What's Happening With the SS Thorfinn?

[padiscubapro]

I'm here right now in Truk Lagoon, passing Thorfinn everyday on my way to the wreck divesites. IMO/IME, it's less expensive to stay with a land based dive op/hotel like the Truk Stop Hotel & Truk Lagoon Dive Center, than to be onboard the Thorfinn which is basically a floating hotel with servicing dive tender skiffs.

If you want a true liveaboard that travels to and stays on station over each divesite, and can afford the amenities --the Truk Odyssey is the way to go.

for the average diver, teh difference between a live aboard (odyssey or throfinn) or land based is no big deal.. but those that want to go beyond the norm the Thorfinn offers the best options..

On the odyssey, unless you are on a tech trip, the deep diving is very limited, on the thorfinn he breaks you up into smaller groups and you get to do what you want to do not what the rest of the divers do.. For those trained, the deepr wrecks offer some of the best dives in truk, which I would be upset if I couldn;t do..

With the throfinn I get to do at least 1 deep dive a day (160+) some days two and at least one mid depth dive before I am dived out.. some of my favorite wrecks are hardly ever visited by the odyssey..

The shore based ops will do these deeper wrecks, but usually 2 dives a day is the max you can get due to the additional travel time..

The thorfinn doesnt move much (typically only 2 or 3 times a week) but he does position the ship to best cover a group of wrecks and keep the travel time to a minimum..

The rooms on the thorfin are big (especially the lowest deck), so there is no being cramped.. The comeraderie aboard the live aboards is definately better than the shore based ops (I have stayed at both blue lagoon and truk stop).. SO if your not going with a group the live aboard is a better option..

My favorite wrecks (no particular order) are the (please forgive the spelling I cant look them up right now)

Shotan Maru
Aikoku Mari
Amagisan Maru
San fransisco Maro
Fujisan Maru
Hoki maru
nippo maru
I-689

Oite (so far only dove it once)

The above wrecks I have been able to do on every trip I have made using the thorfinn and sometimes multiple dives..

 

[RJP]

This thread is experiencing a bit of "scope creep" but, what the heck, I'll go with that...

Looking to do Truk Odyssey first or second week of March. Going by myself and sold the idea to my wife as sort of a "midlife crisis" kind of trip. She bought into the idea, and I was originally planning on doing two full weeks on the Odyssey.

Flying from Newark NJ essentially requires leaving Wednesday and arriving on Chuuk early am on Friday in order to ensure you don't "miss the boat" so to speak. (Depart Newark on Wednesday - Newark-Tokyo-Guam-Chuuk - which arrives TKK 10am Friday.) And of course it takes a full day to get back on the following Monday as well.

So now Mrs RJP - who is tolerant to a point - throws a penalty flag and points out that what I sold her as "a two week" trip is in actuallity "a three week" trip (20 days total) which is a long time away from home/kids/house/etc...

In the interest of having a wife and kids to return to after the trip, I'm re-thinking doing the second week. (Mrs. RJP often points out that there's a reason that DIVORCE comes right after DIVING in the Yellow Pages.)

So what I'm thinking is just do one week on the Odyssey, but take full advantage of the days on Chuuk prior to the boat departing by diving from one of the land based operations.

From what I'm reading - and advice from people I know who have been - I'm considering staying at the Truk Stop Hotel on Fri & Sat night. I can get 4 or so dives in on Saturday for sure. And probably 2 dives on Sunday AM before boarding the boat. (Does anyone know what time you're supposed to board the Odyssey on Sunday? Thought I read 3pm afternoon, but can't find that anywhere now.)

Then I re-look at flights and think...if I leave on Sunday (2/22) I'll be in Chuuk by Tuesday afternoon. Then I can dive Wed, Thur, Fri, Sat, Sun AM before getting on the boat on Sunday.

Now I'm back to a "two week trip" with just as many days of diving as if I was on the Odyssey for two weeks, but at a net cost that is nearly $1500 cheaper! (And it's only two planes instead of four - EWR-HNL-TKK)

Anyone ever taken this approach to "two weeks in Chuuk"?

Other possible approach is to stop in Kosrae or Pohnpei for a few days before going on to Chuuk. (The HNL-TKK flight hops around Micronesia along the way)

Appreciate any thoughts or input - Thanks!

 

[dab]

For my 2 cents, I'd stay on the Odyssey for 2 weeks and promise your wife you'll make it up to her some other way. I've been to Truk twice, one aboard the Odyssey and once aboard the Thorfinn. I've stayed at the Blue Lagoon and the Truk Stop. I enjoyed both liveaboards, but for comfort there is no beating the Odyssey. Stay two weeks, a big part of the cost and the major hassel is getting over there so stay as long as you can and make the most of it. You won't regret it.

 

[padiscubapro]

Now I'm back to a "two week trip" with just as many days of diving as if I was on the Odyssey for two weeks, but at a net cost that is nearly $1500 cheaper! (And it's only two planes instead of four - EWR-HNL-TKK)

Appreciate any thoughts or input - Thanks!

You REALLY do not want to do the island hopper.. At each landing they randomly make half the plane get off for inspection.. The way through guam is a much better route... Its been a while since I made that mistake but if I remember correctly it was a 737 which is quite small for the amount of time you will be on the plane..

 

[deepstops]

You REALLY do not want to do the island hopper.. At each landing they randomly make half the plane get off for inspection.. The way through guam is a much better route... Its been a while since I made that mistake but if I remember correctly it was a 737 which is quite small for the amount of time you will be on the plane..

Yeah, I did the Island Hopper because I was using miles and didn't have a choice, it was a very long day, leaving HON at 7am Friday and arriving TKK 3pm Saturday (about 12 hours fly time). Fly through Guam if you can.

 

[sport10010]

We did the NJ - HI - Guam on the outbound and the Island Hopper on the way back to NJ. I don't think it makes that much difference which way you go around the circle.

We stayed for a few days in Pohnpei. I would not recommend Pohnpei as a place for diving as there are so many better places to go in the world. Pohnpei is worth a day or two if you want to visit yet another Pacific island nation. The ancient site there was quite interesting. We did not go to Kosrae so perhaps there is better diving there. If you are interested in wreck diving spend all your time in Chuuk. The one thing Pohnpei did for us was it showed us that all of Micronesia was not as bad as Chuuk. The contrast is quite striking. When you see the litter and abandoned cars and potholes in Chuuk you will know what I am talking about.

As far as live aboards go everyone has their favorites. We were very happy with the Thorfinn and got about as much diving as we could handle. Everyone has their favorites. The Thorfinn does not move around that much and will pick you up at the Blue Lagoon and accommodate shorter stays. As I said we were very happy with the ship and the diving.

Good luck and enjoy the vacation. BTW, consider spending the $1500 you saved on something for your wife. That might end the fingers walking through the yellow pages. I'd suggest jewelry or SCUBA lessons; your call.