Micronesia for a month under $6-8k?

[clownfishsydney]

Depends on what sort of diving you want to do. You could easily do Chuuk (Truk) for a month on $8,000, with accommodation, flights, two dives a day and food. We did 3 weeks there two years ago (last few days in Guam) and cost was about $4,500 from Sydney. Base yourself onshore rather than on a liveaboard, far cheaper and you will end up doing a lot more wrecks as the liveaboards limit tend to do multiple dives on the one wreck in a day. You may end up doing the same number of dives overall, but they will be a better quality as well as being safer (eg more surface interval).

If you want a mixture, then do two weeks in Chuuk, a few days in Guam and then the rest in Palau.

 

[orenbvip]

Thanks Michael!

Who did you dive with in Chuuk? I am booking a liveaboard to palau so might have the budget for a stop to Chuuk.

 

[clownfishsydney]

Blue Lagoon is by far the best dive operation in Chuuk.

 

[Kevrumbo]

Blue Lagoon Resort has the better resort grounds & ambiance; Truk Odyssey is the best of the liveaboards (now finally providing banked 21/40 trimix) ; but the Truk Stop Hotel/Truk Lagoon Dive Center has the better tech diving support --the only dive operation in all of Micronesia with Helium readily available for mixing any desired blend of trimix and Oxygen for Eanx30, and deco mixes of 50% and 100% always available as well. Blue Lagoon Dive Shop will only guarantee He & O2 supplies if you pre-order months in advance, while Truk Stop always has the gases for the ad-lib/drop-in traveling tech diver (larger groups though should probably call ahead).

Also, for the deeper wrecks of the Fourth Fleet Anchorage (San Francisco Maru; Aikoku Maru; Nagano Maru etc), the Blue Lagoon Guides on single tank will only escort you down to the wreck and rarely guide you through, while Truk Lagoon Dive Center Manager Rob McGann will personally lead you on penetrations of the hull, cargo holds, superstructure & engine rooms (if you're Technical Wreck/Trimix qualified). . .

Here's a sample open circuit gas bill which can really eat into your budget of $6k -8k if you plan on diving a lot on the deeper wrecks of Truk Lagoon:

http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=152727&d=1366162580