Expeditions
Chuuk Lagoon
Trip Details
Dates: June 27, 2027 to July 10, 2027
Trip leaders: Giovanni Gastaldo | Ivo Chiarino | Charles Roberson
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Includes:
- 12 days of diving (2 dives per day)
- 13 nights lodging at Blue Lagoon Dive Resort
- 4-6 divers per boat (1 boat per wreck)
- Cylinder rentals (AL40s w/LOLA valves, AL80 50%)
- Trimix diluent/bailout fills (21/35, 18/45, 15/55 standard gases)
- 50% and 100% oxygen deco safeties
- 3L oxygen fills
- Sorb
- Marine Park Dive Permit
- Airport transfers
Not Included:
- Airfare to Truk (TKK)
- Food/Drinks
- DAN insurance (required)
- Travel insurance (recommended)
- Departure Tax (US$30)
Minimum Dive Qualifications:
- CCR certification to 150 fsw/45 msw
- DAN Insurance
Blue Lagoon Dive Resort
Our base of operations will be Blue Lagoon Dive Resort, which is located on the southern end of Weno island about 4 mi/7 km from the main town center. During WWII, the idyllic grounds were used by the Imperial Japanese Command. Each of the recently renovated rooms are air conditioned with private bath, two double beds, and a private balcony overlooking Truk Lagoon. The resort has a back-up generator for times when the island power goes out. Free wi-fi internet access is located in reception and the dining room. The restaurant offers a wide selection of local, asian, and western dishes, with seafood being an obvious specialty. We recommend budgeting $50 per day for food and drink.
The Blue Lagoon Dive Shop, established in 1973, was the first dive operation in Truk Lagoon. They have an oxygen generator and helium, which provides for nitrox and trimix fills. Multiple small boats means 4-6 divers per boat and only 1 boat per wreck. Blue Lagoon is perfectly situated for diving since most of the wrecks are just a short boat ride south of Weno.
The Diving
Boats depart each morning at 0800 and each afternoon at 1400. This provides a nice long surface interval with time to eat lunch and relax between dives. The morning dives will typically be to one of the deeper wrecks in the 150-200 fsw range. The afternoon dives will be to one of the many shallower wrecks in <100 fsw. Each night at dinner, we will discuss where each boat will go the next day.
Most divers will be diving the GUE configuration with manifolded AL40s as onboard bailout and a 19 cf for oxygen. If you plan to dive a different configuration, i.e., onboard 3Ls and offboard bailout, we can accommodate but need to know in advance. Premix 21/35, 18/45, and 15/55 will be available. An AL80 of 50% can be carried on the dive or dropped at the bottom of the up line and 100% oxygen will be hanging from each boat. There are mooring buoys on each wreck, which provide up lines and there is little if any current inside the lagoon.
The water temperature is 82-85°F/28-29°C with no thermocline so a 3 mm wetsuit is suggested. If you plan to dive dry, please discuss your inflation bottle requirements when booking.
We will provide each diver with 2x AL40s with LOLA valves (deep bailout), a 19 cf with inline valve (oxygen), and an AL80 (50%).
In addition to your normal kit you will need to bring the following:
- primary and 2 backup lights
- SMB & safety spool
- spares
Bottom times will be up to you and your dive buddy but must be communicated in advance to the boat driver. Surfacing early is no problem but exceeding your stated run time is unacceptable.
The Wrecks
We strongly recommend picking up a copy of World War II Wrecks of the Truk Lagoon by Dan Bailey. We will have a copy and use it as a reference during the trip. Reading it in advance will make the trip that much more enjoyable.
The Deep Wrecks:
- Aikoku Maru
- Amagisan MaruFujisan Maru
- Katsuragisan Maru
- Nagano Maru
- Oite Destroyer
- San Francisco Maru
The Shallower Wrecks:
- Fujikawa Maru
- Heian Maru
- Hoki Maru
- I-169 submarine
- Jake, Emily, and Betty Bomber planes
Kensho Maru:
- Kiyosumi Maru
- Momokawa Maru
- Nippo Maru
- Rio De Janeiro Maru
- Sankisan Maru
- Shinkoku Maru
- Shotan Maru
- Yamigiri Maru
Trip Leaders
Giovanni Gastaldo
Gio discovered his love for caves in Brazil before deciding that spreadsheets and boardrooms were far less interesting than dark places with guidelines. He traded an MBA and a career in management consulting for technical diving, a path that eventually brought him to Third Dimension Diving in Tulum, Mexico.
He is an IANTD Instructor Trainer, a Fathom IT, and part of the 3D Instructor Development group, teaching the majority of the CCR courses that run through 3D. He prefers his dives silent and bubble-free, ideally inside caves or wrecks.
Gio lives in the jungle, balancing teaching, diving, and training with coffee and lifting weights. He teaches in English, Portuguese, and Spanish.
Ivo Chiarino
Ivo Chiarino is a cave diving instructor born and raised in Barcelona, Spain. He was introduced to the underwater world at the age of six through his family, whose passion for the aquatic environment sparked his
own lifelong connection to diving.
As his curiosity and dedication grew, Ivo pursued a professional path in diving education — spending four years working seasonally in the Canary Islands before relocating to Akumal, Mexico in 2015, where he discovered his true calling in the caves of Quintana Roo. Immersed in one of the world’s most renowned cave systems, he developed a deep appreciation for exploration, precision, and discipline beneath the surface.
As an instructor, Ivo is committed to the highest standards of training. His focus is on building competent, confident divers who prioritize safety, respect the environment, and fully embrace the spirit of exploration. Ivo teaches in Spanish, Catalan, English, Italian, and gets by in French.
Charles Roberson
Charlie learned to dive in 1991 while serving in the US Navy then spent the next two years diving the wrecks and deep walls of the Western Pacific. After returning to the states, Charlie moved to Gainesville to attend the University of Florida and take up cave diving. Years later, he is still cave diving and currently holds the world record for penetration in an underwater cave at 8,208 m/26,930 ft.
Charlie is a Director of Karst Underwater Research (KUR) and has participated in numerous KUR exploration and survey projects. Most recently, he has traveled to Mexico for expedition caving projects with Beyond the Sump and to Palau for work as a DPAA Recovery Diver.
