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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Asia

Asia

Micronesia (FSM)

Quiet islands known for reef manta rays, historic wrecks and low-key reef diving.

Aerial view of reefs at the Mochun Fanananei Pass, Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesia
Mochun Fanananei Pass, Chuuk Lagoon, Federated States of Micronesia · Photo: Matt Kieffer, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0
Trusted referral

Ethics pass, with care. We found a way to visit this country that meets our animal-welfare standard, as long as we work with the right local operator. Checked by Ocean Calling on 30 Sep 2026. Sources: The manta rays of Micronesia are now protected, Hawaii News Now, Aug 2008; Micronesian states vote to declare shark sanctuaries, Pew Charitable Trusts, 2013; Why divers should treat war-torn wrecks with respect, Scuba Diving magazine.

🧭 Travel advice, checked 30 Sep 2026. Australia's Smartraveller advises normal safety precautions in the Federated States of Micronesia (updated July 2026). It notes limited medical facilities and dangerous beach and sea conditions. Sources: Smartraveller travel advice, Micronesia Advice differs by passport: check your own government before you plan.

ScubaSnorkellingMantasSharksWrecks

Why Micronesia (FSM)

Micronesia's islands are quiet and reef-rich. Yap is known for wild reef manta rays at cleaning sites, which may be seen through much of the year. Chuuk Lagoon suits experienced divers, with historic wrecks surrounded by reef fish. Kosrae offers low-key scuba and snorkelling among reef sharks and coral reef fish, and Pohnpei and Ahnd Atoll mix reef diving, possible mantas and island culture. Diving is possible year-round.

Conservation-led. Ocean Calling guests never chase, touch or bait animals.

Papua New GuineaIndonesiaTimor-LesteCambodiaThailandLaosVietnamSolomon Is.ChinaTaiwanPhilippinesMalaysiaBruneiChuuk Lagoon, Micronesia (FSM)Kosrae, Micronesia (FSM)Pohnpei and Ahnd Atoll, Micronesia (FSM)Yap, Micronesia (FSM)

When to go

Year-round. Timing changes by place and by animal, so check each place below.

We refer guests to trusted local teams here.

Our ethics check

Can we travel here ethically?

Ethics pass, with care

Good with the right operator. Here is how we choose.

Yap protected manta rays and their habitat by state law in 2008. The Chuuk wrecks are also a resting place for sailors who died there, and not every visitor treats them with respect. If we ever visit Yap, mantas would be watched calmly from a distance, with no feeding, chasing or touching. We dive the wrecks without touching or taking anything.

Checked 30 Sep 2026. Places change, so we look again every year.

Sources for this check
Places we are exploring

Where in Micronesia (FSM)

Short notes from our research. Wildlife is never guaranteed.

Chuuk Lagoon

Trusted referral

A quiet lagoon for experienced divers, known for historic wrecks surrounded by reef fish and tropical marine life.

🤿 In the water: Historic wrecks, Reef fish

When: Year-round. Diving is possible year-round. Oil in the wrecks is a known risk. A leak in September 2025 reached the shore and led to a state of emergency. A study estimated about 22 million litres remain.

Rules and fees: The Japanese wrecks in Chuuk Lagoon are protected state monuments, so nothing may be removed or damaged. Diving them needs a permit arranged through a licensed dive shop, with a certified local guide.

Kosrae

Exploring

A quiet reef island for low-key scuba and snorkelling among coral reef fish and reef sharks.

🤿 In the water: Coral reef fish, Reef sharks

When: Year-round. Reef diving is offered year-round.

Rules and fees: Sunday is a day of rest on Kosrae, so there is no diving or hiking that day. Asking permission before visiting a site or a beach is a warm sign of respect.

Pohnpei and Ahnd Atoll

Exploring

A quiet mix of reef diving, possible mantas and island culture, with reef fish, sharks and coral.

🤿 In the water: Reef fish, Sharks, Manta rays (possible), Coral reefs

When: Year-round. Diving is good year-round. Summer to early autumn often brings calmer seas and clearer water.

Yap

Exploring

A quiet island known for wild reef manta rays at cleaning sites, with reef sharks and coral reef life.

