Barracuda2
Contributor
I just got back from Truk/Chuuk Lagoon from a weeks stay aboard the Thorfinn. Did 24 dives on 19 different wrecks.
The Diving What can i say? It was Truk Lagoon!! I guess the thing that struck me most was the size of these wrecks. Each wreck could easily be explored several times and see something different each time. Our dive guide, Paco, was really great. He took us deep into some wrecks; down passageways, into galleys, bathrooms, engine rooms, holds, pointing out some very interesting things: saki and beer bottles, shoes, helmets, gas masks, all kinds of munitions from 16 inch shells used on battleships to carpets of bullets littering the floor, Zero fighter planes that never made it to battle, and the remains of Japanese sailors who became victims of Operation Hailstorm. Diving these wrecks took me back to Feb. of 1944 because other than the coral growth, these wrecks are just as they were the day they went down. We saw one ship that actually went down fighting, the Aikoku Maru. Her antiaircraft gun barrels were off-set showing that she was firing as it sunk. These guns alternate in their recoil, but when at rest, they are even with each other. Another larger gun was still pointed skyward and empty shells littered the area around it What a trip back into history! We did the San Francisco Maru twice because of her depth - about 160 ft. to the two military tanks sitting on her deck. Each time it was our morning dive, and a planned Deco dive. Most of our dives were between the 70 and 120 ft. depth. It would take me more words than you would want to read to describe all I experienced.
The Thorfinn A converted whaler with quite a history behind her. Old, but comfortable. Large rooms, and adequate food. (not the Aggressor, but still good) If you're more interested in diving rather than onboard amenities, then this boat is it. If you want, you can dive an easy profile, as easy as you want, but if you're experienced and comfortable, you are allowed to pursue a more aggressive profile; deeper and more penetration into the wrecks. I can't speak from experience, but I don't believe the Aggressor or the Odyssey would allow you the latitude that the Thorfinn allows. Capt. Lance, well what can I say? A colorful, opinionated, knowledgeable, talkative man who will, in the end, do his best to accommodate the wishes of his guests. If you have a special diving request, (shark dive, or outer reef dive) he will first try to squelch it, then turn around and get it done. I don't know if Capt. Lance had some bad experiences with past guest stealing things from him (books, tapes, etc.) but everything is locked up. If you want a drink, or a video tape to watch in your room, you had to ask one of the crew, and because of language, that could be a task. The dive guides and crew were just great. Every dive, they loaded your equipment, photo and video gear, and helped you gear up and took everything from you before you reboarded the boat after each dive. It really wasn't much different than Aggressor style diving; instead of climbing down a ladder to the platform, we climbed down a ladder into a skiff and took no more than a 10 min ride to the site. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it might me. All in all, the Thorfinn is a dive operation for divers who really don't care about cruise ship aminities, but just diving the Lagoon.
For sure, i did not like the 20 hrs. of flight to get there and 20 hrs to get back. If I ever go to that part of the world again, I will travel in segments, especially coming home. I will stop in Hawaii for a couple of days before I head for the mainland. A 61 yr. old body is not built to be in tight confinements for that period of time. Well, now I can brag that I've been there, done that---Truk Lagoon.
Barracuda2
The Diving What can i say? It was Truk Lagoon!! I guess the thing that struck me most was the size of these wrecks. Each wreck could easily be explored several times and see something different each time. Our dive guide, Paco, was really great. He took us deep into some wrecks; down passageways, into galleys, bathrooms, engine rooms, holds, pointing out some very interesting things: saki and beer bottles, shoes, helmets, gas masks, all kinds of munitions from 16 inch shells used on battleships to carpets of bullets littering the floor, Zero fighter planes that never made it to battle, and the remains of Japanese sailors who became victims of Operation Hailstorm. Diving these wrecks took me back to Feb. of 1944 because other than the coral growth, these wrecks are just as they were the day they went down. We saw one ship that actually went down fighting, the Aikoku Maru. Her antiaircraft gun barrels were off-set showing that she was firing as it sunk. These guns alternate in their recoil, but when at rest, they are even with each other. Another larger gun was still pointed skyward and empty shells littered the area around it What a trip back into history! We did the San Francisco Maru twice because of her depth - about 160 ft. to the two military tanks sitting on her deck. Each time it was our morning dive, and a planned Deco dive. Most of our dives were between the 70 and 120 ft. depth. It would take me more words than you would want to read to describe all I experienced.
The Thorfinn A converted whaler with quite a history behind her. Old, but comfortable. Large rooms, and adequate food. (not the Aggressor, but still good) If you're more interested in diving rather than onboard amenities, then this boat is it. If you want, you can dive an easy profile, as easy as you want, but if you're experienced and comfortable, you are allowed to pursue a more aggressive profile; deeper and more penetration into the wrecks. I can't speak from experience, but I don't believe the Aggressor or the Odyssey would allow you the latitude that the Thorfinn allows. Capt. Lance, well what can I say? A colorful, opinionated, knowledgeable, talkative man who will, in the end, do his best to accommodate the wishes of his guests. If you have a special diving request, (shark dive, or outer reef dive) he will first try to squelch it, then turn around and get it done. I don't know if Capt. Lance had some bad experiences with past guest stealing things from him (books, tapes, etc.) but everything is locked up. If you want a drink, or a video tape to watch in your room, you had to ask one of the crew, and because of language, that could be a task. The dive guides and crew were just great. Every dive, they loaded your equipment, photo and video gear, and helped you gear up and took everything from you before you reboarded the boat after each dive. It really wasn't much different than Aggressor style diving; instead of climbing down a ladder to the platform, we climbed down a ladder into a skiff and took no more than a 10 min ride to the site. It really wasn't as bad as I thought it might me. All in all, the Thorfinn is a dive operation for divers who really don't care about cruise ship aminities, but just diving the Lagoon.
For sure, i did not like the 20 hrs. of flight to get there and 20 hrs to get back. If I ever go to that part of the world again, I will travel in segments, especially coming home. I will stop in Hawaii for a couple of days before I head for the mainland. A 61 yr. old body is not built to be in tight confinements for that period of time. Well, now I can brag that I've been there, done that---Truk Lagoon.
Barracuda2