Ten Delicious Places to Dip into Diving

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From Away.com

Ten Delicious Places to Dip into Diving
Micronesia: Lagoonatics

By Paul McMenamin

The Federated States of Micronesia, which includes the islands of Truk, Palau, Pohnpei, and Yap, is on everyone's list of top 10 dive locales. Here you will find unequaled wreck-diving, great visibility, large sea creatures, and thick schools of tropical fish.

Truk, (or "Chuuk" as natives say), the site of one of World War II's great air and sea battles, is a wreck-diving site without peer. In all there are over 80 diveable wrecks—you could spend a month here and not see it all. Truk's underwater world is not just rusting hulks. With time the wrecks have become artificial reefs alive with corals and sea life. Scuba Times magazine has written: "Truk Lagoon is the absolute ultimate.... Dive it and be spoiled forever." Unfortunately, most wrecks are fairly deep, between 60 and 90 feet, so the lagoon is not the best destination for novices.

Those looking to explore the most interesting wrecks and log the most dives should seriously consider a live-aboard. Most ships are comfortable, well-equipped vessels with quality crews. Stay anchored in the lagoon, or explore the outer atolls and reef walls , providing a needed break from wreck-diving.

After Truk, Palau is Micronesia's leading attraction. Indeed, Palau has been ranked as one of the best all-around dive sites in the world. A large atoll with over 200 islands, Palau offers diversity found nowhere else. The variety of dive sites in a small area is staggering, with 60 great drop-offs starting at surface levels and dropping to 300 meters. Water is 82 degrees, with visibility regularly 125 to 200 feet. Palau boasts a dozen blue holes, and a famed five-chambered cave system. The sea life is superb—1,000-pound clams, thick schools of reef fish, and large pelagics.

If you have time left after Truk and Palau, we recommend a 2- or 3-day visit to Yap. Yap's Mil Channel is perhaps the best place in the world for giant mantas—close encounters are virtually guaranteed.

Practically Speaking
An eight-day live-aboard trip runs about $2,000; the ship features double staterooms with private heads. Smaller boats may be a more attracgive option; they can sit right on the dive so you don't have to swim long distances or be ferried and you can rack up more dives each day.