Can Rec divers enjoy Truk ?

[denniscloutier]

Maybe I misunderstood you and I did chop this quote up to make my point but are you saying you went to 140' on an AL 80.

If so I would not be giving that advice to anyone.

If you or your buddy was to have a failure you were both in major trouble to say the least. Single tank diving to non-recreational depths with no deco training is asking for an accident.

I for one will not dive an AL 80 past 80 feet, my rule of thumb is to not pass the cubic feet value in feet of sea water. But that's me.

Just to be clear, I didn't recommend that anyone exceed the rec diving limit of 130'. That was a mistake on our part.

However, I don't understand the 80' limit. I'm not an expert, but my understanding is that the main principle behind gas planning was that you start your ascent with enough air for both divers to make a safe ascent on the least full tank. I have also heard a rule of thirds suggested whereby you turn around with 1/3 of your air gone and are out of the water with 1/3 still left in your tank. We did extra safety stops, and doubled the length of our 15' safety stop as suggested by the guides, and we were typically still in the boat with about 1000 psi left in our tanks on the deep dives. So, where is the problem?

 

[MurkyRockDiver]

I do not want to hijack this thread so if you would like to PM me we can discuss this in private, in the meantime have a read of this article http://www.direxplorers.com/new-dir-articles/1376-rock-bottom.html

I am not a DIR diver however I do like allot of their reasoning’s. If you do not know your SAC rate I would be happy to explain how to determine it.

As for the 80' limit that is a personal limit per cubic foot tank, as I stated, its an easy guide in open water that I use.

 

[Diversauras]

I just got back from 10 days on Odyssey. They have 108 steal singles, 80 singles I think, and 80 al doubles, tell them what you want when you register. I used an H valve 108 which got pumped pretty tight so I always had plenty of gas. They also have 30 al stage bottles and depending on your cert you can have 40%, 50/50, or 100% and all you pay for is the O2 at 2.00 a foot. I did the San Francisco with a 16 min bottom time and 49 min run time. I dived 2 computers but one was single gas so I waited to clear that one despite clearing the one that shifted. I had 1490 psi left on exiting the water...

There is lots to see in the shallower range but if you are prepared to go to 150 you will see more. I would suggest that you do a decompression and an extended range course before you go out there.

I had a ball.

 

[Centrals]

Dived Truk twice on board Thorfinn.
I really do not see the problem for any recreational divers NOT to enjoy themselves.
San Francisco Maru and some others are deep but there are plenty suitable alternatives.
The ONLY dislike of going to Truk is the rip-off airfare charged by Continental.

 

[Rhone Man]

Went with my Dad who only had an OWD cert (although I made him take nitrox before he went) and he is 73 years old. He had a blast, and never felt "out of his depth". Wrecks are generally on the deep side, but (except for a very small few) not beyond the reach of recreational divers.

If you are on the Odyssey (best way to go IMHO) they start "shallow" (in the 80-90 foot range) and work deeper as the week goes on. The deepest that they do is the San Francisco Maru, at around 165 feet, and usually a few divers will politely decline and will do an alternate site that day. But often a lot of people are brimming with confidence and do the dive with just a very short bottom time.

But you really do want a nitrox cert before you go.

 

[Kevrumbo]

I'm thinking of diving Truk but the more posts I read makes me think Truk will be a disappointment. I would like to stay on a liveaboard but I don't want to limit myself or other divers by my Recreational status. I'm Advanced cert. and I was planing on taking a Nitrox class but it sounds like that wont help. Some of the posts are saying 160-180' dives on 100 cuft tanks are possible for "Touch Dives" but would'nt that be the end of the day? How do the Liveaboards work, do the guides help with dive plans, can I trust my computer to keep track of NDC limits or Deco stops? I was hoping to use the Odyssey and I realize the wait is long but if I find an opening I want to be ready to go. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.....

Refer to this thread as well:
http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/advanced-scuba-discussions/316305-peer-pressure-chuuk.html

 

[Rhone Man]

Maybe I misunderstood you and I did chop this quote up to make my point but are you saying you went to 140' on an AL 80.

If so I would not be giving that advice to anyone.

If you or your buddy was to have a failure you were both in major trouble to say the least. Single tank diving to non-recreational depths with no deco training is asking for an accident.

I for one will not dive an AL 80 past 80 feet, my rule of thumb is to not pass the cubic feet value in feet of sea water. But that's me.

Maybe, but if you go to Truk you will see people going considerably deeper than 80' on Aluminium 80s. And going into deco. On penetration dives. A lot.

Just sayin'.

 

[MurkyRockDiver]

I am sure they do but that does not make it safe. I see people do things that are dangerous all the time and get away with it but I like to mitigate my risks.

Just sayin.

 

[electric_diver]

I'm thinking of diving Truk but the more posts I read makes me think Truk will be a disappointment. I would like to stay on a liveaboard but I don't want to limit myself or other divers by my Recreational status. I'm Advanced cert. and I was planing on taking a Nitrox class but it sounds like that wont help.

Truk will not be a dissappointment. There is lots to see even if you have an AOW.
A nitrox cert will definately help increase your enjoyment of the destination.

However understand that you will be tempted and maybe even encouraged to go beyond the limits of your training and experience. How you deal with that is up to you.

 

[Spazzy]

Chuuk is awesome and a great recreational destination - knock your sock off.