Half of the Marshall Islands’ population and most amenities are located in Majuro, the capital, but visitors can venture to the smaller Island atolls to enjoy breathtaking beaches, spectacular scuba diving and water sports. Local tour operators can help organize fishing charters, scuba diving excursions and scenic boat rides between atolls.

Among the most unique Marshall Islands attractions are the many WWII relics which lie beneath the surface of their waters and on dry land. The world’s only diveable aircraft carrier and biggest diveable shipwreck is the USS Saratoga. This vessel at the Bikini Atoll’s bottom is larger than the Titanic and resides near the Imperial Japanese Navy battleship, HIJMS Nagato, which led the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack.

However, impressive WWII shipwrecks are just some of the incredible sights awaiting people on scuba diving tours through Marshalls Dive Adventures, the first operator on the Marshall Islands, which is now one of many. They offer both beginners’ dive courses and excursions to several smaller atolls. Over 250 coral reefs, 1,000 fish species and countless undiscovered WWII wrecks lie beneath the waters of atolls like Jaluit, Majuro, Arno, and Mili.

Visitors can also try to catch any of the over 1,000 fish species around all 25 major Marshall Islands atolls. Wildfire Charters is among the leading fishing boats, but there are many other individual charters which roam the waters. The months between May and October are the most ideal conditions, but the Marshalls Billfish Club hosts over 140 tournaments in the Marshall Islands a year so virtually anytime you come there will be something to hook.

Another way to relax is a yacht cruise around the coral atolls aboard Seven Seas Yacht vessels. Passengers can choose between half-day daytime picnics or serene sunset cruises in the evening. Yacht reservations must be made at least 24 hours in advance.

Not all Marshall Islands beaches are suitable for swimming, but Laura Lagoon Tours can escort visitors to its namesake Majuro Beach, which boasts some of the whitest sand and safest waters on any of the islands. Many believe Laura Beach is at its most beautiful at sunrise. Ailinglaplap and Mili Island are among the islands’ best beaches for swimming.

Few other places in the South Pacific offer as many WWII land relics as the Marshall Islands, which the Japanese military used as their Central Pacific eastern defensive perimeter. Some of the bloodiest battles took place on these tiny islands. Marshall Islands Aquatics offers the most comprehensive guided tours of war history items found on both dry land and underwater. Wotje, Jaluit, Mili, and Maloelap contain the greatest variety of military vehicles, air raid shelters, buildings, and other WWII landmarks.

Traveler’s Roost offers bird-watching excursions across Taongi and Bikar, two atolls pegged as future national preservation sites. Among the 84 bird species on Marshall Islands are albatrosses, great and lesser frigate birds, and all three tropical bird species. Taongi may be the world’s only remaining unspoiled semi-arid atoll ecosystem, while Bikar boasts the Marshall Islands’ largest green sea turtle population.