Chuuk lagoon liveaboard vs. land based diving

[M@tt]

Hey all.

So I booked the flights for my dream trip - Chuuk Lagoon!!! Now I have to decide how and where to dive in Chuuk. Here is some info: I have 11 full days to dive. I am not a tech diver. I am travelling with a buddy. I am budget limited!!! Luxury is not necessary and required!!!

We are considering doing SS Thorfinn or diving with land based options for now but still undecided if liveaboard is necessary and whats the wiser $ per dive option. Any suggestions?

Also does anyone know if there are dive package options available? For example doing 30 or 40 dives for a set price... maybe with accommodation? (currently doing the day diving rates is about the same as doing the liveaboard). We leave next week so have to make this happen

Cheers,
MM

 

[WetPup]

You will generally only do 2 dives a day due to the dive profiles. Even as non-tech divers, every dive will be a deco dive, and you take much longer surface intervals. So in 11 days, you're unlikely to do more than 22 dives.

The resorts both offer dive packages. There is little benefit to doing a lob in Chuuk imo, as the dive sites are all clustered in a pretty small area. And land-based is also cheaper. I liked Blue Lagoon Resort, but Truk Stop is also on par from what I hear.

 

[doctormike]

It is an excellent place for a recreational diver. I went this year with two buddies who were strictly single tank, no deco and they had a blast. You could dive there forever and not exhaust everything there is to see at recreational depths. Yes, you get more bottom time if you can do deco or are on a rebreather, but it's definitely great for someone like you. The history there is incredible, you might also like the museum and the land tours.

BTW, I went with Pete Mesley (Lust4Rust Wreck Diving Trips | Pete Mesley's Dive Excursions), and stayed land based at the Blue Lagoon. I would VERY much recommend this approach. Pete is terrific, he always has at least one doc with him on the trip - usually Steve Hubbard who is an ER and Hyperbaric doc, and another great guy. Being land based means that you get broken up into small groups for a short boat ride to the wrecks, so that you can dive whatever wreck you want for your group (rec, tec or CCR). If you and the other single tank divers just want to stick to the shallower wrecks, it doesn't affect anyone else.

Blue Lagoon is a beautiful, secluded resort. Lots of space, a beach, kayaks to borrow, nice rooms, good food. Don't know much about Truk Stop, but it's right in town near the airport.

 

[bamafan]

I did both Blue Lagoon and the Odyssey. Unless things have changed the Thorfin is really not in good shape. They don't actually cruise from site to site on the boat. It is anchored and they use small boats so really not much of a benefit over land based. There isn't anything else to do at eithet Blue Lagoon or the Truk Stop. The Truk Stop is in town while Blue Lagoon is a ways outside of town. We were told to not leave the resort as it was dangerous. I averaged 4 to 5 dives a day on the Odyssey. And I was doing some rather long deco dives. I would do a few days land based and the rest on a liveaboard. It was worth the extra money to me and unless the Thorfin has been upgraded it wouldn't be my choice as no a/c at night in the South Pacific would be miserable

 

[Centrals]

1. Odyssey is usually fully booked year ago. So unless there is TWO last minute cancellation you and your buddy probably have no chance.
2. I have been on Thorfinn twice and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. But there are plenty of dissatisfied divers over a long period of time. Question mark on this operator.
3. The wrecks are spread over the large lagoon(40 miles across) and if you want to make more than couple of dives a day, the land based option is probably not practical. Some of the wrecks are in relatively deep water and there are enough of them in shallow water. If you want carefully, you dive computer would never hit deco even after 5 dives a day.
4. Theer is not such thing as budget diving in Truk. Pay up and have a blast and you will want to return again and again!!

Have a nice trip.

 

[clownfishsydney]

I have been to Chuuk six times. I have been on Thorfinn and used both land based operators. PM for latest about Thorfinn, it really is not recommended anymore.

