Best approach to "two weeks in Chuuk"???

[RJP]

Looking to do Truk Odyssey first or second week of March. Going by myself and sold the idea to my wife as sort of a "midlife crisis" kind of trip. She bought into the idea, and I was originally planning on doing two full weeks on the Odyssey.

Flying from Newark NJ essentially requires leaving Wednesday and arriving on Chuuk early AM on Friday in order to ensure you don't "miss the boat" so to speak. (Depart Newark on Wednesday - Newark-Tokyo-Guam-Chuuk - which arrives TKK 10am Friday ) And of course it takes a full day to get back on the following Monday as well.

So now Mrs RJP - who is tolerant to a point - throws a penalty flag and points out that what I sold her as "a two week" trip is in actuallity "a three week" trip (20 days total) which is a long time away from wife/kids/home/etc...

In the interest of ensuring I having a wife, kids, and home to return to after the trip, I'm re-thinking doing the second week. (Mrs. RJP often points out that there's a reason that DIVORCE comes right after DIVING in the Yellow Pages.)

So what I'm thinking is just do one week on the Odyssey, but take full advantage of the days on Chuuk prior to the boat departing by diving from one of the land based operations.

From what I'm reading - and advice from people I know who have been - I'm considering staying at the Truk Stop Hotel on Fri & Sat night. I can get 4 or so dives in on Saturday for sure. And probably 2 dives on Sunday AM before boarding the boat. (Does anyone know what time you're supposed to board the Odyssey on Sunday? Thought I read 3pm afternoon, but can't find that anywhere now.)

Then I re-look at flights and think...if I leave on Sunday I'll be in Chuuk by Tuesday afternoon. Then I can dive Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun AM before getting on the boat on Sunday.

Now I'm back to a "two week trip" with just as many days of diving as if I was on the Odyssey for two weeks, but at a net cost that is nearly $1500 cheaper! (And it's only two planes instead of four - EWR-HNL-TKK)

Anyone ever taken this approach to "two weeks in Chuuk"?

Other possible approach is to stop in Kosrae or Pohnpei for a few days before going on to Chuuk. (The HNL-TKK flight hops around Micronesia along the way)

Appreciate any thoughts or input - Thanks!

 

[mjh]

Two weeks always works out to close to 3 weeks going to a from the South Pacific. If you really love wrecks than "two weeks" in Chuuk will be great. If you are a photographer it will give you second chance at sites that maybe you did not capture what you were looking for. From what I saw I would prefer to stay at the Blue Lagoon resort rather than the Truk Stop, plus the Odyssey picks up there. We dove with them (Blue Lagoon) and it was fine. We had some chop and the rides out could be a bit rough.

For other options we did Yap for the Mantas, it was great saw them on every dive. Others said they loved Kosrae, amazing viz, hard corals and schools of fish.

For our trip there are Trip reports, galleries and MultiMedia shows for Chuuk and Yap at our website.

 

[dab]

For my 2 cents, I'd stay on the Odyssey for 2 weeks and promise your wife you'll make it up to her some other way. I've been to Truk twice, one aboard the Odyssey and once aboard the Thorfinn. I've stayed at the Blue Lagoon and the Truk Stop. I enjoyed both liveaboards, but for comfort there is no beating the Odyssey. Stay two weeks, a big part of the cost and the major hassel is getting over there so stay as long as you can and make the most of it. You won't regret it.

 

[Doubler]

I travel a lot in my job. After years of "it is only a 2 week trip dear" my spouse pointed out the difference between man math and woman math. Too us a two week trip is the actual feet on the ground, doing what we came to do time. We don't include travel time, why would we, because all we are doing is killing time on an airplane. For them it starts the moment you pack your bag to leave and ends after your bags are unpacked and your dirty laundry is cleaned and put away.

 

[RJP]

For them it starts the moment you pack your bag to leave and ends after your bags are unpacked and your dirty laundry is cleaned and put away.

Uh oh! If completely unpacking/doing laundry/etc is part of it...I still haven't completely "returned" from last year's Bonaire trip!

 

[dbeitz]

Hi RJP, My name's Doug, I'm the owner/operator of Kosrae Nautilus Resort/Divers in Micronesia. Trying to keep your wife happy while planning a major dive trip away from her, sorry, can't offer advice there, but I will say that we have quite a few divers from the US visiting us on the way to or from Truk/Palau/Yap. Depending on how long it will have been since you were in the water, Kosrae can be an ideal warm up before some serious deep diving in Truk. Visibility here is some of the best you'll get anywhere in Micronesia. Nearly all dives here are gentle drifts along the fringing reef, with the divemaster towing a float, so the boat is waiting close by when you surface. I am new to SB, so I can't add weblinks, but if you care to do a search for "Kosrae Nautilus Resort Micronesia" & click on our guestbook, you can read for yourself what some our previous guests have to say about the diving here. If you do choose to include Kosrae on this trip, or a future one, you'll most likely be very glad that you did.
Anyway, good luck with the decision making, & more so keeping your wife happy! Doug

 

[Tassie_Rohan]

Hope you've already booked the Odyssey - last I heard shes booked out until mid 2011.

 

[ncchuck]

I'm not sure why you would choose Truk Stop over Blue Lagoon. The Odyssey is moored at Blue Lagoon. Of course they are only about 3 miles apart anyway.

No matter how you look at it, you are going a long long way. Island hoping sounds great but you'll certainly lose some dive time because of the necessity to get on another airplane. As long as you love wreck diving, just spend any extra days in Chuuk. Both operators are okay.

 

[RJP]

I'm not sure why you would choose Truk Stop over Blue Lagoon. The Odyssey is moored at Blue Lagoon.

Good point, didn't realize that. Was going based on what I had read between the two as well as folks I know that had been. However, if there's not much difference between the two

No matter how you look at it, you are going a long long way. Island hoping sounds great but you'll certainly lose some dive time because of the necessity to get on another airplane. As long as you love wreck diving, just spend any extra days in Chuuk.

Yeah, I'm sort of torn between a few options...

- Two weeks on Odyssey
- Several "land based" diving days on Chuuk, then one week on Odyssey
- Several "land based" diving days on Kosrae or Pohnpei, then one week on Odyssey

I could dive wrecks 24/7/365 so either of the first two definitely are appealing. But also thinking that doing a few days of "different" diving before getting on the Odyssey for a week of tec/deep stuff will make it feel like "two different" trips. Plus, from what I understand the "island paradise" feel is a bit lacking on Truk...



Don't mind losing a day of diving due to flight from KSA to TKK since there seems to be a bit of "dry land" stuff to do on Kosrae. The one itinerary I'm looking at would have me arriving on Kosrae on Tuesday at 1pm. I'd then...

- relax tuesday afternoon
- dive wednesday
- dive thursday
- dive friday morning
- explore Kosrae friday afternoon/Sat morning
- fly to Truk Saturday afternoon
- board Odyssey on Sunday afternoon

Could even probably do some diving Sunday morning with Blue Lagoon...

 

[dbeitz]

Re your Kosrae option, you can always get 2 dives in the day before you fly out, & still have 24 hours before your flight. If you only do 2 dives, we can organize afternoon land based activities most days, as we return to the resort between 1.30 & 2.30 pm from a 2 tank dive. If you want to do a 3rd tank, that's no problem & night diving is awesome.