Preparing for Truk

[Oceanshutter 121]

I am planning on a dive trip to Truk in 2015, and was wondering what recommendations from a training standpoint would people recommend. I currently am a Advanced open water Nitrox diver. I would like to be able to do some of the deeper wrecks, and overall be able to spend a bit more time on them than a single tank could provide. I am considering doing doubles, but have no idea if I need training for this etc...or if its as simple as buying a new backplate and wing for my halcyon bcd.

 

I am not a typical deep diver...though not afraid of it either. I normally like to extend my dives for more bottom time to shoot video.

 

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

Dustin

[Aliens 3]

Twin tank course at least. Prferable Adv nitrox but dont have to do deco to enjoy the wrecks. Some are not thta deep around 30m but having a second tank a big advantage.

or GUE Fundies in twins for good skills?

Edited March 4, 2014 by Aliens

[Interceptor121 842]

Hi Dustin

 

Check out the BSAC trip reports here http://www.bsac.com/diverreports.asp?section=1245&sectionTitle=Australasia+%2F+Pacific

 

Twin set are a good idea if you want to dive some sites and end up in deco. Not sure about trimix options

[thetrickster 328]

I was there last Nov (and going again 2015 Nov). There was a big group of us, ranging from PADI Advanced divers, Instructors, right up to 200m+ Trimix CCR divers.

 

Everyone done the dives they wanted - everyone went and had a peak at the San Fran (50m+) and some of us went and dived the Nagano (at 60m)

Your certifications meaning nothing over there, if you are comfortable - all the dives are an absolute pleasure - most times you will end up doing at least 5-10mins of deco.

 

If you're not comfortable at the moment doing that - that I would suggest so Deco Procedures type course - at least you will know what you computer is beeping at

 

Every dive we did, they had a Alu80 hung at 5m - if you needed more gas

 

The wrecks (inside) are BIG and you can get lost if you go wondering on your own, most of the single divers followed a guide. So if you fancy a bit of exploring - perhaps a wreck course would be good (but a decent one - TDI, UTD etc)

 

Half the group was on Twins and half the group on singles, all on Nitrox/Air - no trimix (it was $1000 for a J !!).

 

I was diving a single 13ltr (100cu) and was getting 50+mins Runtimes - the water is warm, the vis is clear and there is no currents - its totally chilled diving.

I didn't feel the need for a twinset personally - otherwise I would of been down there a lot longer - we had to curtain some of our times due to lunch arrangements and people sat waiting for us topside getting cold..

 

The the two 'deep' dives of the San Fran and the Nagano I took a 5ltr of 50% to save some time on the deco.

 

Log:

2013-10-26 - Shinkoku Maru - 28m - 56min

2013-10-26 - ?? Maru - 36m - 58min

2013-10-26 - ?? Maru - 37m - 78min

2013-10-27 - Fumitsuki Maru - 37m - 49min

2013-10-27 - Kiyosumi Maru - 30m - 58min

2013-10-27 - Sankisan Maru - 30m - 51min

2013-10-27 - Futagami Maru - 26m - 48min

2013-10-28 - Hoki Maru - 42m - 43min

2013-10-28 - Yamagiri Maru - 30m - 60min

2013-10-28 - Unkai Maru - 37m - 53min

2013-10-28 - Kansho Maru - 31m - 48min

2013-10-29 - Momokawa Maru - 41m - 68min

2013-10-29 - Kansko Maru - 35m - 61min

2013-10-29 - Rio De Janeiro Maru - 29m - 51min

2013-10-29 - Daihatsu Junction - 10m - 47min

2013-10-30 - I-169 Submarine - 42m - 47min

2013-10-30 - Heian Maru - 33m - 60min

2013-10-30 - Gosei Maru - 22m - 56min

2013-10-31 - San Francisco Maru - 52m - 49min

2013-10-31 - Fujikawa Maru - 28m - 46min

2013-11-01 - Nagano Maru -60m - 71min

2013-11-01 - Shark Ville -21m - 45min

2013-11-01 - Shinkoku Maru - 32m - 51min

 

We have decided on a 'tec only trip' next time and take the rebreathers - time was too short most of them. But I had a blast even on a single - and I'm sure you will too!

