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	DIVE MICRONESIA DIVE TRAVEL GUIDE Micronesia - Cyber Diver Top 10 Dive Destination >> he two great diving areas of the world are unarguably Micronesia and the Caribbean. Other places such as New Guinea, the Galapagos and Cocos Island are unrivaled as single destinations, but none begins to compare with the sheer diversity of diving and dive travel experiences that can be found in the vast archipelagos of both Micronesia and the Caribbean. Which is better? It depends on what you are looking for and how much time you have.  The Caribbean is more culturally diverse but its proximity to North America has led to mass tourism and overdevelopment. Micronesia is remote, relatively unspoiled (with the exception of Guam, which is overdeveloped and overrun by Japanese package tour groups) and offers divers a spectacular diversity of marine habitats from the walls of Palau to the wrecks of Truk Lagoon.  If you reside in North America or Europe and you have a week or less, the Caribbean is hard to beat. If you can escape the grind for ten days or more, go to Micronesia. Micronesia's twin superstars are Palau for wall diving and Truk Lagoon for wreck diving on the island of Chuuk. But the diving doesn't stop there. With over 2,000 high volcanic islands and low coral atolls, divers can explore an almost endless expanse of marine habitats that boast more marine species than any other place on earth. Here's the short list of the good, the bad and the ugly: Guam:  Hordes of Japanese package golf tour groups, karaoke bars, pistol shooting ranges, polluted beaches, dead reefs and hip-hop, bad-ass locals in souped up American pick-up trucks persuade discriminating dive travelers to move on as quickly as possible. If your plane has to make a forced landing on this hellish island, stay in the airport until another one gets you back up in the air and on the way to an attractive dive destination. Saipan:  Guam revisited. The most prevalent underwater species are Japanese divers, mobs and mobs and mobs of them, on 4-day bucket tours from Tokyo. HORRIBLE! Rota:  There is a wreck here but why bother when Truk Lagoon and Bikini Atoll in the Marshalls are just a short island-hop away? Palau: And God said, "Let there be one archipelago that leaves even the most adventuresome and experienced diver in absolute awe."  And the corrupt politicans of Palau answered, "Let there be high-rise hotels, casinos, beach-front condos, golf courses, shopping malls, direct flights from Tokyo and commercial whaling." ACT NOW, BOYCOTT PALAU Chuuk/Truk Lagoon: WAR IS BEAUTIFUL!  With most of Japan's WWII fleet on the bottom of the lagoon, Truk is unarguably the world's ultimate wreck diving destination (Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands is extremely overrated by tech diving industry types who have a vested interest in promoting deep diving destinations). For more details, go to Chuuk. Yap: Over-hyped, over-rated, over-priced and overly dependent on the theme-park manta dive. If you have time, this flat and uninspiring island is worth a day and a couple of dives on the way to Palau BUT ONLY IF you've never seen mantas. Don't forget your mosquito repellent. Pohnpei: This high volcanic island is mysteriously beautiful and the drift diving on the outer reef is spectacular. If you want to avoid the crowds at Palau and Chuuk, Pohnpei is an excellent choice. Kosrae:  Fairly undeveloped and usually passed over by divers who fill their itinerary with better dive sites elsewhere in the archipelago.  The diving is, at best, pedestrian. Click image to enlarge map Facts about Micronesia Capital: Palikir Area: 702 sq km Population: 134,597 People: Micronesians, Polynesians, expats Language: English (official and common language), Trukese, Pohnpeian, Yapese, Kosrean Religion: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 47%, other and none 3% Government: constitutional government in free association with the US Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents GDP: US$213 million GDP per capita: US$2,000 Major Industries: tourism, construction, fish processing, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls Major Trading Partners: USA, Japan Natural Resources forests, marine products, deep-seabed minerals KNOW BEFORE YOU GO :: SCUBA DIVING IN TRUK LAGOON HOT LINKS SS Thorfinn SCUBALINX™:  Micronesia Scuba Diving Centers CDNN Micronesia Dive Travel News SCAM ALERT If you prefer dive operators with enough integrity and common sense to say 'NO' to ad-driven scuba magazines attempting to exploit waiver releases to sell magazine subscriptions, avoid Kosrae Village. Waiver releases are signed legal agreements between an individual and a specific company about VERY serious life, death and injury issues.  Such documents must never be turned over to a third party.  Kosrae Village and other companies that fool around with these important legal documents by reducing them to a marketing gimmick cannot be trusted and should be avoided. ECO ALERT While Palau promotes itself as an eco-friendly dive destination committed to the protection of marine wildlife including dugongs, dolphins and whales, it is colluding with Japan to block the establishment of whale sanctuaries and reverse the ban on commercial whaling.  Such money-driven hypocrisy is unacceptable and cannot be tolerated by the global scuba diving community.  Join the diver-led boycott of Palau and make a difference. Go to CDNN ACT NOW:  Boycott Palau   SPONSORED LINKS   CDNN NEWS HEADLINES
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