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Hey Stuart! There are several items about Chuuk Island here on Divebuddy. divebuddy.com/search_all.aspx?SearchFor=Chuuk I’m sure you’ll get a few more replies too. Have a blast and if you have a second, write up a little article afterwards and share photos.
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Stuart,
My wife and I went to Chuuk in Dec of 2010. We spent a week aboard the Odyssey Truk Odyssey and loved it!!! Up to 5 dives a day on YOUR schedule, not being herded in a group. I can not begin to tell you how GREAT it was... but you can check out a video of our trip at Our Truk Video. The downside of being on the Odyssey would be the price for your non-diver wife. There will not be much for her to do aboard the boat all day. That being said, I cannot say enough good things about the crew and the guides aboard the Odyssey. It is the trip of a lifetime, to dive on the shipwrecks there. Make sure you bring your underwater camera and/or video setup. In our seven days there, I did about 30 dives on 13 different shipwrecks, including my 500th dive of 175’ dive on the San Francisco Maru. That dive was optional and from descent to returning to surface, I only had 17 minutes of bottom time... with about 30-40 minutes decompression time. While I know that this is beyond the normal limits of "recreational diving, there were no "special" qualifications required by the Odyssey to do this dive.
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[quote=Holty54:...regarding best time of year for weather, hotel accomodation, whether shore based diving is best or liveaboard, is it best to take my own kit or hire. I am BASC quailified Sports Diver to 35m (120ft) Nitrox certified, 60+ dives, ( will i need deeper dive qualification ?).[/quote:
December, the temp was in the mid to upper 80’s F. We did the Odyssey liveaboard and LOVED it. Make sure to bring your nitrox card and dive nitrox while you are there. Most of the dives are less than 120 feet, but diving 4-5 dives a day for a week, it is easy to come up on (and go over) your no deco limits.
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Stuart,
I have to agree with USMCRet93 whole heartedly!!!!! The only was to see Chuuk is via a liveaboard and there is only one.. TRUK ODYSSEY!!!! There are others on the island, but no comparison. You do not want to do a land based stay, because you are limited to the number of dives your can do per day. On the Odyssey you can do up to 5 dives a day. The Crew... they will spoil you, that is nothing to say about the meals and snacks you will get. The Odyssey is what I use to rate other liveaboards by.
It was March of the year I went and shorts and a tee-shirt were fine. As far as diving, I used a 3mm due to the fact of doing so many dives. I definitely recommend you dive with Nitrox. They offer it on board. I just reviewed my log book and I was showing a bottom temp of 82. The dive sites are spectacular and they explain each one to you prior to diving.
I envy you! I am so ready to go back!
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G’day Stuart,
My Wife and I went during the start of DEC which was good as it was the tail end of the busy season and it was quite at the resort we stayed at. If you take your Wife I would recommend the staying on the island as she will enjoy her time more. We did 2-3 dives each day with an occasional scuba dive on some shallow wrecks. You will be able to visit many wrecks with your quals and yes Nitrox is a good idea. I wish to return with more advanced quals so I get down to see the two Destroyers both sitting at around 60m. Either way you HAVE to vist this place as the wrecks are decaying and its unbelievably amazing!
Jeff
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A few years ago my wife and I babysat a booth at BTS where he was selling prints frum Truk Lagoon. She loved the photos and said we have to go there, hasn’t happened yet but a liveaboard is the only way to get the most bang for your buck at a destination like that. Some liveaboards carry kayaks for the non divers, not sure if the Odessey does.
Have a blast!
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Yes, the Odyssey does have at least one kayak on board, or at least it did have during our trip in 2010.
USMCRet
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Stuart, you can go here to see some of my photos of Truk Lagoon: Truk Lagoon Photos
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An update,
I have booked a place on the Odyssey Dive Boat for January 2015, just need to sort flights out now, working a bit more cost wise, than first thought it would be but I sure it will be trip to remember in my old age.
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