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Hotels, dive operators, gear, and how to get here are on the Chuuk Lagoon location page.
Overview
Japanese fleet oiler torpedoed during Hailstone. Sits upright at 38 m — bow rises to 12 m. Operating theatre with surgical instruments still visible inside; soft-coral growth makes the superstructure look like a Christmas tree.
Briefing note
Tech certification recommended for full exploration. Wreck penetration card required.
What you'll see
3 species curated- year-roundWhitetip reef shark
- year-roundGlassfish
- year-roundLionfish
Sightings evidence
1 record on file- high confidenceWhitetip reef shark
- Last confirmed
- Apr 2026
- Recent records
- 130 within 10 km
Sources & methodology
How we summarise this
We aggregate confirmed occurrence records from GBIF and OBIS within a fixed radius of each dive site. Occurrence records confirm presence and reveal seasonality clustering, but they DO NOT measure per-dive probability — there is no eligible-effort denominator. We deliberately do not publish a numeric '% chance of sighting' from this data.
Sources
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility — GBIF Secretariat
- Ocean Biodiversity Information System — IOC-UNESCO
- iNaturalist — California Academy of Sciences & National Geographic Society
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species — International Union for Conservation of Nature
- Wildbook (Sharkbook, Whale Shark, Manta Matcher) — Wild Me
- OBIS-SEAMAP — Duke University Marine Geospatial Ecology Lab / OBIS
- WoRMS — World Register of Marine Species — Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)
- FishBase — FishBase Consortium
- Atlas of Living Australia — CSIRO / GBIF Australia
- REEF Volunteer Fish Survey — Reef Environmental Education Foundation
The wreck
Ship history- War grave
Tanker · Japan
Shinkoku Maru
- Built
- 1940
- Sunk
- Feb 17, 1944
- Length
- 168 m
- Tonnage
- 10,020
- Diveable depth
- 12–38 m
- How she sank
- Sunk in wartime
Japanese fleet tanker sunk during Operation Hailstone. Sits upright with the superstructure heavily encrusted and a famous soft-coral-covered bridge. The medical bay and operating room are accessible by experienced wreck divers.
Notable features
- soft-coral bridge
- medical bay
- operating room
- bow gun
Vessel histories sourced from the Naval History and Heritage Command (DANFS), NOAA ENC Direct, and editorial research. Bathymetry per GEBCO. See the methodology for limits.
Conditions
| Month | Water | Visibility | Current |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Feb | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Mar | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Apr | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| May | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Jun | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Jul | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Aug | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Sep | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Oct | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Nov | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
| Dec | 28–30 °C | 15–25 m | mild |
Season calendar
Peak season highlighted · current month outlined
Gear for this site
Beyond the basic kit- Dive light — Deep penetration into engine rooms and operating theatre.
- Computer — Trimix dives common to maximize bottom time.
Next step
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