Destinations / Micronesia / Chuuk

Truk, as it is known by most divers, has officially changed its name to Chuuk, and along with Yap, Kosrae and Pohnpei, they make up the Federated States of Micronesia.

Chuuk state consists of seven major island groups lying within the Eastern Caroline Islands, the total land mass of Chuuk state, including the outer islands, is approximately 77 square miles (128 km). The state is sparsely populated with a total of only 50,000 people.

The many islands within this huge atoll are crowned with natural beauty. The outer barrier reef is punctuated with idyllic sand spits dotted with coconut palms. The high islands in the central lagoon rise into the blue island skies. It is the giant Chuuk Lagoon, over 70km(40 miles) in diameter and reaching depths of up to 100 metres (300 feet), that is the main attraction for most visitors. It's depths are home to perhaps the greatest proliferation of ship wrecks in the world.

How To Get There

Truk Lagoon is located 1000km (650 miles) southeast of Guam, 1200km (750 miles) north of Papua New Guinea and 9600km (6,000 miles) southwest of Los Angeles.

Weno, the capital of Chuuk, is served by Continental Micronesia with 4 flights per week from/to Guam.

These flights tie in with the weekly departures of the liveaboard dive cruises which operate within the lagoon. There are daily connections to Guam from Tokyo & the USA, along with two flights per week from/to Cairns. Additionally, two weekly direct flights from Manila currently connect Palau with other points in South-East Asia and on to Europe.

Climate

Chuuk has a warm, tropical climate. The dry season (the best time to travel) is between December and April; the rainy season, April to December, with the greatest falls between July and October. The rain is rarely heavy, however, and there is still a lot of sunshine in-between.

Temperatures average between 78-90 degrees Fahrenheit (26-32 degrees Celsius), with the water temperature sitting on a comfortable year-round 82-84 Fahrenheit (28-29 degrees Celsius).

History And Culture

Chuuk's history of early Spanish domination was followed by German acquisition after the Spanish-American war about 1890, and then a Japanese mandate from the League of Nations upon Germany's defeat in 1918.

The Japanese era saw a great build up of arms and bases in advance of a wide military blitz over the Western Pacific. The blitz was supplied heavily from facilities at Chuuk, where often more than 1,000 merchant and war ships were moored in readiness for further deployment.

Five airfields supporting close to 500 aircraft provided complete protection over Chuuk's Gibraltar-like facilities. A deep lagoon, high islands and circling barrier reef provided extensive natural protection.

Patrol boats, torpedo boats, submarines, tugs, landing craft, gunboats and mine sweepers contributed to the final defences and service needs to maintain this big base. Chuuk was considered the most formidable of all Japanese strongholds in the Pacific. This reputation caused an overconfident Japanese command to relax their vigil against invasion, in spite of U.S. forces fast approaching from the East. Supplies from Japan had almost ceased, due to immense successes of U.S. submarines finally equipped with torpedoes that found their mark. Supply convoys receiving nearly 90% losses en route to Chuuk, deprived the garrison of food, fuel and new armaments desperately required to maintain strength.

By early 1944, U.S. forces had amassed a huge armada of top line carriers, battleships, cruisers, destroyers and submarines for a major surprise sweep against Chuuk on February 16th, 17th and 18th. This attack, coded "Operation Hailstone", caught the Japanese totally unaware, and led to one of the most successful U.S. engagements of WWII.

After a follow up attack in April 1944, Chuuk was reduced to rubble with over 70 shipwrecks, 400 aircraft destroyed or sunk, and the menace of this big fortress removed forever.

U.S. forces declined engagement with the 40,000 troops at Chuuk, and after these attacks, starvation consumed many of the defenders before the eventual surrender of Japan late in 1945.

About 20 years later, adventure divers such as Jacques Cousteau, Al Giddings and Klaus Lindemann discovered the wonders of this huge sunken fleet, replete with incredible vistas of war machinery, soft coral draperies, fish life and personal mementos.

