuuk airport on Weno Island.
Truthfully, there are other airline that fly in and out of Chuuk, but they’re regional carriers and don’t really get you back to any major hub airport. To get to anyplace that’s going to connect you to the rest of the world, you’re basically stuck with United. That is, unless you own a boat! If you have a boat, you can do whatever you want.
My Headquarters
The bunk room for my time on Chuuk was at the Blue Lagoon Resort on the south end of the main island of Weno. The resort is also home to the Blue Lagoon Dive Shop, THE SPOT if you’re diving from shore.
The lagoon-side bungalows at the Blue Lagoon Resort.
The resort got an upgrade during their COVID shutdown time and was quite nice. The rooms are what you expect, and the restaurant was pretty good. They also offered takeout meals to take with you on the dive boats which was super cool. Its real selling point was the outside bar, which had ice cold beer of several varieties an amazing view of the sunsets.
The bar at the Blue Lagoon Resort. The beer is cold and the sunsets are excellent.
So there is no disillusionment, when I say it was quite nice, it was what you would think of as a 2-Star hotel in Europe. That sounds mean, and it may be, but to be honest the remainder of Weno Island is quite destitute, so the resort actually feels 5-Star. You need to understand what part of the world you’re in and manage expectations.
Diving Highlights
The dive shop at Blue Lagoon was full service. That being said, take your dive gear with you. Every person I dove with while I was there was running their own gear. Thought number two: if you plan on diving Nitrox (highly recommended) then bring your own oxygen meter with you, if you have one. This will speed up shore-side activities greatly, along with giving you a better comfort level.
The dive boats tied up at the Blue Lagoon dock before leaving out in the morning.
As far as the diving went, it was all excellent. The water temperature was in the mid eighties everyday, and there was no thermocline. I dove in shorts and a rash guard and was quite content.
The visibility is pretty good all the way to bottom. It can be just slightly murky on the first dive, as most of the rain happens at night time. By the time I did my second dive on both days the visibility was excellent.
The standard package for shore diving is a one tank dive or a three tank dive day package. If you’re planning on Tech Diving the deep wrecks (The San Francisco) your dive will be a single dive plan. The three dive day, which is the one that I went on, is set by depth more than anything else. You dive your deepest dive first, then a shallower dive and a break for lunch. this is followed by a relatively shallow third dive and a leisurely cruise back to the dock.
The dive master running the boat sets the agenda for the day. Normally there is a plan when you leave the dock. These locations can change in-route due to several factors, and there was one game time decision change while I was diving. There are several dive boats and a bunch of live aboard cruise ship diving operations working the wrecks, so everyone can’t be in the same place at the same time. For every wreck we dove during my stay, the group on my boat had the wreck to ourselves for the duration of the dive. Small groups and good plans equal excellent diving.
Swimming down the side of the Kensho Maru. It sits intact and upright at 103-feet. The coral growth was almost all-encompassing, but the ship was firmly intact.
The engine room of the Kensho Maru. You swim into one of the holds and then make your way through the engine room, and ascend out the top. Engines are intact and there is a lot to see.
A dive bomber sits upright on the bottom of the Jill 1 dive site, in 59-feet of water. The plane is mostly intact, and there is a second plane at this site which is just out of frame.
The small island we used as our lunch stop each day had an excellent view. There was also a Japanese Zero just offshore for snorkeling, if the view wasn’t enough.
The Fujikawa Maru sits upright on the bottom at 91-feet. There is a bunch of stuff in the holds to look at, including a plane. Here, a defensive deck gun supports coral growth.
Parting Thoughts
If you’re looking for world class diving, this is your spot. If you’re looking for world class vacationing, this is not your spot. The island of Weno, and the remainder of the atoll, have little or nothing to really offer. If you take a run to the Blue Lagoon, they will pick you up at the airport and return you there. In between, you’ll spend your time at the resort or out diving. Chuuk is a one trick pony, and should be approached as such. If you’re chasing a vacation with some diving then go to Hawaii. I hear the manta diving on the big island is fantastic.
My contribution to the Great Wall of stickers at the dive shop. Since I am a member (as of this writing) of the Kwaj Scuba Club, it seemed appropriate that I represent.
For anyone serious about wreck diving or wanting a story that no one else can top at the bar, diving Chuuk Lagoon is the ticket. The diving is great and the sunsets are picturesque. Just bite the bullet on the huge travel prices, pack your gear, and go. That’s what I did.
Now, get out there and explore some of the world for yourself. Life’s a contact sport. You can’t enjoy it without getting after it.
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