Trip Report: Truk
The flight over is a bear! 14 hours on JAL to Tokyo- 4 hour layover, 3 ½ hours to Guam- 7 hour layover, 1 ½ to Truk. I could not sleep on the plane on the way over. I was totally worn out when I got to Truk. If you plan on heading out that way from the US, or anywhere actually, please, do not do as I foolishly did, go straight there without an overnight along the way. That was a big mistake for me. I should have overnighted in Tokyo or Guam. Overnight on your trip over, you’ll be glad you did. I wish I had.
Truk was everything I had hoped it would be. The diving on Truk is very special, due to history and beauty of the landscape. The wrecks are magical. They have plenty of marine growth and still have war gear from the time they were sunk. The vis is good and access to different decks and holds easy enough, but perhaps a bit too deep for some. I managed to stay out of deco, although very, very close on some dives. I set my limit at 130 ft –most dives were in the 85 ft to 110 range, with some dives at 122ft and 131ft. I heard some talk that the wrecks had diminished over time but that was not my experience. There is still plenty to see and marvel at. It is awesome. I remember saying to myself, yeah, this is what I got into diving to experience.
I dove 12 wrecks -13 dives: Kansho, Nippo, Heinan, Shinkoku, Rio de Janeiro, Fujikawa, Yamakiri, Kiosumi, Hoki, Gosei, Fumazuki, Sakisan and Betty Bomber. They all had some of value to see and were fascinating in their own right but two wrecks stand out, as I recall, Fujikawa and Shinkoku Marus.
Blue Lagoon Hotel.
The hotel is situated on about 10 to 15 acres of very lush and well maintained grounds. Very south pacific island like, with many palm tress and places to sit and view the large lagoon. The rooms are adequate but need some updating, just cosmetic small touches. Shower pressure was not great. Ladies, bring your own soap because all they give you are these postage stamp size bars 
Food was good and a varied menu. I was on the AI so I had every meal there and found it adequate.
Dive Op.
On site dive op is much geared to the diver. Great full length lockers to store your gear and about 6 good rinse tanks for your gear. A good dock shower too. Boats are ok for the 20 to 30 minute ride to sites. Very picturesque surroundings as you head to dives site and some weird sense of what it must have been like in 1944 when it was attacked. You feel the history. Some SI was spent on small islands. One in particular was about 400 yards in diameter. A dot in the ocean. It was magical-very different. We toured the island of Dublon, where Japanese headquarters was during the war. You can still see the bullet holes in the structure.
I highly recommend Truk and Blue Lagoon Hotel. I never felt cheated because I was not on a liveaboard. I could add as many dives as I felt like doing for just $35 a dive. If you do the math, the land based wound up being a better deal and has some degree of added comfort and a greater degree of mobility.
