Truk (Chuuk) - great diving,sad island

[Strongdiver]

What year did you and Sally meet Kimiuo? Good memories. I am writing his biography.

 

[Photoshooter2]

While in Guam for a us Navy Special warfare exercise in 1986, a bunch of us took a Royal Australian c-130, loaded it with dive gear and Tooey's Beer (Aussie beer) and about 35 Australian SAS, US Navy SEALs, some US Special Forces, Australian Air Force pilots (the c-130 doesn't fly itself) and a Special Boat Unit Intel Officer (your humble author) and flew to Truk for a weekend of diving and hydration. To this day, I remember vividly spending the evening with Kimeo over a couple of beers and hearing his amazing stories of life under the Japanese rule, and his witnessing from the ground, Operation Hailstorm (the US Navy air attacks on the Japanese fleet that was at anchor in Truck Lagoon). He was a humble man that I have often though about over the years since, and I was saddened by learning of his passing some years ago. We stayed at the Blue Lagoon and one of the statements that was made by the locals was that they were not that happy with live aboard boats, since these boats added little to the local economy. Unfortunately, I've not had the opportunity to return since then, but I hope to make one more dive there in my life. Digging through the debris of where a 500lb bomb hit the bridge area of a destroyer escort and finding the skull of an IJN sailor 41 years after the attack was a real sobering moment for me.

Mike Sanservino, Lt.
USN(R)

 

[clownfishsydney]

I first visited Chuuk (to give it its correct name) in 1991. I returned in 1994, 1997, 2004, 2005 and plan to go there in October this year. Certainly the conditions of everything has continued to get worse every time I have been there. The roads are worse, the hotels overall are worse, although Blue Lagoon was better between 1997 and 2004. Simple things like an aid package that encourages cleaning up the road side would do wonders. Do you know there is no rubbish service at all? An aid package that purchased a garbage truck and set up a proper waste facility would do wonders.

Despite all this, the people are very friendly. In 1997 we were given a lift back to Blue Lagoon and given beers for the trip. We tried to pay for the beers and lift but the locals refused to take our money saying "Australians are good friends of Chuukese"!

I have dived on liveaboards as well as land based and if you have the time, land based is better. Why? For the same $, you can get to dive the same number of wrecks but you get to do a lot more of the deeper wrecks. I have no doubt that this is the best way to do it, but since we Aussies get 4 weeks annual leave, we can afford the extra time. This year we are doing almost 3 weeks and will get to do two dives a day for most days and a couple of one dive days to give a break.

More information on Chuuk at my web site http://www.michaelmcfadyenscuba.info and go to Overseas and Chuuk.