Truk as an AOW diver

[meagicano]

Hey All

I've been diving for about four years (had to take a short break due to some health issues) and all of my diving has been in the Ontario, Canada region. I have experience to max depths of about 115' on wrecks (boat charters) and experience with shore and boat based drifts. I have about 70 dives.

I have never done a tropical/exotic/whatever dive vacation. I haven't been in salt water, but that will change when I move to my parents' house in Nova Scotia for a while. I am considering a trip to Truk Lagoon onboard the Truk Odyssey in January. I have friends going for two weeks but due to finances & air miles blackout periods, I can really only do one week.

Am I crazy for wanting to do this trip? Should I have more experience before I do such an "exotic" trip? I know there are a lot of people who go to Truk for tech diving but my friend who I would buddy with (he is really conservative) & the group are recreation divers so I'm not worried about being my left out. I have my nitrox cert as well. My initial diving goals were to progress into tech diving and eventually do a trip to Truk, but I'm re-evaluating those goals in light of health issues. I can still dive and I have medical clearance to dive, I just know that I'm leaving the military because of a respiratory issue.

So. What does SB say? Honesty, please.

 

[triggerman365]

There is tons of diving you can do without going beyond recreational depths in Chuuk/Truk.

 

[Fishfngr]

Hey All

I've been diving for about four years (had to take a short break due to some health issues) and all of my diving has been in the Ontario, Canada region. I have experience to max depths of about 115' on wrecks (boat charters) and experience with shore and boat based drifts. I have about 70 dives.

I have never done a tropical/exotic/whatever dive vacation. I haven't been in salt water, but that will change when I move to my parents' house in Nova Scotia for a while. I am considering a trip to Truk Lagoon onboard the Truk Odyssey in January. I have friends going for two weeks but due to finances & air miles blackout periods, I can really only do one week.

Am I crazy for wanting to do this trip? Should I have more experience before I do such an "exotic" trip? I know there are a lot of people who go to Truk for tech diving but my friend who I would buddy with (he is really conservative) & the group are recreation divers so I'm not worried about being my left out. I have my nitrox cert as well. My initial diving goals were to progress into tech diving and eventually do a trip to Truk, but I'm re-evaluating those goals in light of health issues. I can still dive and I have medical clearance to dive, I just know that I'm leaving the military because of a respiratory issue.

So. What does SB say? Honesty, please.

Hi there
I dived Truk a few years ago now 2010. We dived all the major ships, in and out of holds, engine rooms, cabin wheelhouse swim throughs into holds, Most Dive guides working in Truk are good at their jobs. I feel they will not lead you into something that you are not comfortable with, you discuss dive profile with them prior to your dive and dive to your limits.
There is no current wherever you dive in Truk as its inside a lagoon, ships are very accessible , dive boats tied up to masts on top of holds, you fall over the side and do the dive, depth is depending on your health issues this needs to be managed by yourself, no one can say do it. You have to be comfortable.

I also suffer from health issues- but did not experience any trouble in the diving there, viz was great , cleanish waters and warm water , its a joy.

I have not dived fresh water as Australia has a big coast line and plenty of salt water around it . salt water makes you more buoyant so you may need a small amount of weight adjustment. With 70 dives you should be OK for this type of diving.
Enjoy diving while you can and you are not crazy, its an experience you will never forget.

Cheers

Fishfngr.

 

[DevonDiver]

To the OP...Points to consider:

1) Beyond recreational depths - max recreational depth is 40m (mandated, not recommended, by most agencies).

2) Beyond your personal deep diving experience?

3) Meaningful bottom time will require larger capacity/double tanks and/or a redundant reserve. Do you have experience?

4) Narcosis in the commonly dived depth range will be high. Do you have experience of narcosis? Do you have experience of narcosis in clear water?

5) Decompression time will be low, unless you willfully enter deco obligation. Do you have training, knowledge, experience and/or appropriate equipment for this?

6) Air consumption will be high, no-deco limit will be very low - how ingrained and reliable is your situational awareness? When narc'd?

7) If inexperienced in salt water and tropical water, do you know how to reliably ensure absolute minimum weighting (to hold safety/deco stop and prevent DCI).

8) You have mentioned previous/existing health issues. Have you been medically cleared for diving by a related illness and/or diving specialist physician?

9) What medical issues could present themselves, in conjunction with deep diving, when you are in a remote area with limited medical resources?

10) You mention doubting your fitness (health issues) for progressing into technical training, but are you aware that many Truk dives are of a 'grey area' or 'tecreational' advanced level?

---------- Post added July 22nd, 2013 at 07:36 PM ----------

We dived all the major ships, in and out of holds, engine rooms, cabin wheelhouse swim throughs into holds,...

I have to ask... how were the wreck penetrations carried out?

Simple yes/no...

• Daylight zone (divers illuminated by ambient light from entry/exit at all times)?
• Guidelines to open water used at all times?
• No restrictions (two divers pass through easily sharing air and without removing equipment)?
• Appropriate and calculated quantity of redundant gas carried by all?
• Rule of Thirds (minimum) implemented?
• SAC-based gas management and planning enacted?
• Precision dive planning, including turn-points, no-deco limits and emergency deco plan/s? (or full deco planning if all participants qualified?)
• Contingency penetration planning for lost diver, lost guideline, severed guideline, silt-out and air-sharing egress?
• 40m/130ft linear from the surface? Or all participant divers and guide further qualified to advanced/technical wreck levels?

All participants trained in penetration and using correct equipment/protocols and procedures... or 'trust me' dives reliant upon the guide?

...Most Dive guides working in Truk are good at their jobs.

We shall see, depending on answers given to the questions asked above....

