The islands within the Chuuk atoll are crowned with natural beauty. The outer barrier reef is punctuated with idyllic sand spits dotted with coconut palms. The high islands in the central lagoon rise into the blue island skies.
Lush vegetation and a traditional way of life define the rhythm of the lagoon. Women weave on backstrap looms and wade waist-deep in the mangroves hunting for shellfish; men walk the reefs by torchlight looking for baby octopus; boat makers still construct outrigger canoes from local timber high in the hills before carrying them down to the water. The Chuukese love stick — an elaborate traditional practice of courtship — remains unique to these islands.
Chuuk draws wreck divers from around the world. The Truk Lagoon wrecks are unquestionably the world's best shipwreck diving destination — more than 40 Japanese vessels sunk during Operation Hailstone in February 1944, now coated in coral and teeming with marine life. Individual highlights include the Fujikawa Maru with Zero fighters in its hold, the Shinkoku Maru with extraordinary coral growth, and the Sankisan Maru with trucks still parked below decks.
Above the waterline, the islands repay exploration. Japanese lighthouses and wartime fortifications crown the high points of several islands, and sea kayaking between the inner lagoon islands offers a window into traditional Micronesian life. The outer reef — often overlooked in favour of the wrecks — drops in vertical walls through clear water rich with sharks and pelagic fish.