Liveaboard Odyssey – Wreck diving in Truk, Micronesia
Explore the legendary Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon, where historic WWII wrecks and colorful coral converge. Dive into a unique underwater museum and experience history like never before.
Travel period
Features
Starting from
The Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon: WWII Wrecks in Micronesia
Step aboard the Odyssey and explore the historic waters of Truk Lagoon, a liveaboard that welcomes both recreational and technical divers. This extraordinary lagoon in Micronesia consists of eleven large islands and numerous smaller islets surrounded by a protective reef forty miles wide. Within this reef lie more than one hundred ships, aircraft and submarines, sunk during World War II in the confrontation between the Imperial Japanese Fleet and Allied aircraft carriers.
Divers enter a mysterious underwater museum here: the wrecks lie largely intact, as if time has stood still. They are covered in colorful coral and are home to countless tropical fish. Tanks, trucks, aircraft engines and artillery pieces on the wrecks make each dive a fascinating mix of history and nature.
In addition to the wrecks, Truk Lagoon has spectacular scenery above the water. Emerald green islands, lush jungles and ancient historical remains invite exploration. A diving vacation to Truk Lagoon is not just a dip in the ocean, but a dive into a forgotten chapter of history – a unique experience that every diver should experience at least once in a lifetime.
Best travel time for a diving vacation to Truk
Truk is a popular year-round and good diving destination, with warm sunny days interspersed with brief tropical showers. Annual rainfall averages 200 cm, unpredictably spread throughout the year after many years of measurements. Visibility in the lagoons ranges from 10 to 32 meters, at different places and times. Visibility in the open sea outside the lagoon reefs averages 60 meters.
Average temperatures
Wetsuit advice for Truk
The water always has a pleasant temperature, so you could dive with a 3mm. Keep in mind that you make 4 to 5 dives a day, and because of this it might be nicer to bring a 5mm to keep you warm even on the last dives.
What will you experience on this trip?
View itinerary here
Day 1 to 3 | The trip to Guam
Your adventure to Truk, Micronesia begins today. You will take a long flight of about 18-20 hours via cities such as Manila, Tai-Pei or Seoul, to the beautiful island of Guam. This journey will take you through different time zones, but you will have a chance to rest and recover when you arrive in Guam. Here you will spend at least one night to recharge yourself for the remainder of the trip. Should you wish, you can easily extend your stay in Guam to explore more of this fascinating island.
Day 4 | Flight to Truk & aboard the Odyssey
After a good night’s sleep, fly on from Guam to Truk. In one hour and three quarters of an hour you will arrive in the morning. You will be picked up at the airport and taken to the liveaboard where you will spend the next few days.
Before leaving port, a safety briefing takes place, you are introduced to the crew and the necessary dive forms are filled out. Cabins are also assigned and you are given a tour of the ship.
Then the Odyssey sails to the first dive site for a check dive. This is a good time to get familiar with the ship and settle in quietly on board.
Day 5 to 10 | Diving the most beautiful wrecks
The next few days are entirely devoted to diving. Truk Lagoon is known worldwide as one of the most impressive wreck diving destinations in the world. The lagoon is home to dozens of World War II Japanese ships sunk during Operation Hailstone in 1944. Today, these wrecks are a unique combination of history and marine life. You will make 4 dives per day, including a night dive.
Most of the wrecks are still largely intact and provide an impressive picture of what happened on that fateful day. Many artifacts still lie exactly where they were when the ships sank.
Tanks, trucks, machine gun emplacements, telegraphs, artillery guns and torpedo launchers are scattered across the decks, now overgrown with colorful sea life.
The huge holds still contain the cargo that the ships went down with: tanks, aircraft engines, tractors and trucks. Today they are covered with crusted sponges that glow bright yellow-orange in the light of a diving lamp or the flash of an underwater camera.
Among Japanese sake bottles, porcelain plates, lanterns and piles of ammunition grows a colorful array of soft corals, sponges and leather corals, complemented by whip and fan corals.
