TRUK and YAP in March

[Tassie_Rohan]

It seems that it might not be worth the long trip there from US?

Is Palau a better place, all around, than Truk? Maybe Palau and Yap, rather than Truk and Yap?

No No No!

The diving at Truk is Fantastic. Yes theres little to do above surface but if you're diving a lot you'll spend most of your surface time asleep or eating. Its actually nice to have the time to sit back, read and rest. I spent 10 days there and it was barely enough, and I didn't miss the nightlife. The boat rides (10-15 minutes) is nothing to worry about.

Palau is great and very different - big walls, big fish. But after 8 days diving there I was getting a bit tired of walls and coral.

Haven’t been to yap: people go there for the mantas, however Palau also has good manta sites up the west coast. Friends two have dived all three rate Palau a lot higher than Yap.

Put it this way: I was already planning returning to Truk before I left. I wasn't sure if was going to return to Palau when I was leaving (but after two years I now feel I should head back sometime).

If you like WWII stuff as you state then Truk underwater will blow your mind and Palau has the Peleliu battlefield - one of the bloodiest land battles in the pacific.

I would do Truk over Yap or Palau any day. If you do Palau and Yap all you will see is walls, coral gardens and fish. Maybe 1-2 average wreaks. That gets tiring after a week.

Just my 2 cents...

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[Mike Veitch]

haha.. i get bored of wrecks after 3 dives... give me fish life any day

different strokes for different folks....

 

[pilot fish]

Thanks SS. 30 minutes to 40 minutes is equivalent to what I've done in Cozumel, Mexico and that was not so bad. I had visions of a grueling two hour ride, which I would pass on.

Will check Odyssey and Thorfin but I know I'll have to pay a bundle to get a cabin alone. I would not inflict my sleep problems on anyone.

Pilot Fish, the ride from Blue Lagoon out to Yamigiri Maru was 15 minutes. We also did "shark island" which is a really cool as it is a shark cleaning station. This was about a 25 minute ride. There was a bit of chop and the boat bounced so after 20 minutes I was done. But given that it was one day I could deal with it.

I guess this is my take for 3-4 days I would go land based. If you have a week live-a-board is much better. I would say give both the Odyssey and Thorfin a call and see what they have available you never know.

As for Truk versus Palau - not sure but Palau is on my list of places to visit.

 

[pilot fish]

This kind of info is invaluable. I thank you. Will check out the Thorfin, as you and SS suggest.

I have recently dived both truk and palau on liveaboards and loved both. Truk is VERY diffrent from palau, truk is all wrecks as you probably know *doh* but the soft and hard coral growth on the wrecks is fantastic, if you dont own a underwater camera buy one both places offer great photo ops i did 78 dives in total for the trip, dived my brains out and loved every second....dont worry about the room thing if you go on the thorfinn your almost certain to get your own room, its a big ship and hes not to busy, i was with 1 other for the whole time i was there, in palau i shared a room with a american, which was ok the only time youre in the room is to sleep so i dont see the problem....youre there to dive and sleep after all.
hope you have a great trip. chuuk is amazing

 

[pilot fish]

Your two cent is worth a million, Tassie thanks.

A lot to consider. The wrecks on Truk are the big draw for me. It holds a lot of allure, both from a diving stand point and history. The Pelielu battle is legendary in the Marine Corps. As a former Marine I'd hate to miss that site.

No No No!

The diving at Truk is Fantastic. Yes theres little to do above surface but if you're diving a lot you'll spend most of your surface time asleep or eating. Its actually nice to have the time to sit back, read and rest. I spent 10 days there and it was barely enough, and I didn't miss the nightlife. The boat rides (10-15 minutes) is nothing to worry about.

Palau is great and very different - big walls, big fish. But after 8 days diving there I was getting a bit tired of walls and coral.

Haven’t been to yap: people go there for the mantas, however Palau also has good manta sites up the west coast. Friends two have dived all three rate Palau a lot higher than Yap.

Put it this way: I was already planning returning to Truk before I left. I wasn't sure if was going to return to Palau when I was leaving (but after two years I now feel I should head back sometime).

If you like WWII stuff as you state then Truk underwater will blow your mind and Palau has the Peleliu battlefield - one of the bloodiest land battles in the pacific.

I would do Truk over Yap or Palau any day. If you do Palau and Yap all you will see is walls, coral gardens and fish. Maybe 1-2 average wreaks. That gets tiring after a week.

Just my 2 cents...

Cheers,
Rohan.

 

[Taxgeek]

Hi pilot fish.
I was in Yap at Manta Ray in March a coupla years ago. In March, the breeze blows from the bay, so get a room on the bay side. Totally worth it the small extra cost. I can't remember if they have a/c or not - they must, by now, with all the upgrades they've been doing - but I don't like using A/c while diving, get all stuffed up. So I just spent the whole time with the windows open over the bay, and the breeze blew right in, it was Mahvelous. The folks with garden view rooms were getting pretty stuffy in their rooms, no breeze for them at all. Manta Ray Bay is great, you'll love it. I dove 7 days there, and could have dove a couple more.
Have fun.
Taxgeek

 

[pilot fish]

That's what I heard about Manta Ray Hotel, Taxgeek. I know I will enjoy it there. My problem is Truk and Blue Lagoon Hotel, with no TV, which means no CNN, nothing to do and just two dives a day. The wrecks of Truk are the big draw but I'd hate to be uncomfortable that long above water on Truk. I hear the Blue Lagoon hotel is not so great.

Hi pilot fish.
I was in Yap at Manta Ray in March a coupla years ago. In March, the breeze blows from the bay, so get a room on the bay side. Totally worth it the small extra cost. I can't remember if they have a/c or not - they must, by now, with all the upgrades they've been doing - but I don't like using A/c while diving, get all stuffed up. So I just spent the whole time with the windows open over the bay, and the breeze blew right in, it was Mahvelous. The folks with garden view rooms were getting pretty stuffy in their rooms, no breeze for them at all. Manta Ray Bay is great, you'll love it. I dove 7 days there, and could have dove a couple more.
Have fun.
Taxgeek

 

[BC nu diving]

friend and i are doing truk yap kosrai and palau in april and yes we are def. doing a liveaboard in truk where we can maximize our diving up to 5 dives a day if we want too bad about that nitrogen formation heh?

Yes, to be specific we are doing Pohnei, Chuuk, Yapp and Palau. My recom is to check with continental air and then look at how long you will spend at each location depending on flights, your desires, money etc... I also believe you will enjoy non diving time a lot more on Yap if you get to know the people and culture there.

 

[pilot fish]

Barracuda2, just answered your PM. A few dives and an iced tea on Yap sounds cool.

 

[pilot fish]

Does anyone know if I need special innoculations coming from US? I was going to take my binnoculars but was wondering if there is any good reason to do that? Is there anything you wished you had but forgot to take, meds, clothes, bug repellent, sunblock etc?