(I have to ask because I was recently chatting with a very credible cave/technical/wreck instructor who went to Truk. They opted against many penetrations because "the guides weren't up to it" lacking specific wreck/overhead diving skills, training and experience. Obviously, there are lots of guides and operations there... but this is to be carried in mind when suggesting "most" dive guides in Truk... especially if you haven't actually dived with "most" of them...

 

[meagicano]

I have no experience with narcosis - I have done deeper wrecks (115 feet - still within recreational limits) but I haven't noticed any problems. I have a strong sense of situational awareness (and always have) and I've never noticed any sort of significant impairment while diving. The only time I became frightened while "going deep" was on my sixth or seventh dive when I went deep (with an instructor) in a cold quarry. Once we went from about 100' back up to 80 or so I was no longer frightened - and since then I have only gained more experience. I am going to be diving in salt water in the maritimes, but it will be using a drysuit and more thermal protection than I will need in Truk (water temperatures of mid 40s to 50s in the Atlantic). I suspect this will give me a better idea of weight required - but I dive with a steel 120 CF tank up here and I'm under the impression I would have to switch to 80 AL tanks anywhere I go on vacation.

As for my health - I have respiratory problems that may or may not be asthma. I don't have a very strong diagnosis but I have certain triggers that affect my breathing capacity - illness, environment (dust, smoke, extreme cold) and occasionally exertion (running is problematic, swimming & biking is fine). I have clearance from from a diving medical officer and a respirologist whose primary advice is to take it easy and not be worried about thumbing a dive if necessary.

What do you mean by 'tecreational'? I'm asking for advice because what I am finding online about Truk is all sales and promotional based which basically says the destination is "great for everyone".

The problem I see with tech diving for me, at the moment, is that I don't have my health back 100% and it's too early to be considering adding all the gear & equipment that I would need as a tech diver. I don't want to start hauling around doubles, stage bottles, etc. until I have my strength & aerobic capacity back to where they were a few years ago.

 

[DevonDiver]

What do you mean by 'tecreational'? I'm asking for advice because what I am finding online about Truk is all sales and promotional based which basically says the destination is "great for everyone".

"Tecreational" is kind of a buzz word for more advanced diving, that forms an increasingly 'grey area' between the previously clear division between 'rec' and 'tech'.

For instance, completing a 'no-deco' dive at the limits of rec diving (40m/130ft), using sidemount doubles and a normoxic trimix fill. Or use of 'recreational' CCR. Or using a high capacity single (maybe with 'H' or 'Y' valve) along with a stage-slung pony, long-hose, bungee necklace back-up... reinforced with precision dive planning and gas management...

Basically, a more 'technical' approach to recreational diving, without crossing the border into full accelerated decompression or overhead environment training/equipment/protocols... but with distinct safety benefit compared to 'traditional' rec open-water training and equipment.

 

[meagicano]

"Tecreational" is kind of a buzz word for more advanced diving, that forms an increasingly 'grey area' between the previously clear division between 'rec' and 'tech'.

For instance, completing a 'no-deco' dive at the limits of rec diving (40m/130ft), using sidemount doubles and a normoxic trimix fill. Or use of 'recreational' CCR. Or using a high capacity single (maybe with 'H' or 'Y' valve) along with a stage-slung pony, long-hose, bungee necklace back-up... reinforced with precision dive planning and gas management...

Basically, a more 'technical' approach to recreational diving, without crossing the border into full accelerated decompression or overhead environment training/equipment/protocols... but with distinct safety benefit compared to 'traditional' rec open-water training and equipment.

Ah, yes. I've always been very conservative - I learned how to dive from a tech diver (full cave, rebreathers, etc.) who did a lot of "extreme" diving and I was fairly upfront with him when we started that I wanted to dive in a way that made sense. I tend to jump into things with both feet so I've been diving a bp/w since the beginning and any gear I purchase is generally done with a tech diving approach. The only reason I don't currently dive a long hose is because I bought some new regs and they haven't been set up for it yet - and I dialed back the intensity of a lot of my diving this summer as it's my full season back. For a while, I was the only person with a bp/w set up who dove with our group (if that says anything) and I believe I'm the only person in the group who learned how to properly use a long hose & bungee. Once I head out east and stop diving with this club I will likely switch everything around again. I don't like things that dangle and I get frustrated with some members of our dive club who are constantly pushing the boundaries - wreck penetration without training, surpassing recreational limits on dives, etc. I don't penetrate wrecks (I will occasionally go into an open wheelhouse - but only after analyzing the entrances/exits) and if I'm diving with someone who chooses to, I stay on the outside. I set dive plans and I expect them to be followed.

I dive a single tank - it's a steel 120L - I know my SAC rate and I'm very good with respect to my air consumption. I feel as though I would likely be ok in terms of my experience and health but I don't want to spend a small fortune on travel and end up missing out on a lot or feeling as though it's far beyond my abilities.

 

[Lorenzoid]

This thread may be of interest: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...0-dcs-due-reading-computer-wrong-i-think.html

I haven't been to Truk, but from what I gather, an important skill to bring with you to Truk is to know when to sit a dive out.

 

[meagicano]

This thread may be of interest: http://www.scubaboard.com/forums/ne...0-dcs-due-reading-computer-wrong-i-think.html

I haven't been to Truk, but from what I gather, an important skill to bring with you to Truk is to know when to sit a dive out.

Thanks for the link, Lorenzoid. I know myself well enough to say that the San Francisco Maru is a dive that I would DEFINITELY sit out. I've bailed on dives up here before because I didn't like where the dive plan was headed or the conditions. I've read about this wreck and while it sounds like a fantastic dive it's too deep & too much on my current training.