Is Truk Lagoon only for advanced?

[IDS_Bill]

Calling Truk "Advanced Only" would have to be by the PADI definition. Should you have your AOW? Yes! But are they tough dives? Only if you penetrate. My Brother's brother-in-law (following me?) had a stroke a few years ago and has limited use on his left side and had a great time poking around the tops of the wrecks on the amazing reefs. The trip was a mix ranging from Trimix Instructors all the way down to newly certified. Odyssey supported everyone and was very cool about it.

We had AL80 doubles. It helped but (out of respect for the rec people) we limited our deco to 20min or less (except on the San Francisco Maru of course).

So don't count yourself our from the trip, just get a little advanced training and diving before you go. It is a trip of a lifetime!

 

[cal776]

Hi Cal .... nice avatar

Did the non-tech divers on your trip do all the dives on 30% or did they do the dives beyond 35 meters on air

Thanks

Venus

All the divers who were nitrox certified (which was all of them on our trip) dove EAN 27-28 on every dive except for the San Francisco Maru, where we dove EAN 23.

 

[Venus]

Thanks SS + Cal

27% - 28% = the 30% that they told me we would get

I also asked them about cylinders when I booked and the have the ali80 single or double and the steel 15s which must be the 119

I will take my 19cf pony with me as my redundancy

Reason for my question was really because on one trip my buddy wanted to drain her nitrox and get an air fill so that she could go deeper, the guides were not keen on this
Obviously, this is a necessity on SF

I understand how my computer behaves with regard to deco .... thanks

Vx

Venus on the Odyssey everyone gets 27-28% for all the dives which allows you to dive to 40m at a max PPO2 of 1.4. The only dive they drain and fill with air is for the SFO Maru which is at 50m.

They have AL80s, 119s, and doubled Al80s. If you are diving singles get a 119. (no clue what the measurements are in liters).

The best advice I can give anyone going is to understand your computer - if you see a screen you have never seen before you are probably in deco. That said - though my computer showed deco several times by the time I was doing my safety stop it had cleared. The only time it was truly a deco dive was on the SFO Maru. The key to diving the wreck is to go deep and see the artifacts then come up and look at the flora and fauna on the wreck.

 

[SparticleBrane]

They have AL80s, 119s, and doubled Al80s. If you are diving singles get a 119. (no clue what the measurements are in liters).

I can't comment on what they have currently but when I was there last August they had LP108s singles, Al80s, double Al80s, and Al30s (I think).

Everyone on my trip used double Al80s or they were on CCRs. Except one guy who wasn't part of our group, on a single LP108.

 

[boulderjohn]

When you are talking about advanced diving, most people are quite rightly concerned with safety factors. There is something else to consider, though.

Even though there is not too much silt in the wrecks, there is a lot of loose rust. Even your air bubbles hitting the deck above you will stir up some particles in the water. If you do not have excellent buoyancy and finning technique, you may be having a great dive, but everyone else with you will be fighting to see through the cloud you leave in your wake.

When I was in Truk, we had a couple of people who were very competent and safe divers overall, but we tried to stay away from any small group that included them for that reason.

 

[Venus]

I asked Odyssey in August what cylinders they had and this was their reply:

Tank selection onboard the Odyssey is as follows:

Single aluminum 80 cu.ft. - DIN or yoke
Single steel 108 cu.ft. - Standard or H valve - DIN or yoke
Double aluminum 80 cu.ft. w/ dual isolation valve manifold - DIN or yoke, and tank bands (5/16' bolt)
Single aluminum 30 cu.ft - DIN or yoke

We only need advance notice for use of double tanks or for an H valve on a single tank.

I believe that 80 cft. aluminum translates to about 11 litres and 108 cft. steel translates to about 15 litres.

 

[RJP]

I will take my 19cf pony with me as my redundancy

I wouldn't bother. They have 30cf sling bottles you can use for redundancy if you are so inclined. No charge for their use if they are filled with standard air/EANx. Up charge for 02 richer than banked EANx if you want to use the bottle for deco gas.

 

[AfterDark]

I have to agree with Steve, most of the wrecks in Truk Lagoon are "advanced" dives due to depth. It is very easy diving, but you do have to be comfortable below 100'.

Is there some reason to be uncomfortable below 100'? I just keep my eyes closed after 110!?!?!

 

[Venus]

I kind of agree with you, Ray
and, I did think about it

But, I tried for a few months to side sling my 19cf and I did not get on with it at all
There is no way I'll be able to sling the larger one

I'd rather just back mount my own

I wouldn't bother. They have 30cf sling bottles you can use for redundancy if you are so inclined. No charge for their use if they are filled with standard air/EANx. Up charge for 02 richer than banked EANx if you want to use the bottle for deco gas.

 

[Seadeuce]

Was on the Odyssey a few years back.

They run a good operation, but tailor it to the clientele they have onboard. I was lucky to have experienced divers aboard the week I went, and the Cap'n said - at the initial brief - "This week we're gonna do the dives that WE want to do!"

The "WE" meaning the Odyssey crew.

Needless to say, I had an absolutely brilliant week.

I have also been on other liveaboards where I was not so lucky, and just two inexperienced divers are all that's needed to adversely affect the choice of sites in a week of promising diving.

Believe me, these two divers would not be very popular with the rest of the week's divers.

Good advice from other posters here. But, please, don't go down the route of "Gear for Fear" i.e. believing that by upgrading your tank size/redundancy etc. you will compensate for any lack of actual wreck diving experience.
This only adds to the task loading and increases the unfamiliarity of the diving you will find yourself doing. Better to keep everything simple and limit your dive profile to suit. A good buddy is a necessity in this regard - one that would dive with you/for you, not just dive around you/for the wreck.

Too many divers believe themselves to be using the Buddy System when wreck diving when they are, in reality, solo divers.

My point is that you may want to consider this when planning your trip, and take the land-based option. That way you would find yourself aboard a boat catering for your level of experience, and not affecting other divers' site choice.

You may not agree with my point now, but after a week on a liveaboard you would fully understand what I mean.

Go and enjoy what, IMO, is one of the prime dive areas this planet has to offer.

But come back safe...


Seadeuce