Diving

The turning battle of the Pacific War dealt a devastating blow to the Imperial fleet sinking over 45 ships, including armed cargo ships, huge tankers, small destroyers and a submarine. Several planes were also sent to their final resting place on the tranquil ocean floor of Truk Lagoon. These WWII wrecks were scattered across 77 square miles.

In the 56 years since most of the ships sank, their decks and sides have been transformed into vibrant coral reefs. Each of the wrecks has everything you would expect from a full blown reef such as pelagic predators like grey reef sharks, to colourful coral, reef fish & cleaning stations.

Best wreck dives include:

• The Fujikawa Maru: Whether your interest is in artifacts or marine life this wreck has it. An abundant growth of soft & hard corals, anemones, & crinoids make the ship & particularly the bow & stern guns very photogenic. All the holds contain cargo but a unique attraction lays in hold #2. There you will find five relatively untouched and intact Zero fighters. The engine room is very interesting but requires special diving skills to visit. Depth 30- 112ft (9-34 m)

• Shinkoku Maru : This is Ken's favorite dive, lots of soft corals adorn this wreck. The engine room is accessible through the torpedo hole on the Port Side. Both bow and stern guns are intact and heavily encrusted with life. Inside the superstructure is a sick bay with operating table. Elsewhere bottles, loading hoses and the telegraphs remain in the bridge. A must for a night dive. 28m / 90ft Upright.
  
  
• Sankisan Maru : The Sankisan's aft had a huge amount of damage but the stern is upright and sits 200m away from the rest of the ship. In the forward holds are thousands of bullets, a variety of truck chassis, machine guns, aircraft engines and propellers. 22m / 72ft Upright
  
  
• Yamagiri Maru : This wreck is famous for the huge 14in shells in the aft hold. Also inside is a steamroller, construction material and ships propeller. The engine room is well worth a visit but is silty. The bridge and pilot house make for a nice penetration.
  30m / 100ft . Lies on Port Side
  
  The lagoon itself is large enough that strong and constant currents carry the nutrients required for healthy fish life from the scattered islands through the large channels and out to sea. Many of the wrecks were sunk in or near these channels resulting in a wide variety of marine life thriving around the wrecks, so consequently, there are over 300 varieties of hard and soft corals to be found. On the outer reef you'll find mountains of coral that stretch as far as the eye can see, and drops off into the abyss with plenty of shark life.

  Other Activities

  Chuuk's district centre on Weno is where visitors can experience a taste of island life by visiting the local stores jammed with everything from kerosene stoves to ladies wear and handicrafts.

  For an outstanding view of Weno and the lagoon, climb into the old lighthouse built during Japanese occupation and visit the Truk Continental for a stroll in the coconut palm grounds with splendid views across the water to Dublon Island formerly the Japanese military headquarters.

  Lush vegetation and simple living punctuate the lives of the lagoon. Fishing, weaving and tending garden supplant the subsistence lives that many sustain on their individual islands. It is not unusual to see women waist deep in the mangroves hunting for a special delicacy or men walking the reefs by torchlight at night looking for baby octopus. Boat makers create vessels high in the hills of the inner islands and take them down to sea when finished. Open-hearth fires are still used to cook the daily meals. Life here is close to nature and lived in conjunction with the land and the sea. Local carvers are also famous for using beautiful local woods to carve warrior masks and busts. And the Chuukese love stick is part of a legendary practice of courtship unique to this island group.

  In Chuuk, the pace is slow, so tropical nature can be easily observed and appreciated. Many of the islands offer lush vegetation that harbour rare and migratory birdlife. Wild orchids and other flora are found in the scenic and sometimes rugged terrain of the islands.

  Often overlooked are the outer reefs where a great variety of fish, both pelagic and reef dwelling, venture near cascading coral walls that stretch into the blue abyss of the Pacific Ocean.

  Live Aboard Dive Operators

  • Truk Odyssey
  • SS Thorfinn

  Hotels

  • Truk Stop Hotel
  • Blue Lagoon Resort