Because most of the dive sites in Truk Lagoon are close together, it is easy to navigate between them. One of the great advantages of diving from the Odyssey is that it is common for you and your buddy to be the only divers on a wreck over 150 meters long. For photographers, this provides plenty of room to capture iconic images without having to wait until other divers are out of the picture. You can read more about the dive sites at the bottom of the page in the FAQ.
Day 11 & 12 | Return home
During the morning, you will leave the Odyssey and the crew will take you to Truk Airport. Vervologens you will fly back to Guam in the late afternoon where you will spend the night and continue the next day to Manila, Tai-Pei or Seoul where you will have an overnight stay.
Not had enough of diving yet? Then fly via Manila and combine your diving vacation in Truk with diving in Puerto Galera or Anilao to do some more beautiful macro diving in the Philippines.
The accommodation
The accommodation and facilities
Odyssey Adventures Truk Lagoon
The Odyssey is a comfortable liveaboard about 40 meters long, specially equipped for divers who want to explore the famous wrecks of Truk Lagoon.
The steel vessel accommodates up to 16 guests, providing a small and relaxed atmosphere on board. The boat features a spacious dive deck with personal equipment areas, rinse tanks and a large dive platform for easy entry and exit. For underwater photographers, there is a dedicated camera table and charging stations.
Inside, you’ll find a large, fully air-conditioned lounge and dining area where meals are served, as well as a separate lounge with bar, TV, library and entertainment. On the sun deck, you can relax between dives and enjoy the view of the lagoon.
On board, up to five dives per day are typically made, and Nitrox is available for certified divers.
The Odyssey has nine comfortable cabins for up to 16 guests. They are spacious and equipped with air conditioning, carpeted floors and private bathrooms with shower, toilet and sink.
Seven cabins can be furnished with a king-size bed or two twin beds, making them suitable for both couples and dive buddies. In addition, there are two cabins specifically for single occupancy. Depending on their location, the cabins have windows or portholes that provide natural light.
Each cabin also has an entertainment system or monitor and plenty of storage space for personal belongings. The cabins are cleaned daily so you return to a fresh and comfortable space after a day of diving. Thanks to the limited capacity on board, the atmosphere remains personal and quiet, making your stay extra pleasant during a week of diving in Truk Lagoon.
Highlights of this trip
What can you expect from Truk Lagoon?
Ghost fleet of Truk
Truk Lagoon is home to more than a hundred World War II ships, planes and submarines, most of which are still intact. Many wrecks are hidden deep behind the reef, in places where hardly any other divers visit. This means that during a dive, you are often the only one exploring these historic ships. Tanks, trucks and aircraft parts are still in their original locations and surrounded by colorful coral, making each dive feel like an exploration of an underwater museum.
Fujikawa Maru
The Fujikawa Maru is a 133-meter cargo and passenger ship that sank in Truk Lagoon during Operation Hailstone. The wreck lies upright and is completely overgrown with colorful coral and sponges. On board are two aircraft, engine and tool rooms and numerous artifacts that give a glimpse of life on board. Grey reef sharks and barracudas often swim among the wreck structures, so there is also plenty of marine life to see.
The lagoon
In addition to the wrecks, Truk Lagoon offers beautiful scenery above the water. Eleven large islands and numerous smaller islets are surrounded by a reef that protects the lagoon and keeps the waters calm and clear. This makes navigating between dive sites easy and quick, allowing you to visit multiple sites in a day. The combination of pristine nature, clear waters and historic shipwrecks ensures that divers have an exceptional experience both underwater and above.
Travel costs
What is included
This travel package is € 3.282 per person based on two people in a double/twin stateroom. The trip can be extended as desired. A number of things are included by default in this travel package.
Prices are subject to price changes, increases or changing exchange rates. Flights are always based on the cheapest possible booking class.
Want to know more about the possibilities? Get in touch with us!
Included in this trip, from € 3.282 p.p.
