the truk Odyssey boat not for newbies??

[Ladyvalea]

I agree with you Sparticle - the wreaks don't have to be entered to be enjoyed. However being comfortable with basic swim-throughs and diving at depths in the 80 to 140 range (or even deeper...) would really open up some great tours of the wreaks, and turn a good trip into something truly fantastic.


If I was only interested in 'pretty fish, sharks and turtles' Chuuk is definitely not where I would go.

Cheers,
Rohan.

yep, I'm sure my 15yo son would have no problem having a guided tour in swim-throughs and diving deep with a DM ... But me I just want to see fishy..Oh this tour offers a Shark feedin thingy! sounds interesting..
So what are your recs for pretty fish and critters?

 

[mjh]

We dove the Odssey last January and had a great time, it is really a top flight operation. We have a trip report, MultiMedia show and gallery at our site to give you an idea of what you will see. www.aquabluedreams.com

The real issue is what interests you? 4k is a lot of money if all you really want to see is anemones and tropical fish. The outsides of the wrecks have become lush reefs and you could dive the outside of the wrecks and have a great time.

There are plenty of simple penetrations you can do and get the feel of wreck diving and as others have mentioned there are always guides available to take you in. You should have excellent buoyancy, be able to kick without stirring things up and most importantly be comfortable with your computer. We only went into Deco twice and it was planned.

Chuuk is amazing but you should be interested in the history and wrecks (to some degree) to make it worth the cash.

 

[Seadeuce]

Hi Ladyvalea,

I was on the Odyssey some time back. I'm sure Cap'n Lenny runs the same quality service now as he did then, and sets a standard for others to follow.

FWIW I believe sincerely you would be making a mistake by going to Truk, for the following reasons:

As a newbie you do not know what you don't know, as far as the diving goes.
This fact will make you hyper-dependent on your buddy/guardian angel.
It's okay for your LDS to state that he will look after you. But what about his dives? He will end up doing 25min dives when he should be getting 60min.
By the third day you will find he'll be asking you to sit out the first dive of the day as it is "too deep" and "long".

The crew of the Odyssey will welcome you aboard, then, after they have ascertained what everybody's dive credentials are, they will choose the week's itinerary based on that.
That will probably mean that the deeper wrecks such as the San Francisco will be out of bounds.

That may not please the more experienced members of the dive party. You might get to feel a bit awkward about it.

The diving, well, it's world class, warmwater, good visibility, but there can be strong currents running on virtually every dive.
You go off the back of the boat, then have to swim against the current, beneath the hull, to where the anchor line goes down to the particular wreck you're diving on.

You then swim/pull yourself down the line to the wreck where the dive begins. Do the dive, then make your way back to the anchor line for a slow ascent to the safety stop depth beneath the stern of the boat. There's a spare tank there. Sometimes they leave them on the anchor line, for after doing the deeper wrecks.

The Odyssey has a policy of Nitrox 30 for most dives. If you wanted a weaker mix, then you pre-order it.

I know, as a newbie, you have not yet completed a Nitrox course. So you may be told to breathe away, follow your buddy, and treat the gas as normal air.

If you decide to go on the trip I doubt that you will get the best out of it. By that I mean you will be too preoccupied with the basics of diving - breathing/air usage/depth/buoyancy/comfort - to be able to devote your attention to the reasons people go there. To see the wrecks. I mean to SEE the wrecks! Outside, inside, length, special cargoes carried, etc.

This happens 4 to 5 times a day. The fifth being a night dive.

At the end of the trip you will, no doubt, have enjoyed the experience, the place.
You will have paid top dollar to view Truk and what it has to offer, and you will probably never go back.
IOW you will MISS the real experience!

Enjoyment can be had for a tenth of that price nearer home. As others have said, the Carribbean. Where you can learn the skills through repetition in a friendly environment with, no doubt, a guide on hand to help you along.
And you won't feel one bit obliged towards the rest of whatever dive party is around.

I haven't mentioned safety. That's because the dangers in Truk visa/vie the warmwater diving are the same as in the Carribbean.
But in the Carribbean you can stay at shallower depths - to suit your air consumption. You don't really have that choice in Truk, unless you stay the dive swimming around the kingposts while the others are down below.

At the moment you should know how your last dives went. As outlined above, if you sincerely believe no compromise would have to be made by you while diving, then you're ready for Truk.

However, if even one change has to be made, such as "must try to do shallower/shorter dives to allow for extra air usage in the current" then Truk is not for you - yet.

It's going nowhere.

When you are well-practised in diving you will consider Truk a major location where ALL your dive skills can be used over the week's diving.

What I have posted is meant as a sincere message to you, and your son, for there's nothing worse than going home after a trip knowing that it could have been better "if only".

Choose wisely and stay safe.

Seadeuce

BTW I have been a nursemaid to newbies on trips, have been on fifteen liveaboards worldwide, and have seen quite a few locations. I say this so you know where my opinions are coming from.

