Chuuk Lagoon · Micronesia · Wreck
Betty Bomber
A swim through a bomber's fuselage from tail to cockpit
Area photo: Matt Kieffer · CC BY-SA 2.0
The Betty Bomber is a Japanese Mitsubishi G4M, a small twin-engine bomber shot down by American planes as it took off, now lying just beyond the end of the runway. It rests in relatively shallow water, 15 to 21 m, and divers can swim through its fuselage.
Also known as Mitsubishi Betty, Betty, Mitsubishi G4M.
Where it is and how deep
No published position for this site — the map shows Chuuk Lagoon and its other sites; operators know the mooring.
The dive
Divers reach the plane at about 15 m (50 ft) and work along its 18 m (60 ft) length, never deeper than 21 m (70 ft). The way through the body of the plane runs from the tail forward to the cockpit, a short swim-through inside the fuselage.
The wreck
- Vessel
- Mitsubishi G4M Betty
- Type
- Twin-engine bomber
- Length
- 18 m (59 ft)
- Cause
- Shot down by American planes during take-off
- Lies
- Just beyond the end of the runway, in about 15 m of water
Marine life and season
The sources we used don't single out particular species here.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prime | Prime | Prime | Good | Good | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Good | Good | Prime |
Season follows Chuuk Lagoon: December to April is the dry season, driest from January to March; June to September brings the heaviest rain.
Dive videos
"Betty Bomber" Wreck (Mitsubishi G4M bomber) at Truk Lagoon · britoca on YouTube
Questions divers ask
Is the Betty Bomber a shallow dive?+
Fairly. The plane rests at about 15 m and the dive stays within 21 m, so Advanced Open Water covers it.
Sources
- Chuuk — Wikivoyage
- Diving in Chuuk — Wikivoyage
- Commonly Visited Truk Dive Sites — Truk Odyssey
- Truk Lagoon — Wetpixel
- Wrecks — Truk Stop Hotel
More dive sites in Chuuk Lagoon
A memorial monument on the deck of a deep, upright cruiser
The sole surviving A5M Claude, stacked in a cargo hold
Bow and stern guns on a sunken Japanese destroyer
Shrimp and goby burrows in the sand under the propellers
Wreck
Soft and hard coral from a shallow mast to the stern
Wreck
Submarine periscopes still stacked in the holds
Trucks, a bulldozer and a tractor still parked in the hold
Wreck
A Japanese cruiser submarine sunk at its anchorage
Similar dives elsewhere
A well-preserved fishing boat leaning to starboard at 20 m
A coral-covered Japanese Navy seaplane visible from the surface
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Navy tug alone on sand at 20 m, sharks inside
Sunk beside the YO-257, decks at 20 and 21 m