Truk & Palau: Fall of 2025

🐠 Truk Lagoon & Palau: A Dive Dream Realized

9/2/25- 9/22/25  | Dive Long Island & Hampton Dive Center
Shortcut to video 👉 https://youtu.be/ON8vKxt0tlc

“Where are you going, Micronesia? Are you really going that far?” That was the question I heard over and over this summer, and every time, I answered with a smile and a little disbelief that it was finally happening. This trip had been on my radar for over a decade, ever since Hampton Dive Center returned from Truk with incredible stories and striking underwater photos. I knew I had to see it for myself one day.

Well, that day came and it blew every expectation out of the water.

We were a group of 15, joined by professional photographer Mike Gerken, ready to dive deep into two incredibly iconic destinations. destinations in the world. First stop, Truk Lagoon.

⚓ Rust, History, and the Deep

Diving in Truk felt like time travel. I completed 10 rebreather dives on the Odyssey liveaboard using my Hollis Prism 2 Rebreather, and every one felt like opening a new chapter of a book I couldn’t put down.

There were so many standout moments, but a few still linger in my mind:

• Fujikawa Maru at dusk: Descending into the cargo hold as the daylight faded was completely surreal. Inside, perfectly still and silent, were Zero planes, tucked away as if they were waiting for the next mission. The lighting made the whole scene feel like a movie, eerie, dramatic, and unforgettable. 
  
  
• Rio de Janeiro Maru: This one gave me pause. As we swam around the structure, we saw oil leaking from the wreck. Even decades later, a shipwreck can impact the life it imposes on.
  
  
• San Francisco Maru:  This was THE dive. The San Francisco rests at about 200', my deepest dive of the trip. I surfaced with a mind full of images: tanks on the deck, mines stacked in the hold, and crystal-clear visibility that made the whole thing feel unreal. We were so lucky that Mike Gerken was able to get some stunning photos of us on this dive.

🦈 A Shift in Vibe: Enter Palau

After Truk’s weighty energy, Palau was a breeze. Nine dives with Palau Dive Adventures offered an entirely different world one driven by currents, bursting with more life, and lots of color.

• Blue Corner:  What a ride. We Reef hooked at this site a few times and I felt like I was skydiving underwater. The current was ripping, but that just brought everything to us, schools of Crevalle Jacks, curious sharks, and walls of fish that danced past us like a living mural.
  
  
• German Channel: This was our send-off gift. On our final day, just when I thought we’d already seen it all, a manta ray glided into view. Slow, graceful, almost too perfect to be real. That moment alone was worth the flight.

Palau’s reefs were so busy; several turtles cruised past barely giving us a second glance, and predators and prey shared sharingspace at several cleaning stations. A patient few paused long enough to blend in with the reef and allow the wrasses to clean them!

💬 What This Trip Meant

Trips like this are rare, not just because of the location, but because of what they awaken in you. For me, this wasn’t just a dive trip. It was the culmination of years of dreaming, preparing, saving, and planning.

I’ve always wanted to see Truk with my own eyes; not just the photos, but the wrecks, the history, and the silence. I wanted to be in those stories. I heard Palau was something special, but I didn’t realize just how alive it would feel, more vibrant than I ever imagined.

This trip made me fall in love with dive travel all over again. I’m eager to book my next trip.

 

🎥 Want to See It for Yourself?

Here’s a video I put together which gives a taste of the fun that was had:

📺 Watch on YouTube 👉 https://youtu.be/ON8vKxt0tlc

🌊 Final Thoughts

I gained perspective from Truk and awe from Palau.

Together, they gave me the kind of gratitude that sticks with you long after your gear has dried.

If you’ve thought about going to either locations, I highly recommend it!

 

See you between dives-

Brittany
Dive Long Island