[Alison Perkins 29]

I'm a second voice for looking into a GUE Fundamentals course.

[Aliens 3]

If you are going to go inside the wrecks I highly recommend diving on twins for redundancy. Easier to swim with as well rather than a stage tank

Dustin also look at doing a liveaboard there. No limit on dive times, no waiting around 3-4 dives per day. Oxygen up to 100% available. I have done Truk Odyssey twice going back end of this year. Oh and a FULL bar.......

[Oceanshutter 121]

If you are going to go inside the wrecks I highly recommend diving on twins for redundancy. Easier to swim with as well rather than a stage tank

Dustin also look at doing a liveaboard there. No limit on dive times, no waiting around 3-4 dives per day. Oxygen up to 100% available. I have done Truk Odyssey twice going back end of this year. Oh and a FULL bar.......

Thanks. We will be doing the siren boat, and some land based as well.

[Aliens 3]

Really love diving off Siren boats but not sure how they will cope with twins tanks as it is a pretty narrow dive deck. Hope you have a great trip.

[Aliens 3]

Off a livebaboard you wont have the time restrictions of the day boats and worrying about people getting cold and hungry and waiting. Defintiley do a twin tank course. PADI Tec40 is great as it teaches you all aspects of twin tanks diving and a bit of deco as well

[tdpriest 115]

I'm a second voice for looking into a GUE Fundamentals course.

 

Technical skills help, but GUE is so prescriptive that you can only GUE with one-another: most divers in Truk aren't GUE, and you would have to abandon GUE dogma. I'd be happier with TDI training (although I am IANTD trained myself).

 

Truk, however, is not be missed.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/timsdiving/sets/72157645297557139/

Thanks. We will be doing the siren boat, and some land based as well.

 

Siren hasn't worked up yet: they could be very good, they might have problems...

 

Here's my report from May, with Blue Lagoon and Odyssey.

Edited July 19, 2014 by tdpriest

[Oceanshutter 121]

Technical skills help, but GUE is so prescriptive that you can only GUE with one-another: most divers in Truk aren't GUE, and you would have to abandon GUE dogma. I'd be happier with TDI training (although I am IANTD trained myself).

 

Truk, however, is not be missed.

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/timsdiving/sets/72157645297557139/

 

 

Siren hasn't worked up yet: they could be very good, they might have problems...

 

 

 

Here's my report from May, with Blue Lagoon and Odyssey.

 

I did read your trip report. Thanks for posting that.

 

I am currently taking the TDI intro to tec course. Very interesting. Double tanks is fun, but I don't know that I will use them that much in diving other than Truk. Learning how the isolation manifolds definitely takes practice. I agree gue is a little too much for me too.

 

Why are saying the siren might have problems? They aren't supposed to start sailing until November this year.

 

Dustin

[tdpriest 115]

Why are saying the siren might have problems? They aren't supposed to start sailing until November this year.

 

That's exactly why: I heard talk in Chuuk saying that they haven't put in much work on the ground, discussing itineraries, moorings, supplies and so on, diving the wrecks and getting ready for customers. i would expect that it will take some time for a new boat to settle into trouble-free operation.

 

I don't know if it's meaningful, but the Siren fleet's web page refers to Operation Hailstorm, not Hailstone, which suggests a certain skimpiness to their research...

Edited July 19, 2014 by tdpriest

[Oceanshutter 121]

That's exactly why: I heard talk in Chuuk saying that they haven't put in much work on the ground, discussing itineraries, moorings, supplies and so on, diving the wrecks and getting ready for customers. i would expect that it will take some time for a new boat to settle into trouble-free operation.

 

I don't know if it's meaningful, but the Siren fleet's web page refers to Operation Hailstorm, not Hailstone, which suggests a certain skimpiness to their research...

