Chuuk Lagoon

Chuuk Lagoon is a sheltered central Pacific atoll basin in Chuuk State, Federated States of Micronesia, notable as one of the world’s largest concentrations of World War II ship and aircraft wrecks from the 1940s.

The lagoon is a major destination for wreck diving and snorkeling; dozens of sunken Japanese warships, merchant vessels and aircraft lie on the lagoon floor and are reachable by local dive operators based on Weno. Many wrecks are relatively shallow and accessible to experienced recreational divers and technical teams, and the submerged sites are colonized by coral and marine life.

The lagoon served as the Imperial Japanese Navy’s major forward anchorage in the Central Pacific. In February 1944 Operation Hailstone sank and damaged many ships and aircraft; the wrecks have remained on the lagoon floor since then and became recreational and historical dive sites after the war.

Chuuk Lagoon sits in the central Caroline Islands and is administered as part of Chuuk State. The main inhabited island and transport hub is Weno, inside the lagoon where boats and dive operators embark to the wreck sites.

• War grave status: Sites within the lagoon are treated as war graves and should be approached with respect; many wrecks are visited by recreational divers.

What to See #

• Wreck sites (general): A well-known cluster of World War II ship and aircraft wrecks scattered across the lagoon, many reached by short boat rides from Weno and dive operators.
• Fujikawa Maru: A large Japanese cargo ship and one of the most visited wrecks inside the lagoon, noted for intact engine rooms, boilers and marine life colonizing its holds.
• Weno: Weno town and harbor, the main population and transport hub inside the lagoon where most dive operators and ferries operate.