YUBAE MARU - Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon

The Yubae Maru is exactly why we come to Chuuk. It’s a steamship, 93 metres long, sitting upright at 30 metres, and she feels like a ghost ship frozen in time. What we love about the Yubae is the sheer scale of the cargo holds; dropping into number one, it’s cavernous and dark, with light filtering down from above, revealing stacks of sake bottles and beer crates still lined up on the port side. Our favourite part is the engine room, a tight squeeze to get in, but once inside, the machinery is astonishingly intact, gauges and levers still in place. It’s a proper penetration dive, so you’ll want to be comfortable in enclosed spaces, but it's well worth the effort. Outside, the superstructure is draped in soft corals, and you’ll often find white-tip reef sharks cruising the deck or snoozing under ledges. We’ve seen enormous groupers here, too, the size of small cars, lurking in the shadows. We’d suggest hitting this one earlier in the day if you can, before the other boats arrive, it just makes the experience that much more solitary and evocative.

Location: Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon, Micronesia, Central & South Pacific
Coordinates: 7.307500, 151.860000
Type: wreck
Maximum Depth: 30m

Best Time to Dive in Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon

The warmest water temperatures in Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon occur in January, averaging 28.9°C. The coolest conditions are in December at 28.9°C.

Monthly Water Temperatures

January: 28.9°C (air: 27.8°C)
February: 28.9°C (air: 27.7°C)
March: 28.9°C (air: 27.5°C)
April: 28.9°C (air: 27.5°C)
May: 28.9°C (air: 27.7°C)
June: 28.9°C (air: 27.5°C)
July: 28.9°C (air: 27.5°C)
August: 28.9°C (air: 27.7°C)
September: 28.9°C (air: 27.7°C)
October: 28.9°C (air: 27.9°C)
November: 28.9°C (air: 27.9°C)
December: 28.9°C (air: 27.9°C)

Nearest Dive Centres to YUBAE MARU

Marine Life in Chuuk (Truk) Lagoon

Home to 213 recorded species including 133 reef fish, 36 hard corals, 17 sea cucumbers, 12 sea snails & nudibranchs, 5 sharks & rays, 4 clams & mussels.

Notable Species

Bristle-toothed Surgeonfish (Ctenochaetus striatus) - Reef Fish
Bleeker's Parrotfish (Chlorurus bleekeri) - Reef Fish
Bullethead Parrotfish (Chlorurus sordidus) - Reef Fish
Long-nosed Parrotfish (Hipposcarus longiceps) - Reef Fish
Blunt-head Parrotfish (Chlorurus microrhinos) - Reef Fish
Small giant clam (Tridacna maxima) - Clams & Mussels
Saddled Parrotfish (Scarus dimidiatus) - Reef Fish
Clown Tang (Naso lituratus) - Reef Fish
Black sea cucumber (Holothuria atra) - Sea Cucumbers
Greenfish (Stichopus chloronotus) - Sea Cucumbers
Schlegel's Parrotfish (Scarus schlegeli) - Reef Fish
Roundhead Parrotfish (Scarus globiceps) - Reef Fish
Dusky Parrotfish (Scarus niger) - Reef Fish
Blackspotted Sea Cucumber (Pearsonothuria graeffei) - Sea Cucumbers
Batavian Parrotfish (Scarus psittacus) - Reef Fish
Crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) - Starfish
Sea chub (Kyphosus cinerascens) - Reef Fish
Foxface (Siganus vulpinus) - Reef Fish
Banded maori wrasse (Cheilinus fasciatus) - Reef Fish
Unicornfish (Naso annulatus) - Reef Fish

Recommended Packing List for YUBAE MARU

Based on average water temperature of 28.9°C.

Shorty or Rashguard - warm 29°C water needs minimal exposure protection
Mask - essential for every dive
Fins
BCD - buoyancy compensator
Regulator - your most safety-critical piece of gear
Dive Computer - tracks depth, time, and NDL
Surface Marker Buoy (SMB) - essential for boat pickups
Dive Torch - useful for crevices and colour at depth
Underwater Camera - capture your diving memories