I am not too worried about it. Siren is a pretty good company. I was in Komodo while they were preparing the Palau siren. They were preparing the crew and getting kinks working out from the boat end of things long before they put it in Palau. I also spoke to one of the owners about it too. I am thinking they are hiring some people with local knowledge already.

It will be interesting. I am thinking they won't be as prepared for the hardcore tec divers like odyssey. But that might not be their target market.

Dustin

[Crazy Badger 1]

I'd done about 170 dive when I went to Truk and did GUE fundies about 6 months before, although had been diving a twinset about 6 months before that. I wouldn't worry about any advanced deco (I.e. O2) and just build in some more time in the water. It's warm, and on a lot of the wrecks you still have something interesting to look at up to 5-10m.

 

The buoyancy and trim skills learned on fundies will set you up well for some of the guided penetration dives you should get the opportunity to do, assuming you don't mind popping into a wreck for 10-15 minutes without seeing any natural light The guides know the wrecks like the back of their hand, but there's a big dollop of trust! Some of the holes are pretty tight too, so not sure I would have fancied an extra stage!

 

A big torch is pretty much essential, along with a decent computer that's not going to hammer you for deco when your not at exactly 6m (I.e. Suunto). I think my Suunto backup was bent after 3-4 dives and was eventually switched to gauge mode

 

I did a few days diving from the Blue Lagoon and then spent a week on Odyssey, and there were a few people diving a single 15 but I think a twinset is really needed to get the most from your trip.

 

You'll have a great time. The diving is fantastic, although very rust based with a lack of any really big wildlife!

 

ps: the GUE approach is a little prescriptive if you want to to progress down their technical courses, but the skills learned on fundies can be applied to any diving you do afterward, with or without GUE. It's a hard course, with a pretty high bar (unlike anything you might have done with PADI) but we'll worth it with the potential to make you a much more proficient diver.

 

pps: oh, and Nitrox is a given - 32% good for most dives with 28 or air for the deeper ones!

Edited July 19, 2014 by Crazy Badger

[Oceanshutter 121]

I'd done about 170 dive when I went to Truk and did GUE fundies about 6 months before, although had been diving a twinset about 6 months before that. I wouldn't worry about any advanced deco (I.e. O2) and just build in some more time in the water. It's warm, and on a lot of the wrecks you still have something interesting to look at up to 5-10m.

 

The buoyancy and trim skills learned on fundies will set you up well for some of the guided penetration dives you should get the opportunity to do, assuming you don't mind popping into a wreck for 10-15 minutes without seeing any natural light The guides know the wrecks like the back of their hand, but there's a big dollop of trust! Some of the holes are pretty tight too, so not sure I would have fancied an extra stage!

 

A big torch is pretty much essential, along with a decent computer that's not going to hammer you for deco when your not at exactly 6m (I.e. Suunto). I think my Suunto backup was bent after 3-4 dives and was eventually switched to gauge mode

 

I did a few days diving from the Blue Lagoon and then spent a week on Odyssey, and there were a few people diving a single 15 but I think a twinset is really needed to get the most from your trip.

 

You'll have a great time. The diving is fantastic, although very rust based with a lack of any really big wildlife!

 

ps: the GUE approach is a little prescriptive if you want to to progress down their technical courses, but the skills learned on fundies can be applied to any diving you do afterward, with or without GUE. It's a hard course, with a pretty high bar (unlike anything you might have done with PADI) but we'll worth it with the potential to make you a much more proficient diver.

 

pps: oh, and Nitrox is a given - 32% good for most dives with 28 or air for the deeper ones!

 

Thanks. I am doing the TDI intro to tec course right now. Wanted to be able to do doubles down there. With doubles on the first time, the long hose...etc. felt like I have never been diving before. LOL. I don't think I am planning on doing any real big deco diving. Just want enough air, that I won't have to come up after 15 minutes. With the camera, I really don't focus on my breathing as much as I should. So the air goes fast.

 

Dustin