This was my first trip to Chuuk, which is well-known for its WWII wreck diving. I flew into the main island of Weno in the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). I was fortunate enough to go there for work, then had a few days to take in some of the dive sites. While the visibility wasn’t crystal clear (it was 40 ft+) the numerous shipwrecks kept my attention busy. There are literally hundreds of Japanese vessels that were sunk by Allied forces during WWII. This was basically Japan’s Pearl Harbor, as they used the massive protected harbor as their staging area for the Pacific theater and the Japanese Headquarters for the Pacific region was based here on the mountain top in Weno; the locals converted the building over to a school. There are waterfalls and various sights to see around the island, but diving is the main attraction. There are only around 5,000 visitors to the island each year, so this is still well off the beaten path of most travelers. I would definitely rate the diving as some of the best I’ve ever done and there are just so many choices on different wrecks, it’s definitely a great destination for that kind of diving. Unfortunately my underwater camera broke right after I arrived so I only got a few picks snorkeling at some downed Japanese Zeros. You can see plenty of unexploded ordinances in the various wrecks. I got to sit in a zero at around 90ft, which was inside a cargo hull of a sunken supply vessel. For the WWII enthusiast and anyone into wreck diving- this is a must visit location!
There are not many options for accommodation on the island, with the small number of visitors. I stayed at the Truk Stop, which also offers diving tours. There is a cheaper hotel just down the road from there but its not on the water and does not offer diving, so you would have to head over to the Truk Stop anyways. The other option is the Blue Lagoon resort on the south side of the island. This is the most expensive option for accommodation, but the dive prices are fairly standard across the dive operators on the island. The other thing to take into consideration if heading to the Blue Lagoon is how far out of town it is, so you will either need to rent a vehicle or buy all supplies and meals from the resort.
There is also only one airline, Continental Airlines, that services the islands so you would either have to fly through Hawaii or Guam to get there. My recommendation would be to get relatively cheaper tickets to Guam, then use airline miles to hop to a couple different island destinations with one stopover included.
There are not many options for accommodation on the island, with the small number of visitors. I stayed at the Truk Stop, which also offers diving tours. There is a cheaper hotel just down the road from there but its not on the water and does not offer diving, so you would have to head over to the Truk Stop anyways. The other option is the Blue Lagoon resort on the south side of the island. This is the most expensive option for accommodation, but the dive prices are fairly standard across the dive operators on the island. The other thing to take into consideration if heading to the Blue Lagoon is how far out of town it is, so you will either need to rent a vehicle or buy all supplies and meals from the resort.
There is also only one airline, Continental Airlines, that services the islands so you would either have to fly through Hawaii or Guam to get there. My recommendation would be to get relatively cheaper tickets to Guam, then use airline miles to hop to a couple different island destinations with one stopover included.
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