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Your Guide to Diving Micronesia
Including Palau, Truk (Chuuk), Yap, Bikini Atoll & Marshall Islands and Kosrae

All of Undercurrent's information on diving Micronesia, including articles, reader reports, Chapbook sections, ...

Diving Micronesia Overview

Diving Micronesia, especially Palau and Truk, is near the top of most divers' lists. Most divers head to Palau, where big fish abound. The Blue Corner is among the world's best high voltage dive sites. Visibility can exceed 200ft (60m), while currents range from nil to dangerously strong -- so use a reef hook and bring your safety sausage. Long day-boat rides to the best diving weave through calm waters and past magnificent rock islands, but there's the potential for rough seas on the outer edges. Most divers prefer liveaboards. Marine biodiversity is among the greatest in the world, but coral bleaching and commercial fishing are taking their toll. There's WWII wreck diving in the lagoon at Koror, but visibility can be poor.

Wreck diving mavens head to Truk (properly called Chuuk) and the world's most diverse wreck diving on a Japanese freighter fleet sunk by Americans during WWII.

Most wreck dives, other than on the superstructures, exceed 80ft (24m) deep, but they're great even without penetration. The wrecks are starting to suffer, and many artifacts that should have been left alone have been purloined, but the ships are festooned with coral, and most all the unique reef fish of the Pacific have made them home.

When diving Truk expect calm water, occasional poor visibility, and hot weather. Both destinations are such a long haul that divers usually stop at a second island to amortize their trip costs. Yap has been the traditional stopover, known for manta encounters, but the diving in Kosrae and Pohnpei may be better choices.

If you want to dive a fleet of obsolete wartime naval ships sunk by an atomic blast in 1945, get to Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Every vessel there has a history and the USS Saratoga is upright and the largest diveable aircraft carrier not intentionally scuttled.

Micronesia Seasonal Dive Planner

Air temperatures uniformly remain in the 80°F (29°C) year-round. For land travel, there's little difference between the wet and dry season, although January through March is considered the most comfortable season because of lower humidity and slightly cooler temperatures. Although visibility is slightly reduced by run-off during the July through October monsoons, the wind is also milder during this season, producing flatter seas. Water temperatures remain around 85°F (29°C) year-round. Typhoons are most frequent between August and December but are rare in Palau.

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Diving Micronesia Reader Reports and Feature Articles

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Latest Reader Reports from Micronesia

from the serious divers who read Undercurrent

All Reader Reports from Micronesia

All 10,000+
Reports
Fish 'n Fins/Palasia Report in Micronesia/Palau
"Pleasant Return to Palau"
filed Feb 1, 2024 by Wayne B. Batzer M.D. (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 2 reports)
5 stars

This was our first trip back to Palau since February 2020, just before the COVID lockdown. We were again quite pleased with the profess... ... Read more Photos available


Palau Siren Report in Micronesia/Palau
"Palau New Moon Bumphead Parrotfish Spawning Trip"
filed Dec 17, 2023 by Valera Sakhnenko (Experience: 251-500 dives, 11 reports, Sr. Reviewer )
5 stars

The primary motivation behind choosing the Palau Siren for our diving advanture was the highly anticipated New Moon Bumphead Parrotfish... ... Read more Photos available


Palau Aggressor II Report in Micronesia/Palau LiveAboard
"Palau on sale+"
filed Nov 28, 2023 by Robert Lovellette (Experience: Over 1000 dives)
5 stars

We booked just two weeks before departure and took advantage of a deep discount, but I will return at regular prices (it was that good)... ... Read more


Aggressor Fleet Report in Micronesia/Palau LiveAboard
"Met ALL my Expectations!"
filed Nov 27, 2023 by Cheryl Ulmer (Experience: 251-500 dives)
5 stars

For years, the top of my bucket list has been diving Palau. I was finally able to make it happen and Palau and the Aggressor Fleet did ... ... Read more


Odyssey Adventures Report in Micronesia/Truk LiveAboard
"The wrecks are starting to turn into rubble"
filed Nov 27, 2023 by Stephen D Pahl (Experience: Over 1000 dives, 4 reports, Reviewer )
5 stars

5th trip to see the wrecks of Truk (Chuuk) Lagoon. First one was on the Aggressor back in 1995. The wrecks are clearly slowly but ste... ... Read more


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Complete Articles Available to Undercurrent Online Members; Some Publicly Available as Indicated

Diving Micronesia Articles - Liveaboards

Helen Reef, Palau, Micronesia, explorers don't always find with they're looking for, 5/23
What’s Going on in Chuuk Lagoon?, 4/23
Fiji, Indonesia, French Polynesia, Molokai, we’re diving the world once again, 7/22

