Chuuk is one of the world's most famous diving destinations. Better known as "Truk Lagoon" to divers, it offers the best wreck diving in one location anywhere in the world. More than 70 Japanese ships, planes and submarines rest on the bottom, virtually undisturbed for the past 60 years. The legacy of Operation Hailstorm, the decisive World War II battle between the Japanese Imperial Fleet and Allied carrier attack planes, they are now an underwater museum and marine sanctuary without equal.
Chuuk's giant lagoon is almost 40 miles in diameter and reaches depths of 300 feet. Its warm tropical waters, prolific marine life and ocean currents have transformed the wrecks into breathtakingly beautiful coral gardens and artificial reefs, home to hundreds of exotic marine animals and fish. Today it is a Mecca to sport divers, underwater photographers and marine scientists from all over the world.
About Chuuk: One of the most picturesque groups of islands in Micronesia, Chuuk is made up of 11 high islands, dozens of tiny, coconut topped sand spits on and around the lagoon's fringing coral reef, and 24 atolls and low islands that lie outside the lagoon. In all, nearly 290 islands make up the island state of Chuuk. Once a major Japanese center and military base, it was devastated during the war and while its natural beauty and ecology has been quick to return, its former economic glory was lost with the ships and aircraft that lie on the bottom of the lagoon.
Today the people of Chuuk lead a simpler life and have much in common with the way their ancestors lived before the arrival of the Europeans and Japanese. Fishing and subsistence agriculture sustain the majority of Chuukese who live on the outlying islands. The ancient art of boat building and navigation is still practiced and passed down to the next generation, as are traditional carving and weaving skills. Food is still cooked over an open fire and lives are lived close to nature and in harmony with land and sea. Outboard motors, fiberglass boats, telephones and televisions have made their inevitable impact, but otherwise little has changed on these outer islands.
On the capital of Weno and main islands of Tonoas, Uman, Fefan and Tol, life marches to a slightly more modern beat with many families earning a living from tourism, commercial fishing and government work. All of the major tourism and government facilities are located on Weno, including the airport, hotels and dive operators.
While Chuuk is best known for its wreck diving, a visit to Chuuk does not have to be all about diving or diving wrecks. Divers and non-diving companions alike will enjoy a day or overnight trip to the many tiny 'desert' islands located in and around the lagoon. Hidden in the jungle of the major high islands are many Japanese fortifications and artifacts. There are many rare species of flora and fauna, scenic sites, cultural artifacts and Japanese WWII fortifications hidden in the jungle to be explored by those with the energy to hike the interior trails.
• Chuuk's history »
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Visit this historic "first settlement." Weno is the second-largest island and capital of Chuuk State — and was the site of the first European settlement, established in Chuuk by...