Travel Reviews Including Truk

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Truk Lagoon was so fantastic that we have to go back yet again. The Truk Odyssey was originally a forty passenger cruise ship in Fiji, purchased by two Americans, and converted into a premier dive boat accommodating only 16 lucky wreck divers. (12 divers for the tech deep week with double Al 80's supplied for the bottom air, and 50% and 100% O2 for deco.)

The 126’ Truk Odyssey screams space. Six cabins (14’x18’) have either one king or two twin beds, one cabin (10’x9’) accommodates either a couple or two singles, and two cabins (11’x6’) are singles. Each cabin has it’s own bathroom, air conditioning, carpeting, porthole or window, and plenty of storage space.

The rest of the boat is also nicely set up. There is a large dining area, kitchen, and a separate entertainment lounge. Out on the dive deck is a three-tier camera table, two camera rinse tanks, equipment bins under each seat, and an easy entry/exit area. Diving is conveniently done from the mother boat. The diving consists of tropical reefs on top of wrecks.

The wrecks themselves are fabulous, with plenty of relics, such as tanks, fighter planes, trucks, torpedoes, and anti-aircraft guns, as well as smaller items such as shell casings, lanterns, dishes, etc. There are beautiful soft corals growing everywhere, with lots of fish life. A diver doesn’t have to be in love with wrecks to enjoy Truk Lagoon, and wreck penetrations are not necessary for a great dive. Four to five dives a day are the norm, including night dives. And since the diving is in a large lagoon, the water is usually calm, with little or no current.

The price has not been set yet, but 2007’s price was $2595 (tec week is $200 extra) and includes seven nights twin share cabin, six days of diving, up to five dives a day, Nitrox, all meals and beverages including beer and wine, roundtrip airport transfers, and Chuuk taxes. Gratuities are extra. We also won’t know what the airfare is until eleven months before the trip. Diving Kosrae, Pohnpei, or Guam will be an added option; we’ll decide as we get closer to the trip. Interested? A $400 deposit will hold a bunk for you. Check out www.trukodyssey.com