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Truk Lagoon

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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.

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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!

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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.

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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.

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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…

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Travel Log – The Scuba Diving is Finished, the Journey Home Begins

20120506-173112.jpgTravel seems to contain large periods of waiting surrounded by periods of fun and adventure. We are once agin in a holding pattern here at the Blue Lagoon Resort in Chuuk Micronesia having left the boat early this morning in order to allow the crew to prepare the boat for the new group of passangers to embark later this evening.
During these waiting periods, one has time to reflect on the adventurers of the week and the fun everyone had diving here in Micronesia. There were chance encounters with sharks, swimming with turtles, and there were moments of awe watching eagle rays and marble rays swim past the submerged toe-rails.
I was fortunate to dive with the Chief Engineer, Mike, who the last time we visited, had never dove before Ann introduced him to the water. We spent hours laughing and sharing stories with old and new friends along with diving to create new memories and stories.
Diving is about moments, moments of exhileration, wonder, joy and discovery. On a trip here you can experience a wide range of emotions and thrills as you dive among the wrecks slowly being reclaimed by the sea. Once carrying instruments of war these giant steel hulls now prneude entertainment and a home to millions of organisisms and animals.
Of course, I was especially touched when I boarded the Odyssey and almost every crew member asked where Ann was and wondered why she was not here diving with us. While some may feel a little jealous about the comments, I find it a wonderful tribute to her that even after two years, the crew remember her and have such warm feelings for her.
We were fortunate to have had good weather most days and a lot of time underwater. Alex Witschey and Jim Burton completed their Advanced Wreck classes and with the extra days here, Alex was able to complete the dives for his Normoxic Trimix certification. John Rydman was able to complete his SSI Wreck Diving Specialty and Chuck Gerlneuch completed his 1,900th dive on the Nippo Maru
– a truly impressive feat.
Those of us who had been here before all noticed the deterioration that has occurred since our last trip.Some ships have faied better than others, a testament to the quality and care of her shipwrights. Some, built during the years just before the war are after the conquest of Imperial Japan began, were not so fortunate and they are showing a faster reclamation by the sea.
During our week on the Odyssey, we visited the following wreck sites:

  • Kiyosumi Maru,
  • Yamiguri Maru,
  • Fumizuki,
  • Shinkoku Maru,
  • Unkai Maru,
  • Goesai Maru,
  • Hoki Maru,
  • Fujikawa Maru,
  • Nippo Maru,
  • San Francisco Maru, and
  • Kenso Maru

Each site offered a mix of traditional wreck diving and reef diving Of course, depth played a hand in determining if one thing or another dominated the site. And of course, there are the engine rooms — tempting holes beckoning divers to explore. Be sure to ask Alex about them, I do not think he missed one of them!
Of course all of our rebreather divers wish to send a special thanks to the California Trial Lawyers Association and to the judiciary system in California. With the loss of the Teledyne cells due to frivolous lawsuits in the “great” state of California, we experienced more cell failures and issues than on any trip I have ever run. The new AP Diving cells were not very reliable with at least three failures of brand new cells requiring me to ask other divers to bring more cells with them from the states. The Max Tech R22D cells did not like moisture and the AI cells did not like doing more than 2 dives a day. Fortunately, the new Vandegraph cells performed well throughout the two weeks. The lesson learned is that until the cell manufacturers learn to make a reliable cell similar to the old teledyne cells, rebreather divers must invest in a lot of spare cells; especially when they are diving in remote locations.
Also, for the rebreather divers, I am also happy to announce that the Odyssey is now a complete rebreather friendly location with the addition of rebreather cylinders left by our divers. They now have both 2L and 3L bottles! Diving a rebreather in Chuuk is an ideal way to see and explore the wrecks. Thank you for letting us help complete the circle!
Today you will find our happy crew scouting out old Japanese military sites, catching up on email, connecting with friends or family or just trying to entertain themselves. Ann’s favorite four year old, Jess, is probably causing trouble somewhere, while others are trying to figure out how to get their luggage repacked to conform to the United Airlines baggage restrictions. Lest we forget those civilized pursuits some of the group have elected to have a massage or a pedicure and manicure. Both prneuded on site for a reasonable fee.
Drinking is also an option but with a 50% tax on liquor and beer it is an expensive one.
Of course there is breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pam and I already spent the breakfast and lunch hours together – straight with no break, in the dining room. Of course Ann and were texting via Skype and Pam was doing her best to delete all of her work emails!
Our journey home begins when we gather in front of the hotel at 11:00 for our 2:30 am flight to Guam then it is on to Honolulu continuing to various points in the US. Where is Scotty when you need him? Beam me up Scotty!
Our Journey home begins…

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Travel Log – Scuba Diving in Truk Lagoon Finally

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The weather system we avoided in Kosrae seems to have followed us to Chuuk. The basic schedule is It rain overnight, clearing slightly in the morning until just the point where we are loading the boats to go diving and then a small squall runs through kicking up the seas and making for a wet ride out to the dive site. The skies and seas remain a little disturbed while we are underwater and then just after we re-board the boat after our decompression stops, the seas lay down making the ride back to the resort a smooth affair.
We have had some great dives during the shore based portion of our trip. We started with the Fujikawa Maru, which is a spectacular wreck with lots of sea life and coral growth. The engine room and forward holds were a little murkey, probably as a result of divers who were there before us. While the zeros are still there, they show signs of deteriation. It really demostrates that things built for a terestrial environment are not as well suited to life iunderwater.
Because we were here earlier than we had origionally planned, the group decided to dive the deeper wrecks in Truk Lagoon, especially since we will not be visiting them next week. We also decided to do some of the dives using Helium. Using Helium out here is a mixed blessing. It makes for a clearer head and safer diving but there is a price to pay. First, Trimix diving generally requires longer decompression times when compared to air diving which means that we all have to get used to hanging around in shallow water and looking at one another,
Of course the biggest price to pay will come on Sunday when the Blue Lagoon Dive Shop presents us with our diving and gas bill. Helium is $4.50 per cubic foot! The rebreather divers are each using about 7 cubic feet per day while the open circuit divers are using about 38 cubic feet per day. Lest we forget, there are also the oxygen and the bottle rentals. Deep diving in the tropics can be expensive!
I have also come to realize that in order to successfully dive in remote locations, you not only have to be a compotent diver, but you also have to be part mechanic and part dreamer, with a good dose of MacGuiver tossed in. We have already had our share of equipment glitches and malfunctions. Some we have had the spare parts for and others we have not. Parts are not readily available in this remote part of the world but Pam is arriving on Sunday with some parts to make our repairs easier and more permanent. I am already compiling a list of things I need to add to my expedition kit.
So far we have dove the following wrecks:
The Fujikawa Maru,
The Hein Maru,
The Shotan Maru, twice,
The Nippo Maru, and
The Fujisan Maru.
And for all of those fish lovers we have seen a large school of Baracuda, Tuna hunting, Eagle Rays and lots of small reef fish. Alex was so popular with three little yellow stripped fish that they followed him all the way around the wreck and up to his 10 foot stop. It was like having a bunch of high school girls following him around; the only thing missing was the fish trying to flirt with him.
Great diving and good friends, what more can you want. Ok, it would be far better if Ann were here instead of manning the store at home but the world is not a perfect place.
The diving continues…

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