As to the land based, Blue Lagoon is far and away the best place to stay. You can get your own boat if you want or get put in a small group of 4 or 6. As someone pointed out, as the wrecks are all relatively deep, you really do not want to be doing 4 or 5 a day. If you do, you will be doing very short bottom times. For the cost of a one week liveaboard, you can do two to three weeks on land and do the same number of dives (or more). In addition, you will get to go to many more wrecks as on a liveaboard you are limited to five of the really deep ones (the 40+ metre ones). From land you can do more and more dives on them with longer bottom times. Only do two dives a day apart from the half tank dives done on the aircraft.

Also, I have never felt any danger at all on Chuuk, even when out at night attending a music festival. However, the reality is you will likely not leave the resort at night unless you go to the Truk Stop for dinner one or two times (and you travel by the resorts' buses for this).

 

[bamafan]

One thing that you may not know is the recreational I have been around really penalize you for deco. The algorithms in them are screwy. Personally I would buy a Shearwater before going as no matter what you do there will be some deco. If you can take an an/dp class before going it would help. Doubles help too. Even carrying an al80 as a stage when single tank bm would help as you will get to see a lot more. Deco is not something to be scared of as longas you have a plan and the conditions in Truk are excellent for it. The water is clear and warm (83 F) with no current. It just doesn't get any better. The king post on a lot of the wrecks are loaded with life so you have something to look at while doing deco. They only dive I used O2 on was the Oite Destroyer and it is over 200'. I did use air as my bottom gas on it and the San Francisco Maru. I took 2 al80's of 28% nitrox for my deco gas on the San Francisco Maru. I swam the whole ship and dropped down in the engine room to look around too. The single tank divers did the dive too but they only got to see the tanks and front holds at best. I think they did 15 minute bottom time. It is an awesome trip and the more experience you have the more you will get to see. It really just depends on what you want to do. Single tank ow divers enjoy the trip but surely don't get to see as much as the tech guys. My favorite dives were the Oite Destroyer and the San Francisco Maru.

 

[WetPup]

I have admittedly only done one trip to Truk, but I dived every single dive (except the San Francisco Maru) on a single tank. I took a sling tank on the SF Maru (and still only got 12 mins bottom time). Every single dive I went into deco - even on a single tank. If you try to avoid deco diving there, you're going to have some really short dives and miss out on seeing inside any of the wrecks, and would miss seeing some wrecks entirely. I was perfectly happy with the way I chose to dive - I am not a big wreck diving enthusiast and went to visit out of some morbid curiousity and a history lesson. Seeing the inside of engine rooms on a 60m+ deep wreck has little appeal to me, but to each their own

Of course you don't have to go into deco, but given the time, distance, and cost involved in diving Truk, do you really want to miss out on so many of the opportunities it has to offer?

 

[Kevrumbo]

Hey all.

So I booked the flights for my dream trip - Chuuk Lagoon!!! Now I have to decide how and where to dive in Chuuk. Here is some info: I have 11 full days to dive. I am not a tech diver. I am travelling with a buddy. I am budget limited!!! Luxury is not necessary and required!!!

We are considering doing SS Thorfinn or diving with land based options for now but still undecided if liveaboard is necessary and whats the wiser $ per dive option. Any suggestions?

Also does anyone know if there are dive package options available? For example doing 30 or 40 dives for a set price... maybe with accommodation? (currently doing the day diving rates is about the same as doing the liveaboard). We leave next week so have to make this happen

Cheers,
MM

Tough to make impromptu budget accommodation and dive-ops arrangements in Chuuk on short notice like that. Call MDA Guam right now and see if you can get a last minute package price: pkg Chuuk Weekend trip | MDA

Or else your only resort is to call the land based dive-ops directly now to check vacancy and see what they can offer you:
http://www.dive-truklagoon.com
NEW WEBSITE: Dive Travel To Truk Lagoon - Blue Lagoon Resort

See if Odyssey has any last minute discount cancellations you & your buddy can take:
Scuba Diving Truk Lagoon Aboard Odyssey. The best way to explore Truk Lagoon in Micronesia

Tough review of the Thorfinn liveaboard:
Worst Liveaboard trip - Review of Truk Lagoon, Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia - TripAdvisor

 

[M@tt]

Thank you all for the useful information and help!!! Its really great. I will likely go with the land based option since Odyssey didn't have any last min cancellations. I will report after the trip!

Cheers,
MM