The day is winding down and so is this phase of the trip. Tomorrow we leave the boat and the diving in Truk Lagoon is just a memory.
The deep dive this morning was the San Francisco Maru, also known as the million dollar wreck. It is a trust me dive for the divers with no experience with deeper diving or decompression diving. For the rest of the divers it is an opportunity to view a wreck with some amazing amazing cargo including sand mines, mortar shells, large caliber shells, water trucks, tanks, depth charges and torpedoes all on one wreck. Of course to see them, you have to go past 160 feet.
This was Susan’s Advanced Recreational Trimix dive and over the past few dives, she hasn’t wanted to do too many overhangs and cargo holds but we went down into the first cargo hold to look at the sand bombs and then from cargo hole one to cargo hold 2 where the water trucks are poised on the deck beams just above your head; it is a beautiful sight looking up at the old Nissan radiators and the bright blue water just beyond.
After working our way through the parking lot, we popped out on deck right where the Japanese two-man tanks are parked on the deck. These are small battle tanks that were not very effective against the allied forces. Unfortunately, the picturesque super structure frames have collapsed and are resting atop two of the tanks partially obscuring them.
Since our deco time is limited, it was time yo return to the surface. We gently rose upward circling the mast which was covered in soft corals, clams and other grown and teaming with aquatic growth. Slowly we swap up the guide line pausing every now and then until we reached out last stop where we enjoyed the ride on the boat’s deco bar as it raced through the water. (As we got out, the wind shifted and the boats arc changed leaving Chuck and Connie away from the boat where they had thought the deco bar would swing back to them.)
The last dive of the trip was a repeat to the Nippo Maru necessitated by that wind shift which left our target wreck in choppy water. However, everyone enjoyed the return trip to this wreck because of the beauty and the ability to see things they missed on the first visit.
After returning to the boat the least desirable chore begins — cleaning and drying equipment. The cruise aboard the Odyssey is coming to a close and it is time to return to shore and for some, back to the U.S. For others it is time to repack and get ready for the next stop — Kosrae F.S.M.
