Chuuk/Truk Lagoon

[Travman]

I am planning a trip to Chuuk with a friend. I was keen for a liveaboard so we can get plenty of dives in, but unfortunately it exceeds my dive buddies budget.
So I am trying to decide between Blue Lagoon and Truk Stop. Truk Stop have offered us a pretty good deal. From the reviews the Blue Lagoon seems to get a range of reviews from poor to excellent. But a few people who stayed at the Blue Lagoon said "Don't stay at the truk stop". But from all the reviews I have read from people that have actually stayed at the Truk Stop said it was great.
I was wondering if anyone here has stayed at Truk Stop and how did they find it?
Is being close to town an advantage or a disadvantage?
Has anyone stayed at both?

 

[deepstops]

I am planning a trip to Chuuk with a friend. I was keen for a liveaboard so we can get plenty of dives in, but unfortunately it exceeds my dive buddies budget.
So I am trying to decide between Blue Lagoon and Truk Stop. Truk Stop have offered us a pretty good deal. From the reviews the Blue Lagoon seems to get a range of reviews from poor to excellent. But a few people who stayed at the Blue Lagoon said "Don't stay at the truk stop". But from all the reviews I have read from people that have actually stayed at the Truk Stop said it was great.
I was wondering if anyone here has stayed at Truk Stop and how did they find it?
Is being close to town an advantage or a disadvantage?
Has anyone stayed at both?

There's NOTHING, I repeat NOTHING in town worth seeing unless you like watching drunken locals youths throwing rocks at you and each other.
I can't comment on the Truk Stop for diving or accommodations but proximity to town is not a factor.
I stayed at Blue Lagoon and enjoyed it for both diving and accommodations/food.

 

[Wayan]

So I am trying to decide between Blue Lagoon and Truk Stop.

Agreed there is nothing in town and BLR offers better scenic surrounds and seaside bar etc.

Accom at Truk stop is ok but definitely not relaxing as what BLR is.

For the time being the local rock throwing youths have calmed down quite a bit, but who's to say if they may get back to their old antics again

 

[ncchuck]

I lived at Truk Stop for almost 4 months when I ran the dive operation there. I often visited Blue Lagoon just to get away from it all. I have seen some rooms.

Truk Stop is near town which means you don't feel like a captive as at Blue Lagoon. Blue Lagoon is a gated compound with a much nicer setting. While there isn't much in town, it is not a dangerous place to visit. There is a grocery store about a block from the Truk Stop with beer priced at less than 1/2 at either hotel. There is also a descent selection of soda and snacks you won't find at Blue Lagoon at reasonable prices.

Both places are old but the rooms at Truk Stop just seem a little larger and slightly better maintained to me. An Ocean front room cost almost nothing extra and is well worth while.

The Truk Stop dive operation is run by a dive professional. The Blue Lagoon operation is run by locals and some have absolutely no certification. That being said, I never heard anyone complain about the Blue Lagoon Operation and many of their divers visited Truk Stop just to get away from the compound.

The Blue Lagoon has a lot more ocean front area but Truk Stop has a virtually bug free gigantic patio that is very pleasant. They also have a nice long pier that you can walk on at any time. Blue Lagoon does have a very nice beach bar but the prices are pretty high. Truk Stop has a bar with a pool table but with no ocean views and it can get pretty smokey at times. There are several picnic tables on an extented part of the patio immediately in front of the dive lockers that borders the sea. I spent most of my time there talking with divers. The food at Truk Stop is pretty good and I always heard the food at Blue Lagoon was good also.

Most of the local people are friendly enough but not very sophisticated or well educated. There are problems with alcohol throughout the island. Unfortunately many of the truly historic artifacts are on private grounds and most have been trashed. Because the island is so remote and expensive to visit, the economy is a huge mess and could not survive without extensive foreign aid especially from the US. I found it appalling that most schools have no drinking water available for students and very poor bathroom facilities if any at all.

If you visit, take a few simple items such as T shirts or school supplies for the children.

By the way, the wrecks are deteriorating quickly. Visibility is sometimes an issue on some wrecks due to huge buildups of silt and rust. I had many repeat visitors that indicated they could see big changes over the last 10 years or so. There were a few collapses while I was there. I don't want to give the idea it's not worth visiting however. It is an amazing place and many wrecks are still in good condition. You can't help but have a special feeling when visiting this massive grave sight.

 

[dab]

I've stayed at both and I think ncchuck's review is very accurate and well stated.

 

[electric_diver]

I've actually stayed 1 night at both places.

All I would add to ncchuck's report is that there is also a small grocery store a short distance from the Blue lagoon dive shop as well. Blue Lagoon's rooms are carpeted while Truk Stops rooms have a tile floor.

However I would *STRONGLY* urge your buddy to reconsider the liveaboard. Once you add the costs of land based accommodations, meals and diving together you will find that you are at about 80% to 90% of the cost of the all inclusive live aboard (especially if you are trying to do a lot of dives). The small extra amount is worth not having to haul all your dive gear down to the boat every day.

Another reason to support the liveaboards is that both Blue Lagoon and Truk Stop dive boats anchor into the wrecks. I personally saw boats from both shops anchored into the Haien and Rio.
Odyssey used mooring bouys. I don't know what Thorfinn uses.

 

[ncchuck]

In some places a liveaboard may have a competitive price but I don't think that's the case in Truk. I think you could easily save $800 if you don't splurge on meals. In Truk, the land based operations visit the exact same places that the liveaboards visit. At Truk Stop, hauling your equipment is not an issue. The lockers are right at the end of the pier and the crew handles all your equipment anyway. Most divers in Truk only do 3 dives a day anyway since many are well over 100 feet. I'm a big fan of liveaboards personally but in Truk, you can save a bunch by staying on land although just getting there is a large part of the cost.

Sometimes the land based boats do use hooks (not anchors) but they seldom do any damage. The guides know the wrecks so well they are able to place the hoods on large structural parts of the wrecks. The boats are small and not that heavy. Many wrecks have suffered severe damage when some of the previous liveaboards used hooks. The huge boats ripped the old rusted ships apart.

Enjoy your visit and don't worry about the liveboard in this case.

 

[Scared Silly]

First, welcome to da Board.

ncchuck gives a very nice unbiased review. We stayed and dove at Blue Lagoon for a day before and after being on the Odyssey. I think on average we did 4 dives a day which is certainly possible with any of the dive ops. The nice part about the live-aboard is that the pool hours are more flexible.

With the economy you might watch for some deals. One shop that chartered the Odyssey sold the last cabin for a May trip for USD 2000 PP.