Ok my LDS is offering a liveaboard on the Oddessy to Truk? Jan1-10th now the cost is around $4,900 pp airfare inclu...and someone on this board said the Oddessy boat is mostly wreak diving deep and not for new divers..and air hogs...so is this a crazy trip for a newbie? and how does the LDS owner get to go to all these trips?? how does he afford this? does he get a profit from these trips? I mean the LDS does not look that busy? But anyway...I've never even been in saltwater, just local spring lakes so this sounded fun! but the price is not that fun! do you think trips to cozumel and a hotel would be a better way to go?
Hmm....this is a difficult question to answer. Why? Because I just went to Truk aboard the Odyssey this summer and I loved it and thought it was great fun but I'm not sure if it's for everybody.
First, it was an amazing trip. But most of the people in our group were very experienced wreck/cave divers used to doing longer and deeper deco dives. But we also had a few people who also liked to just look at the pretty fishies, too.
Our party booked 13 out of 16 spots on the boat so we had a decent group discount. Even with the discount, my fiancee and I both ended up paying ~$5,000-$5,500 each -- this included the cost of the trip, round trip airfare, tip, and other odds and ends (I needed new luggage and a passport, we got shirts from the Odyssey, we did a tour on the island, payment for a hotel room on the island for a night, etc). With that being said, I'm betting that if your LDS owner is making any money, it isn't much.
It is fairly easy diving -- you're in a relatively sheltered/protected lagoon, although don't be fooled by the word "lagoon" (I was!) I was expecting something where I could see the sides of the lagoon. Nope, it's probably ~50 miles wide. The water is warm (a solid 85F at all depths we dove) and the vis was usually excellent.
However, every dive my fiancee and I did (except for two) were in the 80-110ft range. On most of those we could have easily gone to 130-140. One dive was slightly shallower, in the 55-60ft range, and one was much deeper with a max for us just beyond 160ft, while some went to ~180ft. Obviously those deeper dives are not appropriate for someone of your experience level.
I usually never recommend this, but if you feel uncomfortable you can get a guide to go with you. They are very knowledgeable about each wreck and can show you around. They might want you to go on some overhead penetration dives to the engine rooms of the wrecks but again, I wouldn't recommend any of that for you right now. There is an amazing ABUNDANCE of life on the outside of each wreck -- enough to keep you occupied forever without even considering going inside.
Pros:
- $4,900 isn't a bad price if airfare is included.
- Amazing wrecks and marine life
- GREAT crew, great lodging, and nice food aboard the Odyssey. Even the briefings were good.
Cons:
- You might be a bit too new to diving to really appreciate the trip. Chances are you're still getting comfortable in the water, so yours dives might be shorter than usual due to higher air consumption. Then again, air/nitrox is "all you can eat" included in the price of the trip so use as much as you want.
- The Odyssey is booked solid through 2011.
- You WILL end up spending way more than $4,900 if you include all the incidental costs.
Good luck with your decision...