We left Chuuk five days ago and already the memories of ship wreck diving have faded, replaced by visions of fish and corals. We are staying at the Kosrae Village Eco Resort. It is definitely different coming from a live aboard dive boat to a land based resort and then throw in the Eco-lodge aspect and we have had a big shift.
The diving is done off small catamaran style boats that are 10 minutes away in the harbour (not a big one since there is only room for about 8 boats). Kosrae has a system of buoys around the island which is a mixed blessing. On one hand it has helped to minimise the damage to the reef from anchoring but on the other, it makes,it easier for the fisherman to tie up and fish on the reef. As a result, the reefs, especially those near the harbour are devoid of fish life. This is not to say that there are no fish but there are no large fish not schools of fish other than some very small ones.
Moving away from harbour, the fish populations increase but there are still no large fish in many spaces. We only spotted one large grouper. Thankfully there were sharks, barracuda, small jacks and wahoo on the reefs away from the harbour.
The one thing that really sets Kosrae apart from other Pacific destinations are the hard corals. Large stands of stag-horn coral, lettuce corals, pillar corals and other species cover the reefs as far as the eye can see. From twenty feet to one hundred twenty feet the corals are alive, healthy and growing.
Life here is pretty simple but the meals are not. Locally grown or locally produced is the key. Fresh tuna sashimi and salads with mangrove crab are beautiful additions to the grilled wahoo and tuna. The smoked fish is different but is perhaps a little “too smoked” because it over powers the delicate tastes of the fish.
Thursday was a big day in the restaurant… The frozen food container had arrived and was unpacked. Bacon, ham and beef were now available for meals. But the big thing was that ice cream was once again available! Hot fudge Sundays were back on the menu as was Rocky Road ice cream, Bruce’s favourite flavor.
Everyone has had a surprise or two in their cottages. Spiders and geckos are the norm but there were some unusual findings as well. I found that small ants like to shave, having attacked my shaving oil; Eric found that the small crabs really like having their mouths washed out with soap especially the melon soap from Chuuk. On another night he found his bathmat alive and moving as a hermit crap snuck under it and was lurking about the bathroom. During one shower, Cheryl found herself as an exibitionist for a large land crab who seemed intent on joining her in the shower.
Of course nothing can top Susan’s story. It seems she was joined in her bathroom by a large fruit bat. Known locally as flying foxes, Katrina describes them more as the flying monkeys from the Wizard of Oz. Imagine the surprise of stumbling into the bathroom in the middle of the night and finding a nocturnal visitor come through the door. Yes, the bat was so startled by Susan’s appearance that it hid in the shower stall until she left. It was then able to sneak out and flee. To warn his friends, he left the bathroom light on in unit three so no other bat would have to be scared.
We have only a few more days of diving here but we also have some adventures coming up. Two trips by canoe through the biosphere region, some archeological site tours and some handicraft shopping.
So, until the next update…
Micronesia
Hello from Chuuk, Scuba Diving in Micronesia, update 6
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.
Hello from Chuuk, Scuba Diving in Micronesia, update 5
The winds dropped overnight and the lagoon settled down and calmed as we slept. The sun began its journey colouring the clouds on the horizon vivid shades of orange and red while the sliver of the moon and Venus were still visible in the sky like they just didn’t want to end their dominance of the sky. As the light continued to grow so did the colours now yellow and magenta streaked across the morning sky.
Today is a treat for the technical divers, the Aikoka Maru. This is my favourite wreck in the lagoon. It started its life as a luxury cruise liner but as soon as it was completed it was transformed into a merchant raider and troop carrier. She had a distinguished career having captured a number of vessels including the Hoki Maru, our dive site from yesterday.
Our dive is off the skiff with the Odyssey remaining on the Unkai Maru and the moving to the Gosei Maru. We loaded the skiff at about 7:00 AM and departed at about 7:30 AM. Whisking across the still water anticipation grew. It took Kent and BoBo about six minutes to located the sub-surface mooring buoy a feat in of itself since they use line of site to find the wreck location.
Descending down the mooring line the ship, or really the collapsed portion of the midship that remained after the explosion that obliterated the front half of the vessel came into site. Rusted metal covered with green and brown growth. The once impressive fly bridges have collapsed and are curling forward as the superstructure continues its journey to the bottom. Some of the hallways are still intact with soft corals hanging down and swaying as the bubbles roll past (we have some open circuit divers with us). The internal walls are gone from the interior so the rooms are large open spaces with occasional sinks, toilets and urinals mounted in space.
The holds once loaded with cargo are empty and the marine barracks found in the holds once held the remains of troops who perished with the ship are virtually free of remains (they were removed in the early 90’s and set free in a Shinto burial ceremony). The stern gun still points toward the sky still trying to protect the ship as schools of small fish swim past.
This is a peaceful dive but there are still ghosts remaining continuing to serve in the underwater world. As we move through their world we are reminded of the peace that followed the violent end of this impressive vessel.
Our dive ended with a lot of time on the mooring line slowly moving toward the surface. The seas have become a little rougher during our stay and the rain squall that we ran from as it approached the Odyssey apparently washed the salt off the boat. As we re boarded our craft, Suzanne said it best
that was awesome!
.
While we were exploring the deeper depths, the remainder of the group dove the Unkai Maru and the Gosei Maru. They all really enjoyed themselves and found bombs, bullets, glass and fish in abundance.
Our journey now takes us back to the other side on Tonawas to the Kensho Maru.
Hello from Chuuk, scuba Diving in Micronesia, update 3
A beautiful new day here in Chuuk. As 6:30 rolls around we find ourselves moving to our first dive destination of the day, the Nippon Maru, a 353′ freighter. After Mike’s briefing, the group scattered to begin their dives on the wreck. Chuck is running slower this trip and is not splashing the minute the briefing ends. However as he pointed out, he and Connie are still the first ones in the water.