- 7 nights in a double/twin stateroom
- Accommodation on full board basis
- Dive package with approx. 25 dives
- Return transfers airport Truk
- VZR & Administration fee
Excluding
- Flights to Truk, via Guam approx. € 1.400 p.p.
- Overnight stay on Guam outbound approx. € 150 p.n.
- Overnight on Guam return approx. € 150 p.n.
- Dive permit Truk (valid for one year) $50.- p.p.
✈︎ The quoted (international) flight prices are indicative prices and based on departures from Europe. However, we can arrange flights from any location worldwide. Booking your own flights is of course also possible.
Optional
- Rental diving equipment
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Frequently asked questions about this diving holiday
Diving general
For the Odyssey’s regular itineraries, all dive sites are suitable within the limits of recreational diving. This means that an Advanced Open Water certification is sufficient to participate in most onboard dives. More advanced or deeper dives may require additional experience or additional certifications, but in general, all guests with standard recreational diving certifications can enjoy the wrecks of Truk Lagoon.
We recommend getting Deep certification and possibly wreck certification as well. In addition, it is a great trip for tec divers and the Odyssey offers good opportunities for technical divers.
The day aboard the Odyssey begins around 07:00 with a hot breakfast, followed by the first dive briefing at about 07:45. After the briefing, two dives are scheduled before lunch. During lunch, the ship usually sails to a new dive site. After lunch you can choose to make another dive or relax on one of the sun decks or in your own cabin. Later in the afternoon there is often an additional dive. Around 6:30 pm a sumptuous dinner will be waiting for you. After dinner there is the possibility of a night dive. In the evening, guests usually gather in the lounge to watch a movie or review the photos and video taken during the day.
Here is a list of famous dive sites around Truk. Not all dive sites are visited every week. Weather conditions, sea conditions, diving experience of the guests and any wishes on board are taken into account when putting together the itinerary.
- Fujikawa Maru – Lush coral growth. In the holds are parts of Zero fighter aircraft, including fuselage parts and wing sections.
- Yamagiri Maru – 18-inch artillery shells intended for the battleship Musashi.
- Nippo Maru – A twin tank and artillery pieces on the deck. A very photogenic wheelhouse.
- Heian Maru – Submarine torpedoes and periscopes. A huge wreck.
- Sankisan Maru – Mast overgrown with soft coral. In the hold is ammunition for machine guns.
- Hoki Maru – Trucks, a bulldozer and a tractor in the hold. The bow is badly destroyed.
- Unkai Maru – Photogenic bow gun and beautiful coral growth on the masts.
- Rio de Janeiro Maru – Impressive large wreck with photogenic propellers and a large engine room.
- Hanakawa Maru – Rich vegetation of soft and hard coral.
- Fumitzuki (destroyer) – Guns on the bow and stern and a torpedo launcher.
- Betty Bomber – Japanese twin-engine bomber wreck.
- Momokawa Maru – Aircraft parts, truck frames and artillery shells.
- Shinkoku Maru – Lush coral growth, abundant marine life and an impressive engine room.
- Aikoku Maru – Heavily damaged bow and a photogenic cannon on the stern.
- San Francisco Maru – Tanks on deck. In the holds are trucks, mines, bombs and ammunition.
- Pizion Reef – Wall dive with large coral heads in the shallows and chance of sharks.
Wreck diving from the boat, this can be done as a recreational diver as well as a technical diver.
All dives are fairly close and you make them from the boat.
4 to 5 dives per day.
Yes definitely, weather permitting, night dives are offered every dive day.
Diving equipment
Nitrox is included.
A full dive set costs $200 per week, excluding computer a $75 per week and dive light €50 per week. + 6% sales tax.
Liveaboard
Today, it is officially Chuuk. The name was changed in 1990 from Truk (or Truk Lagoon) to Chuuk, which is one of the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia. However, the name “Truk” is still often used in the context of diving and the famous World War II shipwrecks
Yes, all cabins have private bathrooms.
The cabins are air-conditioned.
Yes, but you can also pay a surcharge for a cabin for you alone. A single cabin costs €4,923.
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