Truk Liveaboards

Nestled in the South West Pacific, imagine sunshine days and a wondrous delight above and below the water. The journey’s end is well worth the time taken to get here.

Once a WWII Japanese stronghold, the Americans’ destroyed more aircraft and ships in a two day attack than any other during the war. Today these wrecks, over 60 ships and more than 250 airplanes, give divers a solemn insight with many still carrying their cargo, guns, ammunitions and explosives now covered with corals in warm, clear waters.

With all the wrecks lying within the sheltered lagoon, you can choose to dive from a liveaboard or resort no matter what your level of diving. Truk is also the perfect destination for technical divers with many dive centres offering tech services.
We’ve been there and know it well!
Jim and Cary share their very personal experience of diving Truk – and more!

“As a boy growing up in the UK I’d been fascinated by WWII history and had my fair share of army toys. So when I started diving in 1986 it was no surprise that one of the first things that captured my interest was a WWII Japanese ship graveyard on the other side of the planet called Truk Lagoon.

This area has long been considered the Holy Grail of UK wreck enthusiasts so when I was privileged enough to dive Truk I was extremely excited. Above water there’s not much in the Micronesian Republic of Chuuk (Truk); it’s a poor country with a fishing and farming community and not much else so don’t expect too much in the way of topside scenery. We were fortunate enough to enjoy a week’s liveaboard diving as well as a short visit to Blue Lagoon Resort and realised that you can easily dive Truk from a resort, as the distance to many of the wrecks is not too far.”

Why even Cary, who hates war wrecks, LOVED it…

“Many of the wrecks are almost intact and in close by to each other due to the huge Japanese fleet having sat at anchor within this huge lagoon when it was attacked without warning. There are so many big ships that you can’t help but keep getting constant reminders of the scale of the loss, time after time.

Truk could be an eerie and morbid place but it isn’t; far from it. The vast majority of wrecks are now encrusted in coral making them the best artificial reefs we have ever dived. Enormous schools of fish hang above many of the wrecks and Pacific reef fish of many varieties make them home. Black tip reef sharks were always a welcome sight. The visibility is excellent, the water is warm and the coral and fish life abundant. All this makes Truk Lagoon a brilliant dive holiday. The best way I can sum it up would be to mention Cary’s experience: she hates anything to do with war and doesn’t care at all for wrecks…but she absolutely LOVED Truk!

It’s not a cheap holiday but we highly recommend it, especially to anyone who has an interest in war history; it’s probably already on your bucket list. So go soon and keep in mind that all of the wrecks in Truk are over seventy years old now, so will soon start to experience unavoidable deterioration with the passing of time.”

You’ll want to know…

• Legendary wreck diving with over 60 ships and over 250 planes from WWII.
• The marine life is nothing short of mesmerising with the chance to dive or snorkel a number of amazing sites.
• The best time to go is any time of the year with water temperatures between 28-29ºC.