truk lagoon wreck diving

DIVE TRUK LAGOON

"LUST FOR RUST"

FAQ

Click here for the latest pictures of the 2008 trip.

TRIP REPORT FOR 2010 TRIP

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions about this trip. PLEASE do not hesitate to contact us if you have any other questions.

Q : 1 What certification do we need to come to Truk with you?

A : This is simple! All people will only be able to dive within their training and experience levels - So if you want to dive the deep wrecks to 60m you will need to be trimix trained. If you are on a rebreather - you will need the appropriate training and experience on the unit you are diving! So if you are an advanced open water diver then you will be limited to 30m no stop diving.

Q: 2 Do you only take people on rebreathers on your trips?

A: Absolutly not!! We welcome anyone who has an appetite for world class wreck and aquatic life diving! Remember that we carefully distribute divers and team them up on boats who are closest in diving habbits.

Q: 3 What do we get for the $$ and what are the options?

A: Yeah always a good question.!! There are three based price structures. Ex London, Ex Cairns and Land based only. One of the largest advantages is the opportunities for people to extend their dive times and not be hampered by this. Also to be placed on boats with similar experienced people. That means that your dive will not be cut short due to someone else running low on gas or not go as deep because some people on the boat arent trained enough!

Ex London:

With so many people coming from all different areas of the globe there is so many options for you to get to truk. We will be offering recommendations on what the best flight route will be from UK. We will also be showing the best airlines that give the best luggage allowance. We have found Korean Airlines from Heathrow to Seoul and then Continental Airlines from Korea to truk. This means that there are only three flights to get to truk. AND great luggage allowance!!!!!

Flights, on average will be round the 1200 pound mark.

LAND ONLY package - US$2895.00

Sorry for keeping the price in US dollars but its the only way we can keep consistancy with the currencies. This is the main reason why we keep the landbased prices in US$. The last time we packaged it into pounds. It was disasterous. The trip price went up 500pounds just because of a currency fluctuation. So now flights and diving and accom are seperate.

12 full days diving (2dives a day = 24 dive package)

·13 nights accommodation on twin share basis (twin or double) ALL have ocean views, fridge and ensuite

Weight belts and lead

2 x Standard cylinder hire OR sling tank (These are 90cf aliminum tanks. you will get the use of two if you need them)

ALL air fills

With the ever fluctuation exchange rates changes in price may occur (regrettably this is unavoidable)

·FLIGHTS

Reason why we dont do flights is simply because this year we had people coming from every part of the world. So trying to work a package with flights just becomes impossible. BUT let us know where you are coming from and what we can do is plan for you the best way to get to Truk from your destination. We will then give you the details, flights etc and you can simply book them online. This can get you the very best deals on flights and with the minimal of fuss!

EXTRAS ON THE TRIP TO BE AWARE OF

What is the cost of the additional extras?

Oxygen WE HAVE JUST BEEN ABLE TO SORT OUT GAS AT MORE REASONABLE PRICES AND THE COST OF O2 NOW is $0.06c a litre!!!!! NOT us$4.50 per cubic foot which works out to us$0.16 a litre there is a haskel booster so you get 200 bar fills !!!!

Helium ALSO WE HAVE MANAGED TO SHIP IN HELIUM AND IS MUCH CHEAPER COMING IN AT $0.15c a litre!!!!!!! NOT us$6.50 per cubic foot which works out to us$0.23 a litre

Extra dives: This is arranged through the dive shop

·Rebreather cylinder hire – us$20/day for 2 cylinders (ESSENTIAL that these are booked in advance they are mostly 3l fabre steel inspiration tanks all with DIN fittings) we will really try and accomodate everyones tank needs.

Sorb – us$15/kg this is the 797 grade 1-2mm grade Sofnolime. If you book far enough ahead of time we can sort out shipping of specific sorb for your needs like the extendair cartridges for example

·ISOLATION Manifolded Twins hire – us$20/day It is ESSENTIAL that these are booked in advance. There is STRICTLY limited numbers of tanks. If we need more then I will simply ship more to truk. BUT it must be at least 12- 15 weeks before the dates to ensure that they arrive in time.

We have really tried to make your lives as easy as possible for the rebreather and technical diver and if you cant be bothered by bringing your own tanks, and sorb we have taken all the hassle out of the equasion for you. But you are welcome to bring all your own gear if you prefer this.

Meals and drinks – paid directly to the hotel

Gratuities -

What we do to make it simple and easy is that during your stay you wont need to tip every time you have a meal or buy a beer. What happens is that we recommend that you keep aside $100US for the hotel and $100US for the diving operation. This works well.

5: What about bringing money and paying for things while we are there?

