Chuuk Island and Chuuk Harbor are two of the world’s most famous diving destinations. Chuuk, as is presently called by its native peoples, was formerly known as Truk and quite a few other monikers. It is the most populous of the now Federated States of Micronesia and lies in the Caroline chain of islands. Chuuk means mountain area in Chuukese and it is exactly that, majestic mountains surrounded by deep blue ocean. The native people of Chuuk were under the administration of first Spain from the 1870s, and then Germany took over in 1899. It was later occupied by Japan from 1914 until the end of World War II. At this point the United States took control and finally granted them their independence some 40 plus years later.
During WWII Japan built Truk up as a huge naval fortification and base. Truk Harbor was used because of its natural defenses of mountains and reefs. The Japanese heavily fortified the island further until eventually it became known as “The Gibraltar of The Pacific”!
Today the vestiges of this grand fleet lie on the bottom of Chuuk Harbor. Scuba diving among this vast array of ships is mysterious and strange. The choice is yours and the dive targets are ubiquitous; ships are everywhere and so are planes and other military and civilian wrecks.
The people are beautiful and friendly and most of them are Christian due to ongoing education by Jesuits on Weno Island. The island chain here is just plain idyllic. The outer islands are a barrier reef group lush with verdant palms and tropical vegetation. The central part of the lagoon is punctuated by high mountainous islands surrounded by coral reefs, azure skies, and a topaz blue sea.
Life here is very simple and one gets to just lay back and enjoy after rigorous days of diving, fishing and hiking. The women are found daily waist deep in the mangroves looking for special treats from the ocean and the men make nightly forays include hunting for baby octopus by flashlight in the lagoon.
The islands are alive with flowers and bird life, but the real city lies beneath the waves. This human necropolis is arena of life with vast arrays of marine creatures that now inhabit both natural and sunken reefs. Whether one boats, swims dives windsurfs or just strolls the shoreline the view from any angle is sumptuous and wonderfully exhilarating.
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