Available to the Public
Island Scuba Destinations That Will be Gone in Less than a Century, 9/19
Truk Odyssey, Chuuk, Micronesia, great rooms, food, and wreck dives, but an unattentive crew, 5/19
Our Shocked and Appalled Readers, last month’s stories that made you write letters to us, 2/19
Fancy Bikini?, 4/17
What Happened to Palau’s Jellyfish?, 6/16
Bahamas, French Polynesia, St. Vincent, and two great places for underwater photo classes, 2/16
What Really Happened to the Truk Siren?, 2/16
Palau Siren Grounds and Floods, that’s five disasters for eight Siren boats in six years, 9/15
Typhoon Wrecks Truk Liveaboards, 5/15
Ocean Hunter III, Palau, Micronesia, a rival to Raja Ampat for marine wonders, 9/14
Bahamas, Hawaii, the Red Sea. . ., one Micronesia resort worth visiting, another that’s not, 7/13
Another Chuuk Option: the Truk Odyssey, 4/13
Palau’s Chamber is Working Again, But Not Full-Time, 6/12
Fish ‘n Fins and Ocean Hunter II, Palau, where’s the best diving, by land or by sea?, 9/08
Ocean Hunter’s Special Trips, 9/08
Two Undiscovered Destinations, and one that stands out, 8/06
Truk Lagoon, Micronesia, one by land, three by sea, 10/01
Diving Palau from the Sun Dancer II, the coral's been ravaged, but the fish are still there, 5/00
Palau Aggressor II, 3/96
Palau Live-Aboards, 3/96
Truk Aggressor Problems, 8/95
Sun Dancer in Palau, 2/95
Palau Boats, 7/93
A Rollicking Return To The Thorfinn, 9/86
S.S. THORFINN, Truk And Ponape, Micronesia, A Price Too High For Paradise, 6/86

Diving Micronesia Articles - Land Based

The Caribbean, Palau, Fiji and the Philippines, readers report and it's not always plain sailing, 10/22

Available to the Public
Blue Lagoon Resort, Chuuk, a set-your-own-pace schedule on Truk Lagoon’s wreck dives, 4/19
Wreck Diving for Beginners, should a teenager with four dives really be visiting Chuuk?, 1/19
Bonaire, Cozumel, Cuba, Fiji, Palau . . ., spear tossers, baggage restrictions and thieving crews, 9/18
Bye Bye Palau? Too Many Divers in this Island Paradise?, 5/17
The Kosrae Resort Raffle Result, 8/16
Fish & Fins, Palau Aggressor, Micronesia, better by land than by sea, 5/16
Win a Tropical Dive Resort? Or Not., 5/16
Sam’s Tours, Palau, Micronesia, a less expensive alternative to a liveaboard, 1/16
The Full Story on Palau’s Changes, 1/16
Kosrae and Yap, Micronesia, two magical stopovers in the mid-Pacific, 10/15
Mozambique, Mexico, Philippines . . ., more on the Thorfinn, and another Bonaire warning, 10/15
Cat Island, Chuuk Lagoon. . ., oceanic white-tips, and a nasty tub, 9/15
Florida, Maui, Palau . . ., good and bad Bahamas dive shops; the best week to dive Bonaire, 10/14
Blue Lagoon Resort, Chuuk, Micronesia, the non-liveaboard experience, 4/13
Flying to Micronesia? Options to Avoid United, 4/13
Belize, Hawaii, Cozumel, Palau . . ., Caribbean winter warnings and more trouble with the Siren fleet, 3/13
Bikini Atoll, Hawaii, Raja Ampat…, and one reader’s Hurricane Sandy dive trip, 11/12
Cancun, Cabo San Lucas, Fiji, Truk. . ., plus unexpected cold water, and a liveaboard to avoid, 8/12
Cozumel, Anguilla, Palau…, plus a shark dive with no sharks, and two resorts to avoid, 4/12
Mexico, Myanmar, Palau, Roatan, where to see big fish, where to avoid dead reefs and daytrippers, 6/11
Virgins, Little Cayman, Palau, Sipadan…, Trash is drifting, sea life is missing, but these dive sites still shine, 2/11
Saipan, Statia, Lake Malawi, Key Largo..., reports from the back of beyond from “undercover” readers, 7/10
Blue Lagoon Resort, Truk, Micronesia, WWII wrecks worthy of technical dive training, 2/08
Pohnpei, Kosrae, Micronesia, the best of second stops, 10/06
The WWII Wrecks of Bikini Atoll, Marshall Islands, for skilled divers with a second mortgage, 4/06
Yap and Palau, Micronesia, two on land, one at sea, 7/05
Yap, Post Typhoon, 7/05
Midway Atoll --Three Hours from Hawaii, flush with fish but skimpy on coral, 2/00
TRAVEL TIPS PALAU, 9/99
Post-Nuclear Diving at Bikini Atoll, The sand crabs are hot, but the fish life’s not, 1/97
Palau, Micronesia, Palau Aggressor, Sam's Dive Tours, Splash Dive Center, 7/93
Truk Lagoon Revisited, 8/88
Palau Pasific Resort, Palau, Micronesia, Channels, Chimneys And Chandeliers, 2/87
Other Truk Options, 6/86
Ponape and Palau, Micronesia, Worth The Investment, Worth The Hassle, 8/81
Micronesia, Part Two, Giant Jellyfish, Wahoo Sharks, and Murphy' s Law, 1/77
Micronesia, Part One, Primitive, exotic diving, but for how long?, 11/76

