SS Thorfinn Truk Lagoon - Unsafe Practices, Problematic Captain

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How deep are all of the dives? Is Truk pretty much for Tec level divers?

Truk has plenty of fantastic sites for all skill levels.

While the distance and cost would make me want to spend two whole weeks there (one with the Odyssey, one on shore) and I would want full tech certs, plenty of people dive there with just advanced open water and love it.

Truk Lagoon - Lust4Rust Wreck Diving Trips
 
If I understand your English properly, you saying that there are underwater torches. Using a torch to look into dark parts of the wreck during a daylight dive is different from diving on wrecks at night in total darkness. Can you tell the difference between night and day, and that most divers prefer to dive on wrecks in daylight?

Nothing happened to me after the confrontation with the captain.

He did not throw me out.

Correct, I did not dive any more after that. I lost a day of diving. The other divers decided to pile into the other dive boat with sickly engines and motor even more slowly out and back because the remaining boat was now overloaded on top of having sickly engines.

As another poster has pointed out, you seem to have strong feelings for the Thorfinn and/or Higgs. Do you have some sort of relationship with him, as was asked?

1. So you don't like to dive wreck in total darkness, your choice. If I am diving wreck I carry at least two lights anytime of the day.
2. A very satisfied client from previous two visiits and I am NOT alone.

---------- Post added November 22nd, 2015 at 09:56 AM ----------

How deep are all of the dives? Is Truk pretty much for Tec level divers?
There are plenty for everyone rec or tec alike. The deep wrecks are nice and so are the shallow ones.
If you have never been to Truk then I would suggest you should at least spend one week diving the various wrecks and decide which of them require further investigation.
I have been to Truks only twice and if I ever go back again it will be another rec trip. But I will limit to three dives a day because I am too old for 5 dives/day.
Time and money are usually the limiting factors.
 
Latest bad report on TripAdvisor.

libby124
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“Worst Liveaboard trip” dated 24 Nov 2015.
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https://www.tripadvisor.com.sg/ShowUserReviews-g311328-d447377-r328844534-Truk_Lagoon-Chuuk.html
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The pattern has now become very clear.
.
Yet another bad report for the 12 months to November 2015.
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Yes, there used to be many good reports in the past years.
.
But more and more fresh bad reports prove the Thorfinn is past the point of recovery and well on the way to being a wreck itself.



Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
 
That review seems to be like the majority of the other ones I have read over the years. I have no idea how this boat stays in business.
 
That review seems to be like the majority of the other ones I have read over the years. I have no idea how this boat stays in business.

The latest report on TripAdvisor shows how far things have gone downhill on the Thorfinn.

Higgs normally uses the dive boats to ferry passengers from Weno to the Thorfinn. That is no longer possible.

I had reported how sickly engines his dive boat engines were, and he responded by promising to repair (but not replace) those engines.

However, this is obviously not the case as the TripAdvisor report states. The engines were not even repaired properly.

So now he tries to use the Thorfinn itself to pick up his passengers (because the dive boat engines are out of action).

But not surprisingly the Thorfinn itself also has a very sick engine.

Anyone considering diving on the Thorfinn would do well to look at the sudden surge (over the last 12 months) in bad reports which show a rapid decline in service levels. The dive boats and now the Thorfinn itself is in very bad shape. There is no way Higgs can bring operations to a safe and comfortable standard whilst still taking customers.
 
WOW… this report is a Ninja-like assassination of this Captain/Owner from a seeming vendetta by the writer/author during a brief stay aboard. His report indicates an outreach for descriptive extremes in most all encounters. Other guests aboard were annoyed at his posturings after an event he pushed to the limit. He seemed intolerant of island life and the challenges of operating a complex ship in these waters under locally enforced manning requirements. We tried explaining certain details that were immediately termed as lies or untruths. T

This person was bent toward exaggerations and his report bears this out. Our clientele is based on approx. 25% repeating guests pleasantly satisfied enough to return as many as 4-5 times while exhibiting much more pleasantries than his slanderous phrases.
We do not make excuses for recent boat engine failures, but tried explaining some of the causes and challenges being encountered with our complex 4 stroke Yamaha F150 units. Any experienced operators having worked with these motors will add to this aspect.

They are great and efficient units when operating near a dealership with the bells and whistles to step aboard, electronically diagnose faults and change parts as necessary.
But this open ocean site is far removed from such service, leaving only our best learning curves to rely on. New or used units under constant rough weather conditions as experienced for nearly 4 months early this year appear to suffer from a buildup of salt contaminants in their main fuel tanks and electronics, causing recent problems. Top quality Racor filtration is ahead of each unit, but recent weather extremes dealt a heavy hand. Only an electronic diagnostic unit as used for modern cars can quickly see faults within, permitting quick
replacements from spares aboard. Each of our 6 motors run close to USD $20,000 delivered, and are not replaced for each minor hiccup unless encountering serious internal disorders. Surely this writer doesn’t purchase a new car with each flat tire encountered. Our motors average 2-3 years of service, and the unit with most recent problems has been less than one year in service.

