Starting to plan a trip to Truk/Chuuk - help please

[Kevrumbo]

I agree with MOST of what NCChuck has written and thank him for his honesty. I must defend Blue Lagoon Dive Shop dive guides regarding lack of certification. As one who was first certified as an instructor in 1970 (YMCA, crossed over to NAUI in 1977, now certified for trimix), and made my first Truk dive with Kimiuo in 1973 BEFORE he opened his dive shop, and have returned to the lagoon for a total of 52 trips, I say these mostly Aisek family relatives don't need to be certified. Their experience and safety record speaks for itself. They were the first to hang tanks or to carry an extra tank (a steel 72 and then an aluminum 80) on "deep" dives -- so non tek divers could make quick bounce dives to the San Francisco or the Nippo. They have longevity vs. the expat turnover at Truk Stop (even though Melba is married to an Aisek!). Competition is good. And yes, the Odyssey is THE choice for tek -- but fully booked 2 years in advance. Too bad the Odyssey owners are so paranoid about land-based boats "stopping by" for a freshly baked cookie or a banana (or a spare fin!).

Until Truk Odyssey as a policy starts allowing the option to blend helium for trimix, this liveaboard is NOT the choice for technical diving. I save a lot more money by sacrificing the amenities of the Odyssey liveaboard for the trimix/deco gas support & logistics of the Truk Stop Hotel/Truk Lagoon Dive Center, the only dive operation that has helium readily available to blend in Chuuk.

The Aisek Family does a great job running the Blue Lagoon Dive Ops (nice diving retail shop and memorabilia display), and there is no question about their dive guides' skill, expertise and experience. But they have not kept "up to date" with the latest best techniques for overhead technical diving like current manager Kelvin Davidson practices over at the Truk Stop --the only qualified advanced wreck instructor (TDI) to teach technical wreck penetrations in all of Micronesia, in residence at Weno/Chuuk Lagoon.

Strongdiver, I know of the past turnover history at the Truk Stop dive ops --but tell me how is that relevant to their service at present? Tell us how many times you've been back to Truk Lagoon within the past two years?? Do you know the current manager of Truk Lagoon Dive Center at the Truk Stop Hotel, and can you give a fair & honest assessment of the way he's running the operation??? Better yet, why don't you come join me and Kelvin's former employer Asiadivers/Tech Asia Philippines at the Truk Stop Hotel this coming Sept?

http://www.asiadivers.com/techasia/Truk.pdf

 

[diverken374]

There's the Truk Odyssey...and then there's everything else.

I spent a week at the Blue Lagoon, and two weeks on the Odyssey. People love to say that it costs a lot more, but it doesn't. Not going to repeat the math here - I've posted it many times before - but when you add everything up on an "apples to apples" comparison, it's not much more than a few dollars extra...and FAR superior. (Unless you want trimix or simply don't want a liveaboard.)

PS - A shop owner who "prefers land based" but has "never done a liveaboard, so has made up his mind" is really...um...uh...Well, I'm sure he's a great guy, but he'd be the last shop-owner in the world I'd go on a dive trip with, much less allow to plan one.

When are you looking to go? The Odyssey tends to book YEARS in advance if you want the whole boat.

I am looking at doing Truk/Palau Feb. 2011 and would like to do a similar trip as you describe with a week to recover from the trip. I am going as a single diver.Was that the case for you and when did you go? Also wondering about Odyssey vs Aggressor vs other liveaboards although I have no doubt that this has been posted on other threads. This is my dream dive trip so want to do it right!

 

[Joe Burns]

Thanks for the kind words about our pics. Sharing them is almost as much fun as making them.... OK not really. Nothing compares to making them ;-)

We certainly didn't mean to 'steal' any pics from the dive guide. I purposely made sure the photos I used to mark the gallery for each wreck were obviously an arrangement of the reference books we used on board the Odyssey. The books were such a constant part of the experience, those shots were more about capturing the on board research before the dive than they were trying to use someone else's work.

 

[orcachilds]

Whoever it was said that all dive sites are 10 to 20 mins away from BL .... really, I don't think so????
and the diving is so expensive on BL that I think 'net net' BL = Odyssey

They sent the tender back to pick up people who arrived late
and, they sent the tender back to drop off a guy who needed to catch a flight to Palau

I was doing very long dives five dives a day .... it's all about planning
Those kingposts are facinating for 20 mins at 10 meters
or, playing witht he bat fish hanging around the jug

study the diagrams and ... plan - plan - plan

RJP's quote below is the truest thing I have read on SB for the past 3 years

Odyssey is the best dive op I've ever used, the best liveaboard I've ever done, and the nicest/most attentive crew.

Pure diving freedom. As long as the boat is not moving, you can go diving.

 

[orcachilds]

I love threads like this

They really make me laugh, and one of you ... I feel like you are beating me with a rusty blunt implement until I do what you did :shocked2:

Well, I did this .... in March 2010 and I'm heading back in two weeks!!

2 days diving on BL
week on Odyssey
2 days diving on BL

I will never travel on Thorfinn if Odyssey exists
I dived out of BL because I had additional days due to flights, much preferred Odyssey
Truk stop does not look nice from the outside!

 

[Kevrumbo]

October 2004 Truk Odyssey;
Nov/Dec 2007: Blue Lagoon Resort and back-to-back week charters on Truk Odyssey;
October 2008; Dec2008/Jan 2009; and Dec 2009: Truk Stop w/ current mgr Kelvin Davidson.

Returning Sept 2010 with Truk Stop Dive Ops, again to do the some of the deeper, less-visited wrecks of the 4th Fleet Anchorage, as well as Destroyer Oite.

http://www.asiadivers.com/techasia/Truk.pdf