Description
Details:
Explore the Japanese Pacific Fleet sunk at the end of WWII with diving in Truk Lagoon.
If you like “TIN”, this is wreck diving heaven not to be missed! This is an unmissable, unforgettable trip of a lifetime so book your place with Blue Ocean Diving now!
For Experienced Advanced Sport Divers and Tec divers: THIS IS IT!
Diving in Truk Lagoon – or correctly CHUUK Lagoon – has to be on the bucket list for every Wreck Diver.
With amazing wrecks in clear visibility and tropical waters, this has to be THE TOP DESTINATION.
A few dive sites are relatively shallow, but the scale of the wrecks is seriously impressive. There are a several deeper wrecks with Tec diving opportunities for all.
Commonly Visited Wreck and Reef Sites
| Ship Name | Highlights | Length | Depth Range |
| Fujikawa Maru | Lush coral growth. Zero airplane fuselages and wing sections. | 439’ | 0’-120’ |
| Yamagiri Maru | 18″ diameter artillery shells of Battleship Musashi. | 437’ | 60’-120’ |
| Nippo Maru | 2 man tank and artillery guns on deck. Photogenic wheelhouse. | 353’ | 50’-150’ |
| Heian Maru | Torpedoes and submarine telescopes. Massive size. | 510’ | 35’-100’ |
| Sankisan Maru | Lush soft coral growth on mast. Machine gun ammunition in hold. | 200’ | 0’-100’ |
| Hoki Maru | Trucks, bulldozer and tractor in hold. Massive destruction of bow. | 250’ | 45’-150’ |
| Unkai Maru | Photogenic bow gun. Good coral growth on masts. | 360’ | 30’-130’ |
| Rio de Janiero Maru | Awesome size. Photogenic propellers. Large engine room. | 461’ | 40’-120’ |
| Hanakawa Maru | Lush soft and hard coral growth. | 363’ | 10’-100’ |
| Fumitzuki Destroyer | Bow and stern guns, torpedo launcher. | 320’ | 80’-120’ |
| Betty Bomber | Japanese small twin engine bomber. | 60’ | 50’-60’ |
| Momokawa Maru | Aircraft parts, truck frames and artillery shells. | 380’ | 80’-150’ |
| Shinkoku Maru | Lush coral growth. Fantastic marine life. Excellent engine room. | 500’ | 30’-130’ |
| Aikoku Maru | Massive destruction of bow. Photogenic stern gun. | 270’ | 100’-200’ |
| San Francisco Maru | Tanks on deck. Trucks, mines, bombs and ammunition in holds. | 375’ | 100’-200’ |
| Pizion Reef | Wall dive. Large coral heads in the shallows. Sharks | | 15’-200’+ |
| Not all sites are visited every week. Weather, water conditions, dive skills and experience and guest requests are all taken into consideration on planning the particular itinerary of each trip. Note that figures are in FEET not metres: it’s big – but not that big! |
Dates:
Departure: Tuesday 11th June 2024 (11 Nights)
Price:
£5900 per person (based on double occupancy)
The Location:
In 1969, French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau and his team explored Truk Lagoon. Following Cousteau’s 1971 television documentary about the lagoon and its ghostly remains, the place became a scuba diving paradise, drawing wreck diving enthusiasts from around the world to see its numerous, virtually intact sunken ships. The shipwrecks and remains are sometimes referred to as the “Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon”.
During World War II, Truk Lagoon was the Empire of Japan’s main base in the South Pacific theatre. Truk was a heavily fortified base for Japanese operations against Allied forces in New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, serving as the forward anchorage for the Japanese Imperial Fleet.
Truk Lagoon was considered the most formidable of all Japanese strongholds in the Pacific. On the various islands, the Japanese Civil Engineering Department and Naval Construction Department had built roads, trenches, bunkers and caves.
Five airstrips, seaplane bases, a torpedo boat station, submarine repair shops, a communications centre and a radar station were constructed during the war. Protecting these various facilities were coastal defence guns and mortar emplacements. Due to its heavy fortifications, both natural and manmade, the base at Truk was known to Allied forces as “the Gibraltar of the Pacific.”
A significant portion of the Japanese fleet was based at Truk, with its administrative centre on Tonoas (south of Weno).
At anchor in the lagoon, were the Imperial Japanese Navy’s battleships, aircraft carriers, cruisers, destroyers, tankers, cargo ships, tugboats, gunboats, minesweepers, landing craft, and submarines. Some have described Truk as Japan’s equivalent of the Americans’ Pearl Harbour.
In 1944, Truk’s capacity as a naval base was destroyed through naval air attack. Forewarned by intelligence a week before the US raid, the Japanese had withdrawn their larger warships (heavy cruisers and larger vessels) to Palau.
Once the American forces captured the Marshall Islands, they used them as a base from which to launch an early morning attack on February 17, 1944 against Truk Lagoon.
Operation Hailstone lasted for three days, as American carrier-based planes sank twelve smaller Japanese warships (light cruisers, destroyers, and auxiliaries) and thirty-two merchant ships, while destroying 275 aircraft, mainly on the ground. The consequences of the attack made Truk Lagoon “the biggest graveyard of ships in the world.”