Warned at purchase time to beware employing hi-tech motors out at island wilds, we felt capable of living with it to gain the credits of their superior operation, and hopeful abilities of servicing with capable onboard staff. We have been sadly proven wrong as recent intensive storms and high winds pouring seawater and spray over them brought on problems now encountered.

Through most of the storms our close attentions maintained the units at full power, but recent woes illustrated the need for high level diagnostic tools. For years Yamaha has refused to supply them to fleet operators like ourselves until recently a Guam operator with 12 units acting similar to our 6 units was ready to throw them aside as others at Truk had previously done. When our boats first arrived from Australia there were 14 hi-tech units in local service, but we alone have kept ours running with a clever staff working our hearts to do so…(far from descriptions of lazy attentions given by this writer).

But problems developed beyond our ready ability, and after threatening their abandonment, were finally permitted to purchase a USD $3,000 diagnostic system to conduct internal electronic fault read-outs with fast replacements as necessary.
They are fine motors tuned to modern environmental concerns with minimal exhaust emissions burning half the fuel of comparably sized 2 stroke smokers, …. but with many more complexities in doing so.

We seriously acknowledge these problems and do not take them lightly as the report describes. Only a fool would do so and we may just
be a few decibels above that rating after successfully operating at this isolated shipwreck paradise for well over 30 years. We’ve seen others rise and fall, and our courses have been perilous at times, but we continue delivering safest diving to the largest variety of Truk’s attractions that has attracted and kept past clients coming back for more.

We’re far from perfect (whatever it means in Ninja words ) and do not wish to be defensive about conceived flaws in our long running operation. We encourage and accept constructive criticisms, to use, improve, and better serve future clients, but have difficulty swallowing his personal insults as delivered.

Our main claim after 32 years of safely diving these waters is offering to compare our dive safety records with any others wishing to challenge our lead in this respect.

No delivered credits for free Internet with a bandwidth of 70 MB, that few other vessels come close to supplying. The line plug he so kindly refers to was never pulled, but the Inmarsat system often requires re-booting if not in constant use, and we’re always quick to do so on request, much like many IT locations. Certainly was not some ill-conceived plot as he reports.

Our advanced designed and costly launches are the only dive units with installed VHF radios at Truk as many now rely solely on mobile phones to communicate. Our radios can suffer occasional wiring faults but we keep in contact (even more so after Ninja clamorings) to ensure all is well at nearby dive sites. If a launch is more than 15-20 minutes delayed, we call to ensure all is going well.

A rescue launch was dispatched upon notice from the described passing craft, of which over 1,500 ply this lagoon’s waters, and no matter what may occur, a simple arm’s wave or light flash quickly attracts generously given assistance. Long anchor lines on our dive craft ensure ability to moor at any point in this moderate depth lagoon when required. Safety oxygen breathing kits and primary first aid supplies are regularly checked by dive leaders. There are few modern medications of any kind ashore, and generous leavings of prior medical guests has enabled us to maintain a reasonably well-stocked First Aid kit possessing many treatments otherwise unavailable out here. If some are aged we leave it to individual choices on accepting what we cannot possibly directly replace.

I’ve been known for years to run a moderately tight ship, that may involve light disciplinary treatment to create incentives of providing good services to valued onboard clients. Alcohol and some substance abuses are not permitted in this regard to maintain higher protocols…. However, when the crew serve well they get well praised, but when an incident occurs the blame goes straight to the captain, as well it should. This does not always endear love for a Captain, but certainly not hatred as vividly described by this writer. I really enjoy the fine fellowship of our carefully hand-picked crew, and they always illustrate respect for fair treatments issued to everyone aboard.

There may be short issues over how to moor a boat line or keeping a ship tidy and clean, but what more can be expected when bringing untrained people off isolated islands to hopefully serve incredibly different demands of a modern outside world far from most of their knowledge or contact.

I readily and willingly admit to my personal faults as they may appear to some highly bred intellectuals from distant civilizations that shows my swing to becoming a part Island Gypsy after all this time. However, I truly respect the culture here and the lives we lead in isolation from ‘modern big cities’. You certainly will not find this ‘gypsy’ looking for a ballerina to mate with. She’d bore me to tears.

I’ve always been at sea but in this semi-retired period of custom live-aboard diving usually enjoy all aspects of clients choosing to dive with us, with a noted exception of this recent character assassin.

Sincerely,

Lance Higgs
SS THORFINN


YIKES!!

If the story was not enough to totally put me off booking with this operation, this reply certainly is.

Bottom line, to have radios on these boats, while divers are out, and not even bother to monitor them....leaving divers stranded for HOURS is something that this captain should have been all over himself apologizing for. Then put into place a plan to never have it happen again. His "apology" and this post show nothing but arrogant defense of negligent behavior.

I say all the time, as a person who has spent at least a month a year on liveaboards (for over 15 years) that the measure of a boats integrity is not how they behave when things go well, but how they behave when things go badly. Not impressed with this captain.
 

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