Ghost Destroyer of Truk Lagoon • Oite

[Curt Bowen]

ADVANCED DIVER MAGAZINE • Ghost Destroyer of Truk Lagoon

Ghost Destroyer of Truk Lagoon

Text and photography by Leigh Bishop

The Japanese destroyer Oite is certainly one wreck that is often missed by visiting divers if only due to its location and depth which in around 210-220ft of water is much deeper than the majority of the other wrecks and some considerable distance away for the bulk concentration of tourist wrecks.

 

[Rhone Man]

I'll be in Truk in January. Have to see if I can persuade someone to take me to have a look...

 

[Kevrumbo]

Nice article! Truk Stop Hotel has the helium available & already there onsite to blend trimix needed for this wreck (at $0.07 per liter it's not cheap, but at least it's 50% less expensive than a year ago). Warm water 27deg C; minimal current at depth; some finning involved to visit both halves of the destroyer. Do-able on open circuit deep air and eanx50 & O2 deco, but I recommend at least 20/20 bottom mix (ideal would be standard 18/45 if you can afford it) planning for an ave depth of 60m and 15-20min bottom time.

 

[Guy Alcala]

Nice article! Truk Stop Hotel has the helium available & already there onsite to blend trimix needed for this wreck (at $0.07 per liter it's not cheap, but at least it's 50% less expensive than a year ago). Warm water 27deg C; minimal current at depth; some finning involved to visit both halves of the destroyer. Do-able on open circuit deep air and eanx50 & O2 deco, but I recommend at least 20/20 bottom mix (ideal would be standard 18/45 if you can afford it) planning for an ave depth of 60m and 15-20min bottom time.

Eek! $1.98/cu.ft.! My dive club had a group at Truk off the Odyssey in July-August last year, first two weeks tech depths (OC deep air), 2nd two weeks rec. I remember seeing one of the profiles, which was mostly at 200' (deck) with a brief spike to 217' (the bottom). Don't remember which wreck this was on, but I know they went to some of the less visited ones.

Guy

 

[Kevrumbo]

Eek! $1.98/cu.ft.! My dive club had a group at Truk off the Odyssey in July-August last year, first two weeks tech depths (OC deep air), 2nd two weeks rec. I remember seeing one of the profiles, which was mostly at 200' (deck) with a brief spike to 217' (the bottom). Don't remember which wreck this was on, but I know they went to some of the less visited ones.

Guy

Could have been the Oite, Aikoku Maru, or most likely the San Francisco Maru.

(Two years ago, the helium retail cost on Truk was $4.00/cuft . . .!)