Within the resort and dive shop its pretty much a cashless society and you can charge pretty much everything to your room. All food, drinks, extras at the dive store you name it! Then you can just pay in one fowl swoop at the end of the trip. This eliminates the need to pay as you go. If you prefer this this option is always available. The currency in Chuuk is all in US Dollars. It is recommended to taken $800us cash if you are paying for everything on credit card. But also please bear in mind that you will need $200 at least for tipping and payment of the sorb and tank hire.

6: Do I need Medical and Diving Insurance?

YES YES YES!!!!! unfortunately one of the disadvantages of such great diving is the sheer remoteness of the area! Don't be fooled you will be staying in comfortable accommodation and have great diving but the medical facilities are SPARCE at the best of times. It is mandatory for you to have DAN insurance. There is a chamber in Chuuk also but the nearest advanced medical facilities are Guam or most of the time Townsville, Australia. This is why DAN insurance is mandatory. Also please ensure that you have the appropriate insurance policy for the type of diving you will be doing, if you dive deeper than your training and policy limits - you might not get coverage.

For this reason we have taken steps to ensure the safety and well being of others. We will have a fully kitted emergency field medic kit on hand exclusively for our groups. ALSO we will have an experienced diving physician on all our trips diving with us. So if anyone were to have any problems we have this back up. Obviously we prefer to prevent accidents rather than treat them, but we always like to be prepared for most eventuation's. But also bear in mind that there is only so much we can carry and offer. If you would like us to arrange your travel insurance please let us know. We are happy to do this for you.

7.How many different wreck sites could we expect to visit in a day?

When I first went to Truk all I could think of was diving as many wrecks a possible - but in the end the reality of the place is you end up seeing 10% of everything and 100% of nothing! There is so much to see there it will take you 10 lifetimes to see it all properly. So my best recommendation is to really focus on 2 wrecks a day and what you will find is that you will want to go back to a few wrecks again and again.!! Remember there are 8 ocean liners alone there!!!!!!!!

Time will only allow two long dives a day. Also what you must also realise that with operators saying "UNLIMITED DIVING A DAY - 5 DIVES GUARANTEED!!!! they talk about "tea bag" dives where they will do 30-40 minute bottom times and can get two in the morning and 2 in the arvo with a possible night dive!. But on the breathers we are doing 3 times the bottom time in one dive!!!!

8: Is there anything else to dowhile in Chuuk between dives?

There are a few kayaks that you can take out for a paddle, beach to read a book on, land tours showing war relics etc etc But basically diving is 99.8% of activities in Chuuk!!! So bringing a non diver would be a costly way of reading on the beach!

9: How important is it to do some research on the wrecks before we come to Truk?

Personally I think that by doing some research on the wrecks before your trip will give you more enjoyment knowing what you are diving. All the sites wre fully briefed before you dive them but to be honest all the wrecks fall into either the "morning Maru" or "afternoon Maru"! So by doing some research you will really apprecite the wrecks so much more. You can have a read of the history here on this link or even better purchase Dan Baileys book WWII Shipwrecks of Truk Lagoon directly from Dans site. This publication is by far the best resourse I have ever seen. We have a book that stays in Truk for people to reference too.

10: Are the tanks DIN or Yoke?

We have 24 sets of breather tanks will be DIN fittings (standard APD rebreather tanks. there are 20 sets of 3l and 4 x sets of 2l tanks. There are limited amounts of DIN valved tanks. There are 30 of the larger tanks with DINs. It is recommended that you bring adaptors (din to yoke) with you for your deco and bailout regs. Just to be on the safe side. All deco tanks and side slung tanks are 90cf aliminium and rebreather tanks fabre steel 3l or 2l ( you MUST let us know what you need and as we would love to accomodate everone all the time sometimes we might not have the tank size or material you are after) We will just have to do the best we can.

11: What is the food like?

Food at the Blue lagoon resort is great! There is over 40 main course meals on the menu. The food comes out hot, and in a timely manner, but hey its the tropics so expect every now and then to get something completely different that you order! It all adds to the mustique of these amazing places. Just embrace the fact that things dont move as fast as you are probably used to back home.Noone to date has had any major problems with food or the water on the island but due care and diligence is always recommended.

12: Is there internet on the island?

The answer to this question is YES. BLDS has since put in free wireless internet in the lobby and resturaunt areas for you to enjoy free internet. Unfortunately they dont stretch to your rooms but you simply pay for a prepaid card (normally $10US) and this will probably last the whole trip. The internet is not super fast but at least you will be able to download your emails. So if you cant leave your business for 2 weeks, want to keep in contact with your family while you are away this makes it really simple and easy