Inside the Ghost Fleet: Exploring the Nippo Maru & Heian Maru

Описание: Descending into the heart of Chuuk Lagoon feels like entering a living museum, and few wrecks capture its history and beauty better than the Nippo Maru and the Heian Maru — two giants of the Pacific, frozen in time beneath warm turquoise water.

The dive begins at the Nippo Maru, resting upright at about 130 feet. As you approach, the shadow of the ship slowly forms through the blue, revealing coral-covered railings, winches, and a deck littered with relics of war. Three Japanese Type-95 light tanks sit on the forward deck like silent guards. Ammunition crates, artillery shells, telegraphs, and scattered equipment lie exactly where they fell during the attack. Penetrating her holds opens a treasure trove of sake bottles, truck parts, medicine bottles, and wartime cargo perfectly preserved by the lagoon. Inside the engine room, the diesel engine and towering gauges glow in the beams of your dive light — a surreal reminder of a world that ended abruptly more than 80 years ago.

A short boat ride away lies the Heian Maru, the massive 510-foot submarine tender resting on her port side in 100–120 feet of water. Dropping down her hull feels like approaching a submerged skyscraper draped in soft corals and surrounded by clouds of anthias. Her interior is a labyrinth of sideways hallways, companionways, and cargo spaces. The highlight: the long cargo holds packed with Japanese Type-93 “Long Lance” torpedoes, still sitting in metal racks — one of the most iconic sights in all of Chuuk Lagoon. Swim-throughs lined with door frames, scattered submarine spare parts, and rows of porcelain sake bottles make the dive feel like drifting through a dreamlike underwater archive.

Together, the Nippo Maru and Heian Maru offer a powerful blend of history, tragedy, and underwater beauty. These are not just wreck dives — they are emotional, immersive journeys into the past, where every beam of light reveals a story waiting to be told.