The attacks for the most part ended Truk as a major threat to Allied operations in the central Pacific. The Japanese garrison on Eniwetok was denied any realistic hope of reinforcement and support during the invasion that began on February 18, 1944, greatly assisting U.S. forces in their conquest of that island.
Truk was isolated by Allied (primarily U.S.) forces, as they continued their advance towards Japan, by invading other Pacific islands, such as Guam, Saipan, Palau, and Iwo Jima.
It was attacked again from 12 to 16 June 1945 by part of the British Pacific Fleet during Operation Inmate.
Cut off, the Japanese forces on Truk and other central Pacific islands ran low on food and faced starvation before Japan surrendered in August 1945.
Join Blue Ocean Diving on this trip of a lifetime to see this piece of history for yourself. Any serious diver will tell you that diving in Truk Lagoon is not to be missed!
The Accommodation:
ACCOMMODATION DETAILS
Hilton Guam Resort & Spa: Guam, Micronesia
Check In: Thursday 13 June 2024
Check Out : Friday 14 June 2024
Details: Twin or double room, continental breakfast included. As we will be arriving in the very early
morning hours on 13 June, this is effectively a two-night stay.
ACCOMMODATION DETAILS
Blue Lagoon Resort: Truk Lagoon
Check In: Friday 14 June 2024
Check Out: Saturday 15 June 2024
Details: Twin room, Bed & Breakfast board
LIVEABOARD DETAILS
MV Odyssey: Truk Lagoon
Check In : Saturday 15 June 2024
Check Out : Saturday 22 June 2024
Details: Twin cabin, all inclusive board basis, 6 days diving with up to 5 dives per day, free NITROX for
certified divers
ACCOMMODATION DETAILS
Blue Lagoon Resort: Truk Lagoon
Check In: Saturday 22 June 2024 check out : Sunday 23 June 2024
Details: Twin room, Bed & Breakfast board basis
Flight Details:
FLIGHT DETAILS: for reference only
Tuesday 11 June 2024: Korean Airlines 908/111
Departing: LHR – London Heathrow at 18:50
Arriving: ICN – Seoul at 14:45 (GMT+9 / next day) on Wednesday 12 June 2024
Departing: ICN – Seoul at 19.35 (GMT+9)
Arriving: GUM – Guam at 00:50 (GMT+10 / next day) on Thursday 13 June 2024
Details: Economy seating, 23kg checked baggage plus 12kg hand baggage, second bag $130USD
Friday 14 June 2024: United Airlines 155
Departing: GUM – Guam at 09:20 (GMT+10)
Arriving: TKK – Chuuk at 11:08 (GMT+10)
Details: Economy seating, 23kg checked baggage plus size restricted hand baggage and one personal item, second bag $50USD
Sunday 23 June 2024: United Airlines 154
Departing: TKK – Chuuk at 16:20 (GMT+10)
Arriving: GUM – Guam at 17:55 (GMT+10)
Details: Economy seating, 23kg checked baggage plus size restricted hand baggage and one personal item, second bag $50USD
Monday 24 June 2024: Korean Airlines112/907
Departing: GUM – Guam at 02:30 (GMT+10)
Arriving: ICN – Seoul at 06:15 (GMT+9)
Departing: ICN – Seoul at 13:00 (GMT+9)
Arriving: LHR – London Heathrow 16:30
Details: Economy seating, 23kg checked baggage plus 12kg hand baggage, second bag $130USD
Price and Booking Information:
£5900 per person based on double occupancy
£500 Non-refundable deposit per person to reserve space
£500 payments due every 90 days to Blue Ocean Diving
Balance due 12 weeks prior to departure
INCLUDED:
– Return airfare London Heathrow to Truk Lagoon on Korean Air/United Airlines
– Overnight accommodation in Guam before flight to Chuuk
– 1 night at Blue Lagoon Resort on Chuuk with bed & breakfast
– 7 nights aboard Odyssey in a standard cabin and all inclusive board basis
– 6 days diving the Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon with up to 5 dives each day, free
NITROX for qualified divers
– 1 night at Blue Lagoon Resort after liveaboard
– All transfers and taxes
NOT INCLUDED:
Airline Upgrades: We can arrange for higher class seating and/or extra baggage, please contact us for up-to-date pricing
Hilton and Blue Lagoon Extras: Extra meals and Drinks
Single Supplement for Entire Trip: Available at an additional charge of £750
Diving in Truk Lagoon: Book Your Place NOW!
Book online now at the top of the page.
Alternatively, pop into the Dive Centre, call us on 01622 212022 or contact us via email at scuba@blueoceandiving.co.uk.
All online bookings are provisional and subject to availability.
Payment by card via HSBC Paylink.
We will contact you by telephone within 48 hours to confirm your booking and process your payment.
Additional Information:
We strongly recommend deposit payments are made via credit card. This is in order for you to benefit from the full consumer protection this method offers.
All balance payments will be taken by card via HSBC Paylink.
All payments are non-refundable & non-transferable.
On booking, please provide a copy of your passport to scuba@blueoceandiving.co.uk for flight ticketing details.
Holiday insurance is recommended from time of booking in case of cancellation.
Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for all Dive Club Holidays.
