For over 4 decades, the SS Thorfinn liveaboard has set the standard for wreck diving in Truk Lagoon. This rugged, purpose-built former Antarctic whaling vessel converted into a world-class dive cruiser offers something rare: genuine ocean-going capability paired with decades of local knowledge. Unlike temporary charters or modern builds with no history, the Thorfinn carries decades of local operations in her hull. From the moment you step aboard, you feel the difference. This is not a floating hotel. It is a dive operation refined by experience, operating in the world’s greatest collection of WWII wrecks.
What truly sets the Thorfinn apart is its unique flexibility. Unlike any other liveaboard, there are no fixed weekly departure dates. You are free to join and leave on any day of the week, and you can stay for as long as you wish. Your trip is tailored to your schedule, not the other way around. And the diving begins as soon as you arrive. After a safety briefing, you can get straight into the water for a check-out dive or even a night dive, making the most of every moment in this legendary lagoon.
Truk Lagoon delivers easy, forgiving conditions. Water temperature sits around 29°C, currents rarely challenge, and visibility consistently rewards. The Thorfinn liveaboard places you within minutes of the best sites. 2 swift, covered 32 ft tenders launch separate dive groups to different moorings. No crowding. No waiting. You visit up to 5 distinct sites per day, covering 30 or more wrecks across a single week. Each tender carries radios, sonar, under-seat gear storage, fresh water showers, and night-ready lighting. Local guides have been on the Thorfinn for up to 18 years. They know which holds still carry cargo, which ladders lead to gun turrets, and where natural light falls best for wide-angle shots.
The wrecks themselves are time capsules: the Fujikawa Maru holds fighter aircraft fuselages and Zero engines; the San Francisco Maru, deeper at around 50 metres, carries tanks and trucks; the Shinkoku Maru has become a reef draped in soft corals and sea fans. Lesser-known sites like the Hoki Maru, with its bulldozers scattered on the sand, or the Betty Bomber, resting in pieces on the lagoon floor, offer their own quiet rewards. Between wreck dives, the tenders may also stop at reef sites or shallower bommies where turtles, barracuda, and reef sharks patrol the drop-offs. Thorfinn provides an exceptional level of support for technical divers and rebreathers, as well as recreational divers.
Space defines the Thorfinn. Up to 15 staff attend just 20 guests, ensuring individual attention. Crew look after your gear, hostesses and chefs keep you well-fed, and engineers keep everything running smoothly. Cabins are practical and well-kept, most with private en-suite bathrooms. Social areas give divers room to spread out, review photos, or simply watch the lagoon settle at dusk. Expect solid meals and genuine hospitality. Chefs prepare international dishes with variety across the week, and dietary requests are accommodated where local supplies allow. The bar is reasonably priced, and the crew often hosts casual BBQs on the aft deck when the weather holds.
The sample itinerary included with this page illustrates the typical experience, but your trip will be unique to you. Join when you arrive, dive as much as you like, and depart when you are ready. Whether you stay 3 days or 3 weeks, the Thorfinn liveaboard adapts to your plans. This is diving on your terms in the world's most famous wreck diving destination. The Thorfinn does not pretend to be a luxury cruise liner; it offers something more valuable: consistency, safety, and the confidence that comes from running these same waters since 1980.
Standard Cabins: There are 9 air-conditioned standard rooms, each equipped with either a double or queen bed plus an adjacent single berth. Among these, 6 rooms have private bathrooms (5 on the lower deck, 1 on the main deck), while the 3 rooms on the upper deck share 2 adjacent shower and toilet facilities.
Thor's Lair: This exclusive luxury suite is situated on the main deck. It features a king-size bed, an adjoining bed settee, a 44-inch TV, a walk-in wardrobe, a PC table, a mini-fridge, and a large private en-suite bathroom.
All the cabins have:
- Air-conditioning (thermostat control)
- Room table fans
- Private bathroom with hot water shower, toilet, hand basin (except upper deck)
- Toiletries, towels, hairdryer & mirror
- Portholes, skylights & windows
- Reading lights
- Daily housekeeping
- Wardrobe, shelves & bedside cabinet
- 24-hour, 110V/220V electricity supply
- European/US-style 2-pin plugs (mostly US 2 parallel pin types; adaptors suggested)
- Fire alarm, life jackets & fire extinguishers
- Storage space for luggage
- Bedding
No. of bathrooms / showers - 9 / 9 - hot water
Truk Lagoon (8 Days / 7 Nights - 21 Dives)
Trip highlights: great macro life/ marine diversity
Diving environment: advanced divers, off the beaten track, wreck diving
Dive sites and activities: Truk Lagoon: Fujikawa Maru, IJN Fumizuki Destroyer, Yamagiri Maru, Shinkoku Maru, Nippo Maru, Heian Maru, San Francisco Maru, Gosei Maru, Hoki Maru, Rio de Janeiro Maru, Submarine L169, Mitsubishi G4M Betty Bomber
Day 1
This itinerary is a sample only, provided to illustrate the typical experience. The SS Thorfinn operates on a unique, flexible model: guests are welcome to join and leave on any day of the week, and you may stay for as many nights as you wish.
Board the Thorfinn in Chuuk Lagoon, settle into your cabin, and join the dive briefing that covers the wrecks, currents, and daily routines. The afternoon is yours to set up gear, check cylinder fills, and watch the lagoon turn gold at sunset. Depending on your arrival time and the group's readiness, there is an opportunity for a check-out dive or two on familiarisation sites, and even a night dive. A welcome dinner in the dining lounge ends your first evening, with the promise of up to 5 dive sites from tomorrow onward.