Micronesia Sections from Our Travelin' Diver's Chapbooks

Reader Reports filed for that year
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Micronesia Liveaboards

For Members Only

2024 2023 2022          

For Public

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
2012 2011 2010 2009 2008 2007 2006 2005
2004 2003 2002 2001        

Land Based Dive Resorts in Micronesia

For Members Only

2024 2023 2022          

For Public

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013
2012 2011 2010 2009 2009
(Marshall Islands)
2008 2008
(Marshall Islands)
2007
2006 2005 2004 2003 2003
(Midway Is)
2002 2001  
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Editor's Book Picks for Scuba Diving Micronesia
Including Palau, Truk (Chuuk), Yap, Bikini Atoll & Marshall Islands and Kosrae

The books below are my favorites about diving in this part of the world All books are available at a significant discount from Amazon.com; just follow the links. -- BD

Reef Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific Reef Creature Identification: Tropical Pacific
by Paul Humann and Ned Deloach

Paul Humann and Ned Deloach have done it again, releasing a definitive identification guide to 1600 extraordinary reef creatures of the Tropical Pacific. with this 500+ page softbound guide, you get upwards of 2000 exceptional photos of shrimp and crabs and stars and worms and lobsters and nudibranchs and slugs and squid and bivalves . . . well, all those invertebrates that move along the reefs of this region without fining, so it seems. There are several photos of some creatures to help you identify them during different life stages, and about ten percent of the book is descriptive copy so you can tie down your identification. Even if you have no plans to go to the tropical Pacific, just to thumb through the pages, gawk at the complexity and uniqueness of these animals, and read a thumbnail sketch will give any serious diver vicarious thrills for endless hours.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.



Reef Fish ID Reef Fish Identification: Tropical Pacific
by Gerald Allen, Rodger Steene, Paul Humann, & Ned Deloach

At last, here's a comprehensive fish ID guide covering the reefs of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. The generous 500-page text, displaying 2,500 underwater photographs of 2,000 species, identifies the myriad fishes that inhabit the warm tropical seas between Thailand and Tahiti. The concise text accompanying each species portrait includes the fish's common, scientific and family names, size, description, visually distinctive features, preferred habitat, typical behavior, depth range, and geographical distribution. This is an essential book for every diver traveling westward. 6x9 inches.

Click here to buy it at Amazon.



Dive Sites of the Great Barrier Reef Dive Sites of the Great Barrier Reef
by Neville Coleman.

With 2900 reefs in 220,000 square miles, the enormous Great Barrier Reef has incredible dives -- and some very ordinary ones. If you're contemplating a trip, Neville Coleman's Dive Sites of the Great Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea will help you ensure you pick the best. This 176 page book, with good maps and scores of colorful photos, describes the significant sites, the topography and the critters, then rates and ranks them so you can pick the best. Don't even consider a trip to Australia without consulting this. $24.95



Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide
by Gerald R. Allen, Roger Steene.

I was trying to pack light for a change. Surely the Solomon Sea would have good identification books aboard. Not so; the only book on the boat belonged to a fellow passenger. It was one that I had not seen before, the Indo-Pacific Coral Reef Field Guide, by two of the best fish guys around, Gerry Allen and Roger Steene. The problem was this fellow passenger kept it in a plastic baggie most of the trip and I had to beg to see it. Great book, good traveling size, and it covers everything from fish, shells, marine plants, mammals, corals, and invertebrates to sea birds and more. Now I've got my own, and it won't do you any good to beg me to borrow it. This is one of two books that I will not travel to the Pacific without. Good for travel to the Red Sea, East Africa, Seychelles, Mauritius, Maldives, Andaman Sea, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Australia, Micronesia, Polynesia, and Hawaii, it has 1,800 color illustrations in a 6x8 1/2 paperback format with 378 pages. $39.95.



Diving Southeast Asia There's a Cockroach in My Regulator
by Undercurrent

The Best of Undercurrent: Bizarre and Brilliant True Diving Tales from Thirty Years of Undercurrent.

Shipping now is our brand new, 240-page book filled with the best of the unusual, the entertaining, and the jaw dropping stories Undercurrent has published. They’re true, often unbelievable, and always fascinating. We’re offering it to you now for the special price of just $14.95.

Click here to order.



You might find some other books of interest in our Editor's Book Picks section.

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