 

[deepstops]

The dive resort or liveaboard is almost certainly comping your LDS owner for the cost of his diving and lodging (but probably not the airfare), as payment for the other x number of divers he is sending them. Its a common practice. You get an organized trip through the LDS, and he gets a freebie.

Absolutely correct. He may in fact be getting two spots comped if booked the full boat and possibly even three if he booked it at DEMA or another major dive show. I find nothing wrong with that. Someone willing to run run a major trip of this caliber SHOULD be comped.

That being said, the diving in Truk is relatively easy because you've got basically no current and 40' plus of viz on all the sites. I would suggest having a nitrox cert because your dive times will be too short to get "your money's worth" otherwise

Here my report from 2003: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/pacific-islands/28819-truk-report.html It will give you an idea about depths and what to expect for the most popular liveaboard dive sites.

 

[Venus]

i would love to go to Cocos and at that price i would be calling your LDS to see if they would allow me to come along

i agree with the guys above, though
when i was <25 dives i would not have dreamed of doing Chuuk, infact possibly not until a couple of years ago when i'd made 300+ and had been on a few liveaboards already

the only reason i'm not on the phone to your LDS right now is that I have to work first two weeks in January because it's year end for most organisations in Europe (

 

[John_B]

Absolutely correct. He may in fact be getting two spots comped if booked the full boat and possibly even three if he booked it at DEMA or another major dive show. I find nothing wrong with that. Someone willing to run run a major trip of this caliber SHOULD be comped.

I don't disagree.

In fact I'm going on an LDS-sponsored trip to Roatan next month where the LDS owner is getting a comped deal (for his 15th year). It doesn't matter to me because my cost is the same either way. That sad truth is that I do so little cold water diving anymore (I can count this year's on one hand) that this is one way to connect with the local warm-water crowd. I'm also doing Coz in February under a similar arrangement.

Now if a group of divers was organizing their own group trip to a dive resort or on a liveaboard, you could make the case that the comped spot(s) should be split evenly by everyone. But that's a very different situation from an LDS, etc. that organizes a trip, manages group airfares, resort reservations, deposits, etc.

BTW: 1000th Post!

 

[Scared Silly]

I am going to chime briefly and say that getting in a few more dives before a trip like on to Turk will make it much more enjoyable. There are some great flora and fauna to see on the wrecks. In fact our typical profiles were dive deep see the wreck and the history then spend the rest of the time more shallow seeing the fish and coral. Made for a nice profile done 4-5 times per day.

There is a shark chum and viewing dive. Personally, I think they are lame. A much better shark viewing in Truk Lagoon is the cleaning station on "Shark Island" However, they do not go out there the local shops will.

All in all I would suggest picking another place, for instance we are headed to Palau next year with teenagers.

 

[BigBothersom]

To say the Odyssey is for advanced divers only is being incredibly over-cautious.
Sure, its deep, but diving the wrecks of Chuuk requires very little if any actual penetration, and even if it does, the guides on the Odyssey are very good.
I was just there in October and there were people on board with less than 25 dives under their belts and they did fine. There was a diver there with 200+ dives who needed a guide to hold his hand the entire week.
My only suggestion for a new diver is to get nitrox certified. The crew is very experienced at working with new divers. Diving Chuuk is not nearly as challenging as a current-laden place like Palau. Also, it depends on where the inexperienced divers were trained. If they are American/Canadian West Coast divers they'll have no trouble at all adapting to depth without the tides and currents they are used to back home.
Also, the Odyssey now offers 100+ cu ft tanks for the air hogs.
As there is little or no current and actual 'penetration' is not necessary since most of the ships can be experienced swimming over and doing swim-throughs at 120 ft or less I'll say again that this is not an advanced dive live aboard in my opinion.
Hell, the flight there is more challenging than the diving, but not nearly as enjoyable.
My recommendation: If you have 15+ dives, are comfortable with your buoyancy and you have a few dives deeper than 80 ft under your belt you'll love a week on the Odyssey.

 

[TheUWPhotographer.com]

You've probably had your question answered several times over, but I'll throw in my two cents worth anyway. Odyssey is the only way to go if you're diving in Truk and they certainly do have one of the most competent crew I've ever experienced, but the diving there would be much more enjoyable for someone who's got some experience under their belt. In perfect conditions it can be easy, but conditions are not always perfect and not always suited for beginners.

Your LDS will also take a financial loss if they booked the whole boat but don't fill all the spots, so they may be a little more insistent that your diving skills are up to par with Truk diving. Of course if you've been diving with them a lot they may think you're ready for it. I've seen some pretty bad divers with lots of experience ruin the dives for everyone else because their diving skills sucked.

Here's a little slide show from my trip in May. Click on the "high quality" link under the video. For some reason I can't link directly to it.