Dive one saw most of the divers touring the forward section of the wreck and the superstructure. This structure was made of steel unlike most of the other freighters we have visited this week so far. As such, the floors and ceilings are intact and make for more interesting swim throughs. The bridge still has an intact steering station (minus the wood spokes) and a telegraph. The windows facing forward are rimmed in soft corals and look out on a fully decorated king post and mast.
Holland had a better photo dive this time and Alex complained that he needs a photographer to follow him. He is not overjoyed at taking videos with his go pro. And he would rather star in the videos rather than take them. So should we say a star is born!
I get so lonely sitting at the bottom of the engine rooms when everyone swims away from me. Steve accused me of not paying attention on the exit from the room, I was just lost and found my way out of the bomb hole in the bottom. Alex’s only response was. Steve probably does not have the same feelings at the moment. Our second dive ended without a lot of fan fair but everyone had a great dive.
During lunch, we are moving to another wreck site, the Rio de Janeiro Maru where we will be spending the rest of the day. It is a passenger vessel lying on its side and full of lots of saki bottles and other surprises.
During the transit the group read, hoped for an internet connection and was entertained by Alex tossing m&m’s to Nathan and to himself over his back.
The pool is open!
and the race to the wreck begins with Chuck and Connie in the lead followed by Charlie and Rick, then the Geibel clan followed by the rebreather guys and Alex and Susan. Steve and I pulled up the rear, not wanting to muck things up for everyone else; yes, Steve had more drills and these promised to be the dirty ones.
The passageways were relatively clear and most of the divers were clear from the wreck and then we started — line drills, blacked out diver drills, out of air divers trying to exit seeing and blind, lost line drill. By the time we finished, silt was pouring out of the hatches and we were covered in rust. The good news was we were both out if the wreck the bad news was that Steve’s first stage was leaking. No problem though, a gas shutdown drill for real. This of course means that Steve completed his Wreck penetration course. Just one more dive to finish his Technical EANx course.
Jess finished off the evening with a story telling session about his dive in a nuclear power plant. A cool way to end the evening.
Tomorrow the Hoki Maru — Alex’s favourite wreck in the Lagoon.
Hello from Chuuk, Scuba a Diving in Micronesia, Update 2
We camped on the Shinkoku Maru for the remainder of the day. This meant that everyone had the opportunity to do three dives on the wreck. Almost everyone took advantage of the opportunity except for some of the rebreather divers (Suzanne, Jess, and Jim) and Steve and me who did two long dives.
This was one of the wreck penetration class dive sites and Steve got yo experience first hand how difficult running a line and keeping up with everyone can be. He and Alex exited leaving me at the bottom of the engine room all by myself. Oh well, I exited through the nearby bomb hole and met them up top – lesson learned. During the following penetrations he made sure I was in the proper position in front of the reel man and made sure I exited with the team.
Alex started the navigation course for Rick and Charlie and proceeded to get everyone lost. Another lesson learned – you should know the compass heading for your destination and not rely on others, especially in a navigation course.
Everyone had a great time today and the photographers came back with some awesome images, especially of the anemones and anemone fish that blanket the forward section of the wreck.
And yes, Steve is doing a night dive…
Travel Log – Kosrae — Almost
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We’ve crossed the date line and a day disappears! Not to worry, we’ll get it back later. As we near Kosrae, the ride gets a little rougher, and we start experiencing turbulance caused by rain showers and a building tropical something (wave, storm, depression). The pilot begins his descent, then the final approach a steady glide towards the runway and then… jet engines full throttle and a steep climb. It appears the visibility at the runway somewhere has dropped to zero; we have an aborted landing and are heading back up into the clouds. Our next stop Ponpei, capital of the Federated States of Micronesia and a short 45 minute hop from Kosrae.
We now have a decision to make, where do we go from here? On the ground the United staff tells us not to worry, on Friday they can get us back to Kosrae. In the mean time, they will cover accomodations for the Elite passangers for the few days we have to stay in Ponpei. Never mind that we are scheduled to depart, from Kosrae for Chuuk on Saturday. And if you are a non-elite flyer, well the delay was an act of nature and this is only a service offered to Elite passangers.
Ponpei has some nice diving and the Village hotel sits atop a mountain and has a really incredible view. There is lots to see here with Nan Madol and waterfalls getting my votes as truely spectacular sites. However, our group is all rebreather divers and trying to deal with getting gas and other services with no pre-arrangements is a difficult task. So, the group votes to continue on to Chuuk.
An hour and a half later, with our bags sorted and retagged we are once again airborn for the one hour flight to Chuuk The United ground personnel in Ponpei, called ahead to the ground staff in Chuuk and arranged for them to call the Blue Lagoon Resort to pick us up at the airport. A great service because there are no cabs in Chuuk.
Upon arriving in Chuuk, we were met by the ground staff who told us they had contacted the resort and they were out front waiting for us. He also said that United had reserved 4 rooms and would pay for the lodging through Friday, the day they could return us to Kosrae (we have elected not to return to Kosrae for the day).
After clearing Immigration, which was a little bit of a problem since we had cleared immigration in Ponpei and never showed leaving (we never left customs in Ponpei) we were met by Sam who took one look at all of our luggage and shook his head and started filling up the van. 6 divers, 20 pieced of luggage including 4 rebreathers, 2 kegs of sorb and enough air delivery systems to outfit a platoon made for a tight fit in the van. There was barely enough room for the people.
After checking in, which went smoothly despite our being here 4 days early we had time to start unpacking, have dinner and then get some sleep. Thank you Winifee for making the check-in so smooth. Glamorious travel at its best.
Sleep – it never felt so good.
