Diving in Micronesia

Chuuk Lagoon — the world's greatest wreck dive, Yap's mantas, pristine coral at Pohnpei and Kosrae

1 yacht for liveaboard diving, 2 resorts

Micronesia — Chuuk Lagoon, the largest wreck site on the planet, Yap’s mantas, pristine coral at Pohnpei and Kosrae. Liveaboard schedules and prices.

Why divers come here

Chuuk Lagoon — the largest wreck-diving site on the planet, 50+ ships and aircraft
Fujikawa Maru — Zero fighter fuselages in the hold, decks from 9 metres
Shinkoku Maru — a tanker so coral-covered it has become a reef
San Francisco Maru — tanks on deck at 48–63 metres, technical diving
Mi'l Channel at Yap — manta cleaning stations active year-round
Pohnpei and Kosrae — pristine hard coral and almost no other divers

Manta rays (Yap, Mi'l Channel — year-round)

Grey reef and whitetip reef sharks

Napoleon wrasse and bumphead parrotfish

Mandarinfish (Chuuk Lagoon, dusk dives)

Green and hawksbill turtles

Soft corals and sponges colonising the wrecks

Schooling barracuda and trevally

Giant clams

Photos: credits and licences

Best season: December–April (dry season, calm seas, peak manta season at Yap)
the Chuuk wrecks are diveable year-round
Water temperature: 27–30 °C
Visibility: 15–40 m
Wetsuit: 3 mm (5 mm for long or repetitive wreck dives)
Experience level: Open Water for reefs and upper decks
Advanced and technical training for the deep wrecks and penetration
Getting there: Fly via Guam (GUM), the main hub, with onward flights to Chuuk (TKK), Pohnpei (PNI) and Yap (YAP).
Guam is reached through Tokyo, Seoul or Manila.
Guam is US territory, so most travellers need a US visa or ESTA authorisation even for a transit.
Total travel time is 24 hours and up from Europe.
Airports: Chuuk (TKK), Yap (YAP), Pohnpei (PNI), Guam (GUM) — transit hub
Visa: Visa-free entry for tourists of most nationalities for up to 30 days, with a passport valid at least 120 days and an onward ticket.
Note that routings run through Guam, which is US territory, so a US visa or ESTA authorisation is normally required for the transit
Climate: Equatorial, air 27–31°C year-round, rainfall 3,000–4,800 mm/year
Currency: US Dollar (USD)
Language: English (official), Chuukese, Yapese, Pohnpeian, Kosraean
Time zone: UTC+10 (Chuuk, Yap), UTC+11 (Pohnpei, Kosrae)