🤿 In the water: Reef manta rays (watched calmly on scuba, never certain), Reef sharks, Coral reef fish

Rules and fees: Manta rays around Yap are protected by a state law from 2008 that covers their home waters out to 12 miles from shore.

Animals

Animals recorded in Micronesia (FSM)

Tap an animal to learn how it lives, where it travels and how to meet it respectfully.

Reef manta ray gliding over a sandy lagoonReef manta rayMobula alfrediSeen in 20 countries in the AtlasVulnerableWall of grey reef sharks cruising in blue waterGrey reef sharkCarcharhinus amblyrhynchosSeen in 33 countries in the AtlasEndangeredWhitetip reef sharks resting stacked in a reef creviceWhitetip reef sharkTriaenodon obesusSeen in 43 countries in the AtlasVulnerableTitan triggerfish swimming over a reef slope in blue waterTitan triggerfishBalistoides viridescensSeen in 40 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreen turtle resting on the reef, shell and head pattern in sharp detailGreen turtleChelonia mydasSeen in 103 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTwo blacktip reef sharks swimming over sunlit sand in turquoise waterBlacktip reef sharkCarcharhinus melanopterusSeen in 38 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSchool of bumphead parrotfish swimming over coralBumphead parrotfishBolbometopon muricatumSeen in 16 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSperm whale mother raising her fluke beside her calf off DominicaSperm whalePhyseter macrocephalusSeen in 114 countries in the AtlasVulnerableSchool of bigeye trevally swirling near the seabed at AmedBigeye trevallyCaranx sexfasciatusSeen in 48 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernHumphead wrasse swimming over a coral reef in Raja AmpatHumphead wrasse (Napoleon wrasse)Cheilinus undulatusSeen in 34 countries in the AtlasEndangeredGreat barracuda cruising in open blue water, showing jagged teethGreat barracudaSphyraena barracudaSeen in 84 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGiant oceanic manta with T-shaped white shoulder patches and remorasOceanic manta ray (giant manta)Mobula birostrisSeen in 31 countries in the AtlasEndangeredSilvertip shark swimming in open blue waterSilvertip sharkCarcharhinus albimarginatusSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasVulnerableBluestreak cleaner wrasse with black stripe and blue tailBluestreak cleaner wrasseLabroides dimidiatusSeen in 51 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernLeatherback hatchling crossing the sand toward the seaLeatherback turtleDermochelys coriaceaSeen in 76 countries in the AtlasVulnerablePantropical spotted dolphin gliding at the calm ocean surfacePantropical spotted dolphinStenella attenuataSeen in 56 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernPicasso triggerfish with painted pattern over sand in the MaldivesPicasso triggerfish (lagoon triggerfish)Rhinecanthus aculeatusSeen in 41 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed lionfish with spread fins over sand in Dauin, PhilippinesLionfish (red and common lionfish)Pterois volitans and Pterois milesSeen in 80 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernDay octopus beside a coral head on a sandy Red Sea reefDay octopusOctopus cyaneaSeen in 35 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernWedge-tailed shearwaters resting togetherWedge-tailed shearwaterArdenna pacificaSeen in 46 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernRed-tailed tropicbird in Glendowie, Auckland, New Zealand, iNaturalist research-grade observationRed-tailed tropicbirdPhaethon rubricaudaSeen in 28 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBlack noddy perched in a shrub on Tern Island, French Frigate ShoalsBlack noddyAnous minutusSeen in 37 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernAdult brown booby standing on a rock with its bill open against blue sky, PrincipeBrown boobySula leucogasterSeen in 104 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernClose view of a red-footed booby head with blue, pink and red bill and throat skin among green leavesRed-footed boobySula sulaSeen in 91 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernGreat frigatebird in flight, with long angled wings and a forked tailGreat frigatebirdFregata minorSeen in 44 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernShort-tailed shearwater resting on the open seaShort-tailed shearwaterArdenna tenuirostrisSeen in 24 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernBulwer's petrel flying low over blue water, its long pointed tail visibleBulwer's petrelBulweria bulweriiSeen in 17 countries in the AtlasLeast ConcernTropical shearwater flying low over blue waves, with dark wings and white underpartsTropical shearwaterPuffinus bailloniSeen in 15 countries in the AtlasLeast Concern
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