Core Days
Diving from the SS Thorfinn feels different from any other liveaboard. You wake not to a long steam across open ocean but to the sight of a wreck already beneath your keel. The vessel moors inside the lagoon, close to the finest sites, and each morning two covered tenders depart for different destinations. This approach gives you up to 5 dives per day across 5 separate sites (package dependent), a pace that suits both recreational divers and tech-minded guests running trimix or rebreather setups.
The wrecks of Truk Lagoon rest mostly upright, their cargo holds still packed with wartime artefacts. On the Fujikawa Maru you will find fighter aircraft fuselages, wing parts, and Zero engines stacked inside darkened holds. The San Francisco Maru, deeper at around 50 metres, carries tanks, trucks, and mines across its forward deck, a site reserved for experienced divers or those breathing helium blends. The Shinkoku Maru sits in shallower water and has become a reef in its own right, draped in soft corals, sea fans, and anthias. Swim through the engine rooms, peer into the bridge, and notice how the light falls through shell holes punched into the hull decades ago.
Lesser known wrecks offer their own quiet rewards. The Hoki Maru features bulldozers and construction vehicles scattered across the sand beside the wreck. The Nippo Maru holds a lonely tank on its stern, its turret pointed toward the surface. The Betty Bomber and Emily Flyboat rest in broken pieces on the lagoon floor, their engines and propellers still recognisable among the coral. Between wreck dives, the tenders may stop at reef sites or shallower bommies where turtles, barracuda, and reef sharks patrol the drop-offs. The diving is not a race but a steady rhythm: dive, surface, swap stories on the tender, then descend again.
Final day
On your last morning, enjoy a final breakfast on board. There are no dives scheduled on the disembarkation day, allowing you to pack personal gear at a relaxed pace, settle any bar or onboard accounts, and say goodbye to the crew. Depending on your flight departure time, lunch may also be served before you transfer to the airport or your hotel. The SS Thorfinn will remain moored in the lagoon, ready for the next group of wreck hunters to arrive.
[Information is best estimate in ideal circumstances and subject to changes beyond our control. The itinerary is a guide only and may be adapted to best suit the weather, tides, currents, availability and other prevailing events. Price is for the cruise, not for an exact number of dives].
Most meals are served in the main deck dining saloon. But when the group feels right and the weather holds, the crew fires up an aft deck BBQ party. That shifts to a buffet format on the upper deck lounge, still under the sun canopies. Those evenings are relaxed, informal, and often the most memorable. Life on a wreck diving trip runs on a rhythm of tides, nitrogen, and appetite.
When you book a cruise on the Thorfinn liveaboard, you are signing up for more than just legendary wrecks. You are stepping into a floating operation where every meal and every dive slot fits together with a practised, easy-going precision. The SS Thorfinn is not a luxury liner. It is a working dive vessel with character. And that character shines through in the food, the schedule, and the simple pleasure of kicking back between deep penetrations into history.
Before the sun climbs over Truk’s green peaks, the first coffee appears in the main lounge. Early risers grab a mug and a biscuit, often chatting through the morning dive plan. By 7 am, the dining saloon, a snug 22-seat space on D deck, fills with divers working through a full American breakfast - eggs any style, bacon, sausages, pancakes, fresh fruit, juices, and toast. No skimping.
At 7:45 am, everyone gathers in the main lounge. The smart TV fires up a visual dive briefing for the first of 5 scheduled sites. By 8 am, the first launch departs. You return around 9:30 am, swap stories, refill your tanks, rinse your camera gear, and grab a snack, often something freshly baked.
Second dive briefing starts at 10:45 am, with the launch away at 11 am. When you climb back aboard, lunch is waiting. No hanging about. Expect hearty single-choice plates: spaghetti with a rich sauce, lasagne, proper meat pies, or substantial salads with hot or cold sandwiches. After eating, you have time to snooze on a deck lounger under the large solar canopies. The lagoon views and cool ocean breezes make that short rest feel like a small holiday in itself.
Third dive briefing kicks off at 1:45 pm. Launch at 2 pm. Return for afternoon bakings: cookies, peanuts, maybe a slice of cake. Then fourth dive briefing at 4:45 pm for a lighter adjacent dive at 5 pm.
Main supper is served in the dining saloon at 7 pm. Dinner runs to a single-choice menu, but it is a proper meal. Soups and salads to start. Then roast beef, turkey, hams, or pork loins, always with mixed vegetables, potatoes or steamed rice. Desserts change daily: ice cream, fruit with toppings, pies, cakes, jelly, or various puddings.
If there is demand, a fifth night dive launches around 8 pm. Otherwise, you sit back with a beer from the bar (reasonable prices for alcohol and soft drinks) and let the day sink in.
The SS Thorfinn crew runs free tours to adjacent islands when conditions allow. Occasionally there is a beach BBQ, though the aboard version tends to be more reliable and just as enjoyable. Between dives, deck loungers and chairs invite you to do nothing at all, which, in Truk Lagoon, is its own kind of reward.
Coffee, tea, potable water and ice are always free. The bar stocks beer, soft drinks, and spirits at genuinely low figures. No one is here to empty your wallet.
A week on the Thorfinn liveaboard is not about white tablecloths or rigid schedules. It is about solid food, smart dive planning, and a crew that knows how to keep you fed, rested, and underwater where you belong. The wrecks do the heavy lifting. The boat handles the rest.
